Isaiah 26
1 Some day, [people in] Judah will sing this song: Our city [of Jerusalem] is strong! Yahweh protects our city; He is like [MET] a wall that surrounds it.
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; His aid doth God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates of the city for people who are righteous; allow people who faithfully [obey Yahweh] to enter the city.
Open ye the gates, That the righteous nation may enter in, The nation that keepeth the truth.
3 Yahweh, those who trust in you, those who firmly resolve to never doubt you, you will enable them to feel perfectly peaceful.
Him that is of a steadfast mind Thou wilt keep in continual peace, Because he trusteth in thee.
4 [So] always trust in Yahweh, because Yahweh, [our God], is forever [like] [MET] a huge rock [under which we are sheltered/protected/safe].
Trust ye in Jehovah forever, For the Lord Jehovah is an everlasting rock.
5 He humbles proud people and destroys cities whose people are arrogant. He causes those cities to collapse into the dust/dirt.
For he hath brought down the inhabitants of the fortress; The lofty city he hath laid low; He hath laid her low even to the ground; He hath levelled her with the dust.
6 [When that happens], poor and oppressed people will trample on the ruins.
The foot trampleth upon her, The feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.
7 [But as for] righteous people, Yahweh, you do what is right; [it is as though] you cause the paths where they walk to be level and smooth.
The way of the upright is a smooth way; Thou, O most righteous, doth level the path of the upright!
8 Yahweh, by obeying your laws we show that we trust you to help us; and what we desire is that you will be honored/praised/exalted.
In the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, we have waited for thee; The desire of our souls is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9 [All] through the night I [SYN] desire to know you better, and each morning I still want to be with you. [Only] when you come to judge [and punish] people who live on the earth will they learn to do what is right.
My soul longeth for thee in the night, And my spirit within me seeketh thee in the morning; For when thy judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 [But] your acting kindly toward wicked people does not cause them to do what is good. [Even] in places where people do what is right, the wicked people continue to do what is evil, and they do not realize that you, Yahweh, are great.
Though favor be shown to the wicked, He will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, And have no regard to the majesty of Jehovah.
11 Yahweh, [it is as though] your fist is raised up [ready to strike them], but they do not realize that. Show them that you are very eager to help your people. If your enemies would realize that, they would be ashamed; allow your fire to burn them up [because they are] your enemies.
Thy hand, O Jehovah, is lifted up, yet do they not see; But they shall see with shame thy zeal for thy people; Yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.
12 Yahweh, [we desire that] you will allow things to go well for us; everything that we have done is what you have enabled us to do.
Thou, O Jehovah, wilt give us peace; For all our works thou doest for us.
13 Yahweh, our God, others have ruled over us, but you [MTY] are the only one whom we honor.
O Jehovah, our God, other lords have had dominion over us besides thee; Only through thee do we call upon thy name.
14 Those who ruled us are [now] gone; they are dead; their spirits have left this earth, and they will not become alive [again]. You punished those rulers and got rid of them, and people do not even remember them any more.
They are dead, they shall not live; They are shades, they shall not rise. For thou hast visited and destroyed them, And caused all the memory of them to perish.
15 Yahweh, you have enabled our nation to become great; we are more in [now], and we have more land, [so we] thank/praise you.
“Thou wilt enlarge the nation, O Jehovah! Thou wilt enlarge the nation; thou wilt glorify thyself; Thou wilt widely extend all the borders of the land.
16 Yahweh, when we were distressed, we asked you [to help us]; when you disciplined/punished us, we were able only to whisper when we prayed to you.
O Jehovah, in affliction they sought thee; They poured out their prayer, when thy chastisement was upon them.
17 Like pregnant women writhe and cry out when they are giving birth, we suffered very much, too.
As a woman with child, when her delivery is near, Is in anguish, and crieth aloud in her pangs, So have we been, far from thy presence, O Jehovah!
18 We had severe pain, but nothing good resulted [MET] from it. We have not rescued our people [from being conquered by our enemies], and we have not given birth to children [who will rule the world correctly] (OR, not defeated the armies [that have attacked other nations].
We have been with child; we have been in anguish, Yet have, as it were, brought forth wind. To the land we bring no deliverance; Nor are the inhabitants of the land born.
19 But Yahweh’s people who have died will become alive [again], their corpses will become alive! Those whose bodies lie in graves will rise and shout joyfully! His light will be [like] dew that falls on his people who have died, who are [now] in the place where the dead people are, [and will cause them to become alive again].
O might thy dead live again, Might the dead bodies of my people arise! Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in the dust! For thy dew is like the dew upon plants, And the earth shall bring forth her dead.”
20 But now, my people/fellow-citizens, go home and lock your doors! Hide for a short time, until [Yahweh] is no longer angry.
Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, And shut thy doors behind thee; Hide thyself for a little moment, Until the indignation be overpast!
21 Listen to this: Yahweh will come from heaven to punish [all] the people on the earth for the sins that they have committed. People will be able to see [PRS] the (blood of those/the people) who have been murdered; their murderers will no longer be able to hide.
For behold, Jehovah cometh forth from his place, To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth shall disclose her blood, And shall no longer cover her slain.
