Isaiah 26
26
A Song of Praise to God
1At that time people will sing this song in Judah:
We have a strong city.
God protects us with its strong walls and defenses.
2Open the gates,
and the good people will enter,
those who follow God.
3You, Lord, give true peace
to those who depend on you,
because they trust you.
4So, trust the Lord always,
because he is our Rock forever.
5He will destroy the proud city,
and he will punish the people living there.
He will bring that high city down to the ground
and throw it down into the dust.
6Then those who were hurt by the city will walk on its ruins;
those who were made poor by the city will trample it under their feet.
7The path of life is level for those who are right with God;
Lord, you make the way of life smooth for those people.
8But, Lord, we are waiting
for your way of justice.
Our souls want to remember
you and your name.
9My soul wants to be with you at night,
and my spirit wants to be with you at the dawn of every day.
When your way of justice comes to the land,
people of the world will learn the right way of living.
10Evil people will not learn to do good
even if you show them kindness.
They will continue doing evil, even if they live in a good world;
they never see the Lord’s greatness.
11Lord, you are ready to punish those people,
but they do not see that.
Show them your strong love for your people.
Then those who are evil will be ashamed.
Burn them in the fire
you have prepared for your enemies.
12Lord, all our success is because of what you have done,
so give us peace.
13Lord, our God, other masters besides you have ruled us,
but we honor only you.
14Those masters are now dead;
their ghosts will not rise from death.
You punished and destroyed them
and erased any memory of them.
15Lord, you multiplied the number of your people;
you multiplied them and brought honor to yourself.
You made the borders of the land wide.
16Lord, people remember you when they are in trouble;
they say quiet prayers to you when you punish them.
17Lord, when we are with you,
we are like a woman giving birth to a baby;
she cries and has pain from the birth.
18In the same way, we had pain.
We gave birth, but only to wind.
We don’t bring salvation to the land
or make new people for the world.
19Your people have died, but they will live again;
their bodies will rise from death.
You who lie in the ground,
wake up and be happy!
The dew covering you is like the dew of a new day;
the ground will give birth to the dead.
Judgment: Reward or Punishment
20My people, go into your rooms
and shut your doors behind you.
Hide in your rooms for a short time
until God’s anger is finished.
21The Lord will leave his place
to punish the people of the world for their sins.
The earth will show the blood of the people who have been killed;
it will not cover the dead any longer.
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Isaiah 26: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 26
26
A Song of Victory
1The time is coming when the people of Judah will sing this song:
“Our city#26.1 city: Probably Jerusalem. is protected.
The Lord is our fortress,
and he gives us victory.
2Open the city gates
for a law-abiding nation
that is faithful to God.
3The Lord gives perfect peace
to those whose faith is firm.
4So always trust the Lord
because he is forever
our mighty rock.#26.4 mighty rock: See the note at 17.10.
5God has put down our enemies
in their mountain city#26.5 our enemies … city: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and rubbed it in the dirt.
6Now the poor and abused
trample all over that city.”
The Lord Can Be Trusted
7Our Lord, you always do right,
and you make the path smooth
for those who obey you.
8You are the one we trust
to bring about justice;
above all else we want
your name to be honored.
9Throughout the night,
my heart searches for you,
because your decisions
show everyone on this earth
how to live right.
10Even when the wicked
are treated with mercy
in this land of justice,
they do wrong and are blind
to your glory, our Lord.
11 #
He 10.27. Your hand is raised and ready
to punish them,
but they don't see it.
Put them to shame!
Show how much you care for us
and throw them into the fire
intended for your enemies.
12You will give us peace, Lord,
because everything we have done
was by your power.
13Others have ruled over us
besides you, our Lord God,
but we obey only you.
14Those enemies are now dead
and can never live again.
You have punished them—
they are destroyed,
completely forgotten.
15Our nation has grown
because of you, our Lord.
We have more land than before,
and you are honored.
The Lord Gives Life to the Dead
16When you punished our people,
they turned and prayed
to you, our Lord.#26.16 Lord: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 16.
17Because of what you did to us,
we suffered like a woman
about to give birth.
18But instead of having a child,
our terrible pain
produced only wind.
We have won no victories,
and we have no descendants
to take over the earth.
19Your people will rise to life!
Tell them to leave their graves
and celebrate with shouts.
You refresh the earth
like morning dew;
you give life to the dead.
20Go inside and lock the doors,
my people.
Hide there for a little while,
until the Lord
is no longer angry.
The Earth and the Sea Will Be Punished
21The Lord will come out
to punish everyone on earth
for their sins.
And when he does,
those who did violent crimes
will be known and punished.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.