Isaiah 26
26
A Song of Praise to God
1At that time people will sing this song in Judah:
We have a strong city with strong walls and defenses.
But God gives us our salvation.#26:1 Or “We have a strong city that provides us with salvation. It has strong walls and defenses.”
2Open the gates for the good people to enter.
They are the God’s faithful followers.
3God, you give true peace
to people who depend on you,
to those who trust in you.
4So trust the Lord always,
because in the Lord YAH#26:4 LORD YAH Or “YAH YAHWEH,” a Hebrew name for God. you have a place of safety forever.
5But he will destroy the proud city
and punish those who live there.
He will throw that high city down to the ground.
It will fall into the dust.
6Then poor and humble people will walk on those ruins.
7Honesty is the path good people follow.
They follow the path that is straight and true.
And God, you make that way smooth
and easy to follow.
8But, Lord, we are waiting for your way of justice.
We want to honor you and your name.
9At night my soul longs to be with you,
and the spirit in me wants to be with you at the dawn of every new day.
When your way of justice comes to the world,
people will learn the right way of living.
10Evil people will not learn to do good,
even if you show them only kindness.
They will still do wrong, even if they live in a good world.
They never see the Lord’s greatness.
11Lord, your arm is raised to punish them,
but they don’t see it.
Show them how strong your love#26:11 strong … love The Hebrew word means strong feelings like love, hate, anger, zeal, or jealousy. is for your people.
Then those who are evil will be ashamed.
Yes, your fire will destroy your enemies.
12Lord, you have succeeded in doing everything we tried to do,
so give us peace.
God Will Give New Life to His People
13Lord, you are our God,
but in the past, we followed other lords.
We belonged to other masters,#26:13 we followed … masters This is a wordplay. It could also be translated, “Husbands other than you married us.” One word sounds like “Baal,” the other like a title for God.
but now we want people to remember only one name—yours.
14Those dead lords will not come to life.
Those ghosts will not rise from death.
You decided to destroy them,
and you destroyed everything that makes us think about them.
15Lord, you have helped the nation you love.
You made our nation grow
and brought honor to yourself.#26:15 Or “You gathered together the nation you love, the nation you drove into faraway lands.”
16Lord, people remember you
when they are in trouble.
So because of your punishment,
we called out to you.
17Lord, because of you we were in pain,
like a woman giving birth,
who struggles and cries out when it is time.
18But we struggled in pain for nothing.
We gave birth only to wind.
We did nothing to save the land.
No one was born to live in the world.
19 But the Lord says,
“Your people have died,
but they will live again.
The bodies of my people
will rise from death.
Dead people in the ground,
stand and be happy!
The dew covering you is like
the dew sparkling in the light of a new day.
It shows that a new time is coming,
when the earth will give birth to the dead who are in it.”
Judgment: Reward or Punishment
20My people, go into your rooms
and lock your doors.
Hide in there for a short time
until God’s anger is finished.
21Look! The Lord is coming out from his place#26:21 his place Probably the Temple in Jerusalem.
to judge the people of the world for the bad things they have done.
The earth will reveal the blood that has been spilled on it.
It will no longer hide the proof of those murders.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 26
26
The Song of Judah
1On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city.
Salvation is established as walls and ramparts.#Is 60:18
2Open the gates
so a righteous nation can come in —
one that remains faithful.
3You will keep the mind that is dependent on you
in perfect peace,#Is 26:12; 27:5; 57:19; 66:12
for it is trusting in you.
4Trust in the Lord forever,
because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock!#Ps 73:26; Is 17:10; 30:29; 44:8
5For he has humbled those who live in lofty places —
an inaccessible city.#Is 25:10–12
He brings it down; he brings it down to the ground;
he throws it to the dust.
6Feet trample it,
the feet of the humble,
the steps of the poor.
God’s People Vindicated
7The path of the righteous is level;#Ps 27:11
you clear a straight path for the righteous.
8Yes, Lord, we wait for you
in the path of your judgments.
Our desire is for your name and renown.#Ex 3:15
9I long for you in the night;#Ps 77:2; 84:2; 119:20,81
yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you,
for when your judgments are in the land,
the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10But if the wicked man is shown favor,
he does not learn righteousness.
In a righteous land he acts unjustly
and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted up to take action,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people
and be put to shame.
Let fire consume your adversaries.
12 Lord, you will establish peace for us,
for you have also done all our work for us.
13 Lord our God, lords other than you have owned#26:13 Or married us,
but we remember your name alone.#Jn 10:25
14The dead do not live;
departed spirits do not rise up.
Indeed, you have punished and destroyed them;
you have wiped out all memory of them.#Jb 18:17; Ps 9:6
15You have added to the nation, Lord.#Is 9:3
You have added to the nation; you are honored.
You have expanded all the borders of the land.#Is 33:17; 54:2–3
16 Lord, they went to you in their distress;#Is 37:3; Hs 5:15
they poured out whispered prayers
because your discipline fell on them.#26:16 Hb obscure
17As a pregnant woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,#Is 13:8
so we were before you, Lord.
18We became pregnant, we writhed in pain;
we gave birth to wind.
We have won no victories on earth,
and the earth’s inhabitants have not fallen.
19Your dead will live; their bodies#26:19 Lit live; my body they will rise.#Is 25:8; Ezk 37:1–14; Dn 12:2; Hs 13:14; Mt 11:5; Lk 7:22; Jn 8:51
Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust!
For you will be covered with the morning dew,#26:19 Lit For your dew is a dew of lights
and the earth will bring out the departed spirits.
20Go, my people, enter your rooms
and close your doors behind you.
Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed.#Is 10:5,25; 13:5; 34:2; 66:14
21For look, the Lord is coming from his place#Mc 1:3
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.#Is 13:11
The earth will reveal the blood shed on it
and will no longer conceal her slain.
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