Isaiah 26:7–15

⁷Lord, you make the path smooth for good people;

the road they travel is level.

⁸We follow your will and put our hope in you;

you are all that we desire.

⁹At night I long for you with all my heart;

when you judge the earth and its people,

they will all learn what justice is.

¹⁰Even though you are kind to the wicked,

they never learn to do what is right.

Even here in a land of righteous people they still do wrong;

they refuse to recognize your greatness.

^11*Your enemies do not know that you will punish them.

let them suffer the punishment you have prepared.

Show them how much you love your people.

¹²You will give us prosperity, Lord;

everything that we achieve

is the result of what you do.ⁿ

¹³Lord our God, we have been ruled by others,

but you alone are our Lord.

¹⁴Now they are dead and will not live again;

their ghosts will not rise,

for you have punished them and destroyed them.

No one remembers them any more.

¹⁵Lord, you have made our nation grow,

enlarging its territory on every side,

and this has brought you honour.