Isaiah 26:16–27:6

¹⁶Yahweh, in distress they have visited you;

they poured out an incantation;^g

your discipline was on them.

¹⁷Like a pregnant woman on the point of giving birth, she writhes;

she cries in her labor pains.

So we were because of your presence, Yahweh.

¹⁸We became pregnant, we writhed;

we gave birth to wind.

We cannot bring about deliverance on the earth,

and no inhabitants of the world are born.

¹⁹Your dead shall live; their corpses^h shall rise.

Wake up and sing for joy, dwellers of the dust,

for your dew is celestial dew,ⁱ

and the earth will give birth to dead spirits.^j

²⁰Go, my people, enter into your chambers

and shut your doors^k behind you;

hide for a very little^l while,

until the wrath has passed over.

²¹For look! Yahweh is about to come out from his place

to punish the iniquity of the inhabitants^m of the earth against him,

and the earth will disclose her blood

and will no longer cover her slain.

Israel Rescued

27On that day, Yahweh will punish with his cruel, great and strong sword Leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and Leviathan, the twisting serpent, and he will kill the sea monster that is in the sea.

²On that day:

“A vineyard of beauty! Sing in praise of it!

³I, Yahweh, am her keeper;

I water it again and again.^a

Lest one afflict harm on it,

I guard it night and day;

⁴I have no wrath.^b

Whatever gives me thorns and briers,

I will step forth against in battle.

I will set it on fire altogether.

⁵Or let it grasp at my protection;

let it make peace with me;

peace let it make with me.”

⁶Days are coming,^c let Jacob take root;

Israel will blossom and send out shoots,

and they will fill the face of the world with fruit.