Isaiah 26
1 In that day sung is this song in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city, Salvation He doth make walls and bulwark.
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.
2 Open ye the gates, that enter may a righteous nation, Preserving stedfastness.
Open the gates of the city for people who are righteous; allow people who faithfully [obey Yahweh] to enter the city.
3 An imagination supported Thou fortifiest peace — peace! For in Thee it is confident.
Yahweh, those who trust in you, those who firmly resolve to never doubt you, you will enable them to feel perfectly peaceful.
4 Trust ye in Jehovah for ever, For in Jah Jehovah [is] a rock of ages,
[So] always trust in Yahweh, because Yahweh, [our God], is forever [like] [MET] a huge rock [under which we are sheltered/protected/safe].
5 For He bowed down the dwellers on high, A city set on high He maketh low, He maketh it low unto the earth, He causeth it to come unto the dust,
He humbles proud people and destroys cities whose people are arrogant. He causes those cities to collapse into the dust/dirt.
6 Tread it down doth a foot, Feet of the poor — steps of the weak.
[When that happens], poor and oppressed people will trample on the ruins.
7 The path for the righteous [is] uprightness, O upright One, The path of the righteous Thou dost ponder.
[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.
8 Also, [in] the path of Thy judgments, O Jehovah, we have waited [for] Thee, To Thy name and to Thy remembrance [Is] the desire of the soul.
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.
9 [With] my soul I desired Thee in the night, Also, [with] my spirit within me I seek Thee earnestly, For when Thy judgments [are] on the earth, The inhabitants of the world have learned righteousness.
[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.
10 The wicked findeth favour, He hath not learned righteousness, In a land of straightforwardness he dealeth perversely, And seeth not the excellency of Jehovah.
[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.
11 O Jehovah, high [is] Thy hand — they see not, They see the zeal of the people, and are ashamed, Also, the fire — Thine adversaries, consumeth them.
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.
12 O Jehovah, Thou appointest peace to us, For, all our works also Thou hast wrought for us.
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.
13 O Jehovah our God, lords have ruled us besides Thee, Only, by Thee we make mention of Thy name.
Yahweh, our God, others have ruled over us, but you [MTY] are the only one whom we honor.
14 Dead — they live not, Rephaim, they rise not, Therefore Thou hast inspected and dost destroy them, Yea, thou destroyest all their memory.
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.
15 Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah, Thou hast added to the nation, Thou hast been honoured, Thou hast put far off all the ends of earth.
Yahweh, you have enabled our nation to become great; we are more in [now], and we have more land, [so we] thank/praise you.
16 O Jehovah, in distress they missed Thee, They have poured out a whisper, Thy chastisement [is] on them.
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.
17 When a pregnant woman cometh near to the birth, She is pained — she crieth in her pangs, So we have been from Thy face, O Jehovah.
Like pregnant women writhe and cry out when they are giving birth, we suffered very much, too.
18 We have conceived, we have been pained. We have brought forth as it were wind, Salvation we do not work in the earth, Nor do the inhabitants of the world fall.
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].
19 'Thy dead live — My dead body they rise. Awake and sing, ye dwellers in the dust, For the dew of herbs [is] thy dew, And the land of Rephaim thou causest to fall.
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].
20 Come, My people, enter into thy inner chambers, And shut thy doors behind thee, Hide thyself shortly a moment till the indignation pass over.
But now, my people/fellow-citizens, go home and lock your doors! Hide for a short time, until [Yahweh] is no longer angry.
21 For, lo, Jehovah is coming out of His place, To charge the iniquity of the inhabitant of the earth upon him, And revealed hath the earth her blood, Nor doth she cover any more her slain!'
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.
