Isaiah 26
Christian Standard Bible
The Song of Judah
26 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city.
Salvation is established as walls and ramparts.(A)
2 Open the gates
so a righteous nation can come in—
one that remains faithful.
3 You will keep the mind that is dependent on you
in perfect peace,(B)
for it is trusting in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock!(C)
5 For he has humbled those who live in lofty places—
an inaccessible city.(D)
He brings it down; he brings it down to the ground;
he throws it to the dust.
6 Feet trample it,
the feet of the humble,
the steps of the poor.
God’s People Vindicated
7 The path of the righteous is level;(E)
you clear a straight path for the righteous.
8 Yes, Lord, we wait for you
in the path of your judgments.
Our desire is for your name and renown.(F)
9 I long for you in the night;(G)
yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you,
for when your judgments are in the land,
the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10 But 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[a] us,
but we remember your name alone.(H)
14 The 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.(I)
15 You have added to the nation, Lord.(J)
You have added to the nation; you are honored.
You have expanded all the borders of the land.(K)
16 Lord, they went to you in their distress;(L)
they poured out whispered prayers
because your discipline fell on them.[b]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,(M)
so we were before you, Lord.
18 We 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.
19 Your dead will live; their bodies[c] will rise.(N)
Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust!
For you will be covered with the morning dew,[d]
and the earth will bring out the departed spirits.
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
and close your doors behind you.
Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed.(O)
21 For look, the Lord is coming from his place(P)
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.(Q)
The earth will reveal the blood shed on it
and will no longer conceal her slain.
Isaiah 26
New King James Version
A Song of Salvation
26 In (A)that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
(B)God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.
2 (C)Open the gates,
That the righteous nation which [a]keeps the truth may enter in.
3 You will keep him in perfect (D)peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
(E)For in Yah, the Lord, is [b]everlasting strength.
5 For He brings [c]down those who dwell on high,
(F)The lofty city;
He lays it low,
He lays it low to the ground,
He brings it down to the dust.
6 The foot shall [d]tread it down—
The feet of the poor
And the steps of the needy.”
7 The way of the just is uprightness;
(G)O Most Upright,
You [e]weigh the path of the just.
8 Yes, (H)in the way of Your judgments,
O Lord, we have (I)waited for You;
The desire of our soul is for Your name
And for the remembrance of You.
9 (J)With my soul I have desired You in the night,
Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;
For when Your judgments are in the earth,
The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10 (K)Let grace be shown to the wicked,
Yet he will not learn righteousness;
In (L)the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly,
And will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, when Your hand is lifted up, (M)they will not see.
But they will see and be ashamed
For [f]their envy of people;
Yes, the fire of Your enemies shall devour them.
12 Lord, You will establish peace for us,
For You have also done all our works [g]in us.
13 O Lord our God, (N)masters besides You
Have had dominion over us;
But by You only we make mention of Your name.
14 They are dead, they will not live;
They are deceased, they will not rise.
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
And made all their memory to (O)perish.
15 You have increased the nation, O Lord,
You have (P)increased the nation;
You are glorified;
You have expanded all the [h]borders of the land.
16 Lord, (Q)in trouble they have visited You,
They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them.
17 As (R)a woman with child
Is in pain and cries out in her [i]pangs,
When she draws near the time of her delivery,
So have we been in Your sight, O Lord.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain;
We have, as it were, [j]brought forth wind;
We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth,
Nor have (S)the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19 (T)Your dead shall live;
Together with [k]my dead body they shall arise.
(U)Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;
For your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead.
Take Refuge from the Coming Judgment
20 Come, my people, (V)enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, (W)for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
21 For behold, the Lord (X)comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her [l]blood,
And will no more cover her slain.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:2 Or remains faithful
- Isaiah 26:4 Or Rock of Ages
- Isaiah 26:5 low
- Isaiah 26:6 trample
- Isaiah 26:7 Or make level
- Isaiah 26:11 Or Your zeal for the people
- Isaiah 26:12 Or for us
- Isaiah 26:15 Or ends
- Isaiah 26:17 sharp pains
- Isaiah 26:18 given birth to
- Isaiah 26:19 So with MT, Vg.; Syr., Tg. their dead bodies; LXX those in the tombs
- Isaiah 26:21 Or bloodshed
Isaiah 26
English Standard Version
You Keep Him in Perfect Peace
26 In that day (A)this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
he sets up (B)salvation
as walls and bulwarks.
2 (C)Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 (D)You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
5 (E)For he has humbled
the inhabitants of the height,
the lofty city.
He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it,
the feet of (F)the poor,
the steps of (G)the needy.”
7 The path of the righteous is level;
(H)you make level the way of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments,
O Lord, we wait for you;
(I)your name and (J)remembrance
are the desire of our soul.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
(K)For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 (L)If favor is shown to the wicked,
he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
11 O Lord, (M)your hand is lifted up,
but (N)they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let (O)the fire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O Lord, you will ordain (P)peace for us,
for you have indeed done for us all our works.
13 O Lord our God,
(Q)other lords besides you have ruled over us,
(R)but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
14 They are dead, they will not live;
they are shades, they will not arise;
to that end you have visited them with destruction
and wiped out all remembrance of them.
15 (S)But you have increased the nation, O Lord,
you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
(T)you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
16 O Lord, (U)in distress they sought you;
they poured out a whispered prayer
when your discipline was upon them.
17 (V)Like a pregnant woman
who writhes and cries out in her pangs
when she is near to giving birth,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
18 (W)we were pregnant, we writhed,
but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
19 (X)Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For (Y)your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves (Z)for a little while
until the fury has passed by.
21 (AA)For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place
to punish the inhabitants of (AB)the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
and will no more cover its slain.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
