Isaiah 26
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God has made salvation its walls and ramparts.
In that day will this song be made in the land of Judah: We have a strong town; he will make salvation our walls and towers.
2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
Let the doors be open, so that the upright nation which keeps faith may come in.
3 The mind that is stayed on you, you will keep him in perfect peace, for he trusts in you.
The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.
4 Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting rock.
Let your hope be in the Lord for ever: for the Lord Jah is an unchanging Rock.
5 For he will bring down those who live proudly; the fortified city he will lay low, he will lay low to the ground; he will level it to the dust.
For he has made low those who are lifted up, all the people of the town of pride: he makes it low, crushing it down to the earth; he makes it low in the dust.
6 It will be trampled down by the feet of the poor and the treading of the needy.
It will be crushed under the feet of the poor and the steps of those who are in need.
7 The path of the righteous is level, Righteous One; the path of the righteous you make straight.
The way of the good man is straight; the road of the upright is made smooth by you.
8 Yes, in the path of your judgments, Yahweh, we wait for you; your name and your reputation are our desire.
We have been waiting for you, O Lord; the desire of our soul is for the memory of your name.
9 I have longed for you in the night; yes, my spirit within me seeks you earnestly. For when your judgments come on the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn about righteousness.
In the night the desire of my soul has been for you; early will my spirit be searching for you; for when your punishments come on the earth, the people of the world will get the knowledge of righteousness.
10 Let favor be shown to the wicked one, but he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he acts wickedly and does not see the majesty of Yahweh.
Even if you are kind to the evil-doer, he will not go after righteousness; even in the land of the upright he will still go on in his wrongdoing, and will not see the glory of the Lord.
11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, but they do not notice. But they will see your zeal for the people and be put to shame, because fire of your adversaries will devour them.
Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see: let them see ... yes, your haters will be burned up in the fire.
12 Yahweh, you will bring about peace for us; for indeed, you have also accomplished all our works for us.
Lord, you will give us peace: for all our works are the outcome of your purpose.
13 Yahweh our God, other masters besides you have ruled over us; but we praise your name alone.
O Lord, our God, other lords than you have had rule over us; but in you only is our salvation, and no other name will we take on our lips.
14 They are dead, they will not live; they are deceased, they will not arise. Indeed, you came in judgment and destroyed them, and made every memory of them to perish.
The dead will not come back to life: their spirits will not come back to earth; for this cause you have sent destruction on them, so that the memory of them is dead.
15 You have increased the nation, Yahweh, you have increased the nation; you are honored; you have extended all the borders of the land.
You have made the nation great, O Lord, you have made it great; glory is yours: you have made wide the limits of the land.
16 Yahweh, in trouble have they looked to you; they whispered prayers when your discipline was on them.
Lord, in trouble our eyes have been turned to you, we sent up a prayer when your punishment was on us.
17 As a pregnant woman nears the time for her to give birth, when she is in pain and cries out in her labor pains, so we have been before you, Lord.
As a woman with child, whose time is near, is troubled, crying out in her pain; so have we been before you, O Lord.
18 We have been pregnant, we have been in labor, but it is as if we have only given birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have given birth to wind; no salvation has come to the earth through us, and no children have come into the world.
19 Your dead will live; their dead bodies will arise. Awake and sing for joy, you who live in the dust; for your dew is the dew of light, and the earth will bring forth its dead.
Your dead will come back; their dead bodies will come to life again. Those in the dust, awaking from their sleep, will send out a song; for your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the shades.
20 Go, my people, enter into your rooms and shut your doors behind you; hide for a little while, until the indignation has passed by.
Come, my people, into your secret places, and let your doors be shut: keep yourself safe for a short time, till his wrath is over.
21 For, look, Yahweh is about to come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will uncover her bloodshed, and will no longer conceal her slain.
For the Lord is coming out of his place to send punishment on the people of the earth for their evil-doing: the earth will let the blood drained out on her be seen, and will keep her dead covered no longer.
