Isaiah 26

1 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,

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks.

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

Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth truth may enter in.

3 A purpose sustained, thou wilt guard, [saying], Prosper! Prosper! Because in thee, hath he been led to trust.

Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.

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

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is an everlasting rock.

5 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:

For he hath brought down them that dwell on high, the lofty city: he layeth it low, he layeth it low even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.

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

The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

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

The way of the just is uprightness: thou that art up right dost direct the path of the just.

8 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:

Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; to thy name and to thy memorial is the desire of our soul.

9 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.

With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10 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.

Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.

11 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!

LORD, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see [thy] zeal for the people, and be ashamed; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.

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

LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou hast also wrought all our works for us.

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

O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

14 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.

[They are] dead, they shall not live; [they are] deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

15 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.

Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified: thou hast enlarged all the borders of the land.

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

LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer [when] thy chastening was upon them.

17 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; —

Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been before thee, O LORD.

18 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.

We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

19 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.

Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is [as] the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.

20 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.

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 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.

For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.