Isaiah 26

1 In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city. God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks.

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, that the righteous nation may enter: the one which keeps faith.

Open ye the gates, —That there may enter in—a righteous nation preserving fidelity.

3 You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts 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 in the LORD, the LORD, is an everlasting Rock.

Trust ye in Yahweh, unto futurity, —For, in Yah, Yahweh, is a rock of ages.

5 For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city. He lays it low. He lays it low even to the ground. He brings it even to 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 foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy.”

The foot trampleth it, —The feet of the lowly, The steps of the weak,

7 The way of the just is uprightness. You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.

The path of a righteous man, is, even, —O Upright One! the track of a righteous man, thou makest level.

8 Yes, in the way of your judgments, LORD, we have waited for you. Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul.

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 With my soul I have desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me I will seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

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 Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see the LORD’s majesty.

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, your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see; but they will see your zeal for the people and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

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 will ordain peace for us, for you have also done all our work for us.

O Yahweh, thou wilt ensure prosperity for us, —For even all our works, hast thou wrought for us,

13 LORD our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us, but we will only acknowledge your name.

O Yahweh, our God! Lords other than thee, have owned us, —By thyself alone, will we call upon thy Name.

14 The dead shall not live. The departed spirits shall not rise. Therefore you have visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish.

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 increased the nation, O LORD. You have increased the nation! You are glorified! You have enlarged all the borders of the land.

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, in trouble they have visited you. They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.

O Yahweh! in distress, they sought thee, —They poured out a whispered prayer, when thy chastening was upon them.

17 Just as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs, so we have been before you, 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 We have been with child. We have been in pain. We gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

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 Your dead shall live. Their dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.

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 Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past.

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 For, behold, the LORD comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.

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.