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Isaiah 26
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Isaiah 26
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 26
Judah’s Praise and Prayer for Deliverance.[a] 1 On that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah:
“A strong city[b] have we;
he sets up victory as our walls and ramparts.(A)
2 Open up the gates
that a righteous nation may enter,
one that keeps faith.(B)
3 With firm purpose you maintain peace;
in peace, because of our trust in you.”(C)
4 Trust in the Lord forever!
For the Lord is an eternal Rock.(D)
5 He humbles those who dwell on high,
the lofty city he brings down,
Brings it down to the ground,
levels it to the dust.(E)
6 The feet of the needy trample on it—
the feet of the poor.
7 The way of the just is smooth;
the path of the just you make level.(F)
8 The course of your judgments, Lord, we await;
your name and your memory are the desire of our souls.
9 My soul yearns for you at night,
yes, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn;
When your judgment comes upon the earth,
the world’s inhabitants learn justice.(G)
10 The wicked, when spared, do not learn justice;
in an upright land they act perversely,
and do not see the majesty of the Lord.(H)
11 Lord, your hand is raised high,
but they do not perceive it;
Let them be put to shame when they see your zeal for your people:
let the fire prepared for your enemies consume them.(I)
12 Lord, you will decree peace for us,
for you have accomplished all we have done.(J)
13 Lord, our God, lords other than you have ruled us;
only because of you can we call upon your name.
14 Dead they are, they cannot live,
shades that cannot rise;
Indeed, you have punished and destroyed them,
and wiped out all memory of them.
15 You have increased the nation, Lord,
you have increased the nation, have added to your glory,
you have extended far all the boundaries of the land.(K)
16 Lord, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your discipline.(L)
17 As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in pain,
so were we before you, Lord.(M)
18 We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth only to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
no inhabitants for the world were born.(N)
19 [c]But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise!
Awake and sing, you who lie in the dust!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and you cause the land of shades to give birth.(O)
The Lord’s Response[d]
20 Go, my people, enter your chambers,
and close the doors behind you;
Hide yourselves for a brief moment,
until the wrath is past.(P)
21 See, the Lord goes forth from his place,
to punish the wickedness of the earth’s inhabitants;
The earth will reveal the blood shed upon it,
and no longer conceal the slain.(Q)
Footnotes
- 26:1–19 This text is a mixture of praise for the salvation that will take place, a confession of Judah’s inability to achieve deliverance on its own, and earnest prayer that God may quickly bring about the longed-for salvation.
- 26:1 Strong city: Jerusalem, the antithesis of the “city of chaos” (24:10); see note on 24:1–27:13.
- 26:19 This verse refers not to resurrection of the dead, but to the restoration of the people; cf. Ez 37. The population of Judah was radically reduced by the slaughter and deportations that the historical disasters of the late eighth and seventh centuries B.C. brought upon the country. In this context, a major concern for the future was for an increase in the population, a rebirth of the nation’s life.
- 26:20–21 The time of wrath for Judah would soon be over, and the just punishment of its enemies would begin (cf. Hb 2:1–3).
Isaiah 26
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Isaiah 26
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Judah’s Song of Victory
26 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
he sets up victory
like walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates,
so that the righteous nation that keeps faith
may enter in.
3 Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—
in peace because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for in the Lord God[a]
you have an everlasting rock.
5 For he has brought low
the inhabitants of the height;
the lofty city he lays low.
He lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.
7 The way of the righteous is level;
O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments,
O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and your renown
are the soul’s desire.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 If favor is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness they deal perversely
and do not see the majesty of the Lord.
11 O Lord, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O Lord, you will ordain peace for us,
for indeed, all that we have done, you have done for us.
13 O Lord our God,
other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but we acknowledge your name alone.
14 The dead do not live;
shades do not rise—
because you have punished and destroyed them,
and wiped out all memory of them.
15 But you have increased the nation, O Lord,
you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
16 O Lord, in distress they sought you,
they poured out a prayer[b]
when your chastening was on them.
17 Like a woman with child,
who writhes and cries out in her pangs
when she is near her time,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
18 we were with child, we writhed,
but we gave birth only to wind.
We have won no victories on earth,
and no one is born to inhabit the world.
19 Your dead shall live, their corpses[c] shall rise.
O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a radiant dew,
and the earth will give birth to those long dead.[d]
20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until the wrath is past.
21 For the Lord comes out from his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
and will no longer cover its slain.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:4 Heb in Yah, the Lord
- Isaiah 26:16 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 26:19 Cn Compare Syr Tg: Heb my corpse
- Isaiah 26:19 Heb to the shades
Isaiah 26
Common English Bible
Isaiah 26
Common English Bible
Trusting in God forever
26 On that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
Ours is a strong city!
God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates and let a righteous nation enter,
a nation that keeps faith.
3 Those with sound thoughts you will keep in peace,
in peace because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord is a rock for all ages.
5 He has thrown down those living on high,
and he will level the lofty town,
leveling it down to the earth;
he will bring it down to dust.
6 The feet trample it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.
7 The way of the righteous is level;
you clear a path for the righteous.
8 In the path of your justice, Lord, we wait for you;
with all our being, we long for your name and your acclaim.
9 At night I long for you with my whole being;
my spirit within me watches for you.
When your judgments are at work in the earth,
those living in the world learn righteousness.
10 When the wicked are favored, they don’t learn righteousness;
even among those who do right they do wrong,
and they fail to see the Lord’s majesty.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted up,
but they don’t see.
Let them see and shrink back because of your zeal for your people;
your burning anger that consumes your enemies.
12 Lord, grant us peace,
because all that we have done has been your doing.
13 Lord our God, other masters besides you have ruled us,
but we will profess your name alone.
14 The dead don’t live; ghosts don’t rise.
Indeed, you have punished and destroyed them,
and abolished all memory of them.
15 You’ve enlarged the nation, Lord.
You’ve enlarged the nation; you are glorified.
You’ve expanded all the land’s boundaries.
16 Lord, in distress they sought you out;
they poured out prayers to you when you disciplined them.
17 As a pregnant woman close to childbirth is in labor pains,
crying out in her pangs,
so were we because of you, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed,
but we gave birth to wind.
We have achieved no victories on earth;
the inhabitants of the earth never fall.
19 Your dead will live, their[a] corpses will rise,
and those who dwell in the dust will shout for joy.
Your shadow is a shadow of light,
but you will bring down the ghosts into the underworld.
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you.
Take cover, for in a little while the fury will be over.
21 Look! The Lord is going out from his place
to bring the iniquity of the ruler of the earth down upon him.
The earth will uncover its blood
and will conceal its slain no longer.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:19 Or my
Isaiah 26
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 26
New American Standard Bible
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.
2 Open the (D)gates, that the (E)righteous nation may enter,
The one that [b]remains faithful.
3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect (F)peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 (G)Trust in the Lord forever,
For in [c]God the Lord, we have an everlasting (H)Rock.
5 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.
6 (K)The foot will trample it,
The feet of the (L)poor, the steps of the helpless.”
7 The (M)way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, (N)make the path of the righteous level.
8 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.
9 (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
- Isaiah 26:1 Or salvation
- Isaiah 26:2 Lit keeps faithfulness
- Isaiah 26:4 Heb Yah, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my soul I long
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my spirit...I seek
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit has
- Isaiah 26:11 Or Let them see...and be
- Isaiah 26:11 Or let the fire for Your adversaries devour them
- Isaiah 26:13 Or make Your name known
- Isaiah 26:14 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:16 Lit sound forth a whisper
- Isaiah 26:18 Lit fallen
- Isaiah 26:19 As in some ancient versions; MT My
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit lights
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit cause to fall
- Isaiah 26:19 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit moment
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit passes over
Isaiah 26
New International Version
Isaiah 26
New International Version
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)
2 Open the gates(F)
that the righteous(G) nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace(H)
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust(I) in you.
4 Trust(J) in the Lord forever,(K)
for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock(L) eternal.
5 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)
6 Feet trample(O) it down—
the feet of the oppressed,(P)
the footsteps of the poor.(Q)
7 The path of the righteous is level;(R)
you, the Upright One,(S) make the way of the righteous smooth.(T)
8 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.
9 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
- Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
- Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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