Song of Trust in God’s Protection

26 (A)On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a (B)strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for [a](C)security.
Open the (D)gates, that the (E)righteous nation may enter,
The one that [b]remains faithful.
The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect (F)peace,
Because he trusts in You.
(G)Trust in the Lord forever,
For in [c]God the Lord, we have an everlasting (H)Rock.
For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the (I)unassailable city;
(J)He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
(K)The foot will trample it,
The feet of the (L)poor, the steps of the helpless.”

The (M)way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, (N)make the path of the righteous level.
Indeed, while following the way of (O)Your judgments, Lord,
We have waited for You eagerly;
(P)Your name, and (Q)remembering You, is the desire of our souls.
(R)At night [d]my soul longs for You,
Indeed, [e]my spirit within me (S)seeks You diligently;
For when the earth [f]experiences Your judgments,
The inhabitants of the world (T)learn righteousness.
10 Though the wicked person is shown compassion,
He does not (U)learn righteousness;
He (V)deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.

11 Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they (W)do not see it.
[g]They see (X)Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, [h](Y)fire will devour Your enemies.
12 Lord, You will establish (Z)peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.
13 Lord, our God, (AA)other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we [i](AB)confess Your name.
14 (AC)The dead will not live, the [j]departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have (AD)punished and destroyed them,
And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.
15 (AE)You have increased the nation, Lord,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have (AF)extended all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, they sought You (AG)in distress;
They [k]could only whisper a prayer,
Your discipline was upon them.
17 (AH)As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains;
This is how we were before You, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We (AI)gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were (AJ)inhabitants of the world [l]born.
19 Your (AK)dead will live;
[m]Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, (AL)awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the [n]dawn,
And the earth will [o]give birth to the [p]departed spirits.

20 Come, my people, (AM)enter your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little [q](AN)while
Until (AO)indignation [r]runs its course.
21 For behold, the Lord is about to (AP)come out from His place
To (AQ)punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing;
And the earth will (AR)reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 26:1 Or salvation
  2. Isaiah 26:2 Lit keeps faithfulness
  3. Isaiah 26:4 Heb Yah, usually rendered Lord
  4. Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my soul I long
  5. Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my spirit...I seek
  6. Isaiah 26:9 Lit has
  7. Isaiah 26:11 Or Let them see...and be
  8. Isaiah 26:11 Or let the fire for Your adversaries devour them
  9. Isaiah 26:13 Or make Your name known
  10. Isaiah 26:14 Or shades
  11. Isaiah 26:16 Lit sound forth a whisper
  12. Isaiah 26:18 Lit fallen
  13. Isaiah 26:19 As in some ancient versions; MT My
  14. Isaiah 26:19 Lit lights
  15. Isaiah 26:19 Lit cause to fall
  16. Isaiah 26:19 Or shades
  17. Isaiah 26:20 Lit moment
  18. Isaiah 26:20 Lit passes over

A Song of Praise

26 In that day(A) this song will be sung(B) in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;(C)
    God makes salvation
    its walls(D) and ramparts.(E)
Open the gates(F)
    that the righteous(G) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
You will keep in perfect peace(H)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust(I) in you.
Trust(J) in the Lord forever,(K)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock(L) eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground(M)
    and casts it down to the dust.(N)
Feet trample(O) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,(P)
    the footsteps of the poor.(Q)

The path of the righteous is level;(R)
    you, the Upright One,(S) make the way of the righteous smooth.(T)
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[a](U)
    we wait(V) for you;
your name(W) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;(X)
    in the morning my spirit longs(Y) for you.
When your judgments(Z) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.(AA)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,(AB)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil(AC)
    and do not regard(AD) the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,(AE)
    but they do not see(AF) it.
Let them see your zeal(AG) for your people and be put to shame;(AH)
    let the fire(AI) reserved for your enemies consume them.

12 Lord, you establish peace(AJ) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done(AK) for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords(AL) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name(AM) alone do we honor.(AN)
14 They are now dead,(AO) they live no more;
    their spirits(AP) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;(AQ)
    you wiped out all memory of them.(AR)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.(AS)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders(AT) of the land.

16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(AU)
    when you disciplined(AV) them,
    they could barely whisper(AW) a prayer.[b]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(AX)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth(AY) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(AZ) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.(BA)

19 But your dead(BB) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust(BC)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew(BD) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.(BE)

20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors(BF) behind you;
hide(BG) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath(BH) has passed by.(BI)
21 See, the Lord is coming(BJ) out of his dwelling(BK)
    to punish(BL) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood(BM) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
  2. Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.