Isaiah 26

A Song of Praise

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 trustⁱ in you.

Trust^j in the Lord forever,^k

for the Lord, the Lord, 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,^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.^a

But when grace is shown to the wicked,^b

they do not learn righteousness;

even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^c

and do not regard^d the majesty of the Lord.

Lord, your hand is lifted high,^e

but they do not see^f it.

Let them see your zeal^g for your people and be put to shame;^h

let the fireⁱ reserved for your enemies consume them.

Lord, you establish peace^j for us;

all that we have accomplished you have done^k for us.

Lord our God, other lords^l besides you have ruled over us,

but your name^m alone do we honor.ⁿ

They are now dead,^o they live no more;

their spirits^p do not rise.

You punished them and brought them to ruin;^q

you wiped out all memory of them.^r

You have enlarged the nation, Lord;

you have enlarged the nation.^s

You have gained glory for yourself;

you have extended all the borders^t of the land.

Lord, they came to you in their distress;^u

when you disciplined^v them,

they could barely whisper^w a prayer.

As a pregnant woman about to give birth^x

writhes and cries out in her pain,

so were we in your presence, Lord.

We were with child, we writhed in pain,

but we gave birth^y to wind.

We have not brought salvation^z to the earth,

and the people of the world have not been reborn.^a

But your dead^b will live, Lord;

their bodies will rise—

let those who dwell in the dust^c

wake up and shout for joy—

your dew^d is like the dew of the morning;

you will make it fall on the spirits of the dead.^e

Go, my people, enter your rooms

and shut the doors^f behind you;

hide^g yourselves for a little while

until his wrath^h has passed by.ⁱ

See, the Lord is coming^j out of his dwelling^k

to punish^l the people of the earth for their sins.

The earth will disclose the blood^m shed on it;

the earth will conceal its slain no longer.