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.
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!
2 Open ye the gates, that enter may a righteous nation, Preserving stedfastness.
Open the gates so the nation who follows the right can come in, the nation that stays faithful.
3 An imagination supported Thou fortifiest peace — peace! For in Thee it is confident.
You will keep in complete peace those who keep their minds focused on you, because they trust in you.
4 Trust ye in Jehovah for ever, For in Jah Jehovah [is] a rock of ages,
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
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 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.
6 Tread it down doth a foot, Feet of the poor — steps of the weak.
The poor tread it underfoot; the oppressed walk on top of it.
7 The path for the righteous [is] uprightness, O upright One, The path of the righteous Thou dost ponder.
You God, do what is right, and you straighten out the way for those who live right; you smooth out their path.
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.
Yes, we follow your instructions, Lord, we put our hope in you. What we most want is to remember you and your wonderful character.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
12 O Jehovah, Thou appointest peace to us, For, all our works also Thou hast wrought for us.
Lord, you give us peace and prosperity; everything we've achieved you have done for us.
13 O Jehovah our God, lords have ruled us besides Thee, Only, by Thee we make mention of Thy name.
Lord our God, there have been other lords besides you who have ruled us, but you are the only one we worship.
14 Dead — they live not, Rephaim, they rise not, Therefore Thou hast inspected and dost destroy them, Yea, thou destroyest all their memory.
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.
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.
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.
16 O Jehovah, in distress they missed Thee, They have poured out a whisper, Thy chastisement [is] on them.
Lord, when we were suffering we came to you, pouring out our prayers like whispers as you disciplined us.
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.
Just as a pregnant woman giving birth tosses about and cries out in pain, that's what we were like in your presence, Lord.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
My people, go inside your homes and close your doors behind you. Hide there for a little while until the fury has passed.
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!'
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.”
