Isaiah 26
1 At that time, this will be the song that is sung in the land of Judah: “Ours is a strong city! Its walls and defenses are our salvation!
In that day, shall be sung this song, in the land of Judah, —A strong city, have we! Salvation, will he set for walls and rampart,
2 Open the gates so the nation who follows the right can come in, the nation that stays faithful.
Open ye the gates, —That there may enter in—a righteous nation preserving fidelity.
3 You will keep in complete peace those who keep their minds focused on you, because they trust in you.
A purpose sustained, thou wilt guard, [saying], Prosper! Prosper! Because in thee, hath he been led to trust.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
Trust ye in Yahweh, unto futurity, —For, in Yah, Yahweh, is a rock of ages.
5 He brings down those who live so high and mighty; he demolishes the proud city with its high walls, bringing it down to the ground, into the dust.
For he hath brought down the inhabitants of the height the city exalted, —He layeth it low, Layeth it low even to the ground, Levelleth it, even to the dust:
6 The poor tread it underfoot; the oppressed walk on top of it.
The foot trampleth it, —The feet of the lowly, The steps of the weak,
7 You God, do what is right, and you straighten out the way for those who live right; you smooth out their path.
The path of a righteous man, is, even, —O Upright One! the track of a righteous man, thou makest level.
8 Yes, we follow your instructions, Lord, we put our hope in you. What we most want is to remember you and your wonderful character.
Surely in the path of thy regulations, O Yahweh, we waited for thee, —Unto thy Name and unto thy Memorial, was there a longing of soul:
9 I look for you in the night; deep inside me I long for you. When your laws are shown to the earth, then the people of the world learn what is right.
With my soul, longed I for thee in the night, Yea with my spirit within me, I kept on searching for thee, —For, when thy regulations [extend] to the earth, The inhabitants of the world will have learned, righteousness.
10 Though grace is shown to the wicked, they don't learn to do right. Even in a country where people do what's right, they continue to do evil and they don't think about how great the Lord is.
Let favour be shewed to the lawless, he hath not learned righteousness, In a land of honest dealings, he acteth perversely, —And seeth not the splendour of Yahweh.
11 Lord, you are holding your hand up, but they don't see it. Let them see your passionate commitment for your people, and be embarrassed; may the fire reserved for your enemies destroy them!
O Yahweh though thy hand be lifted up, —yet do they not see, Would they might see—and turn pale at a people’s zeal, —Surely, the fire of thine enemies, must consume them!
12 Lord, you give us peace and prosperity; everything we've achieved you have done for us.
O Yahweh, thou wilt ensure prosperity for us, —For even all our works, hast thou wrought for us,
13 Lord our God, there have been other lords besides you who have ruled us, but you are the only one we worship.
O Yahweh, our God! Lords other than thee, have owned us, —By thyself alone, will we call upon thy Name.
14 They are dead, they will not live again; they will not rise from the grave. Lord, you punished them and destroyed them—even wiping out every memory about them.
The dead, come not to life again, The shades, do not arise, —Therefore, thou hast visited and destroyed them, And caused to perish every memorial of them.
15 You have made the nation grow, Lord, you have made the nation grow. You have expanded our borders of the land, and we honored you.
Thou hast increased the nation, O Yahweh, Thou hast increased the nation thou hast gotten thyself glory, Thou hast extended far, all the ends of the land.
16 Lord, when we were suffering we came to you, pouring out our prayers like whispers as you disciplined us.
O Yahweh! in distress, they sought thee, —They poured out a whispered prayer, when thy chastening was upon them.
17 Just as a pregnant woman giving birth tosses about and cries out in pain, that's what we were like in your presence, Lord.
Like as a woman with child—Draweth near to giving birth, Is in pain, Crieth out in her pangs So, were we before thee, O Yahweh; —
18 However, even though we became pregnant and we tossed about in pain, we gave birth to nothing but air. We did not bring about the salvation of the earth, and the people of the world have not become alive.
We were with child—We were in pain, As it were we brought forth wind, —Salvation, we could not accomplish for the earth, Neither were born the inhabitants of the world.
19 But those who died in you, Lord, will live! Their bodies will rise again! Wake up, and sing for joy, you people sleeping in the dust, for the dew you receive is like the dew of the morning giving life to those in the grave.
Thy dead, shall come to life again, My dead body, they shall arise, —Awake and shout for joy, ye that dwell in the dust For, a dew of light, is thy dew, And, earth, to the shades shall give birth.
20 My people, go inside your homes and close your doors behind you. Hide there for a little while until the fury has passed.
Come my people, enter into thy chambers, And shut thy doors behind thee, —Hide thee as it were a little moment Till the indignation pass over.
21 Watch out! The Lord is coming from where he lives to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will reveal the blood that has been shed on it; the earth won't hide those who have been killed any no longer.”
For lo! Yahweh, is coming forth out of his place, To visit the iniquity of earth’s inhabitant upon him, —Therefore shall the earth unveil her shed-blood, And throw a covering, no longer over her slain.
