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The Lord’s People Praise Him for Salvation

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

We have a strong city.
Its walls and fortifications provide safety.

Open the gates, and let the righteous nation come in,
the nation that remains faithful.
With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed,
because they trust you.
Trust the Lord always,
because the Lord, the Lord alone, is an everlasting rock.
He has brought down those who live high in the towering city.
He levels it.
He levels it to the ground and throws it into the dust.
Feet trample it,
the feet of the oppressed,
the footsteps of the poor.

The path of the righteous is level.
O Upright One, you make the road of the righteous smooth.
Certainly, we wait with hope for you, O Lord,
⌞as we follow⌟ the path of your guiding principles.
We want to remember you and your name.
With my soul I long for you at night.
Yes, with my spirit I eagerly look for you.
When your guiding principles are on earth,
those who live in the world learn to do what is right.
10 Although the wicked are shown pity,
they do not learn to do what is right.
They do what is wrong in the upright land
and do not see the majesty of the Lord.
11 O Lord, your power is visible, but they do not see it.
They will see how devoted your people are,
and they will be put to shame.
Your burning anger will destroy your enemies.

12 O Lord, you will establish peace for us,
since you have done everything for us.
13 O Lord, our God, you are not the only master to rule us,
but we acknowledge only you.
14 The wicked are dead.
They are no longer alive.
The spirits of the dead won’t rise.
You have punished them, destroyed them,
and wiped out all memory of them.
15 You have expanded the nation, O Lord.
You have expanded the nation.
You are honored.
You have extended all the land’s boundaries.
16 O Lord, the people have come to you in trouble.
They were humbled by oppression, by your discipline upon them.
17 O Lord, when we are with you,
we are like pregnant women ready to give birth.
They writhe and cry out in their labor pains.
18 We were pregnant; we writhed with labor pains
only to give birth to the wind.
We weren’t able to bring salvation to the land,
and no new people were born on earth.
19 Your dead will live.
Their corpses will rise.
Those who lie dead in the dust will wake up and shout for joy,
because your dew is a refreshing dew,
and the earth will revive the spirits of the dead.

20 My people, go to your rooms,
and shut the doors behind you.
Hide for a little while until his fury has ended.
21 The Lord is going to come out from his dwelling place
to punish those who live on earth for their sins.
The earth will uncover the blood shed on it
and will no longer cover up its dead bodies.

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.