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.
Cross references
- Isaiah 26:1 : S Isa 10:20
- Isaiah 26:1 : Isa 30:29
- Isaiah 26:1 : S Isa 14:32
- Isaiah 26:1 : Isa 32:18; 60:18; Zec 2:5; 9:8
- Isaiah 26:1 : S Ps 48:13
- Isaiah 26:2 : S Ps 24:7
- Isaiah 26:2 : Ps 24:3-4; 85:13; S Isa 1:26; S 4:3; 9:7; 50:8; 53:11; 54:14; 58:8; 62:2
- Isaiah 26:3 : S Job 22:21; S Isa 9:6, 7; Php 4:7
- Isaiah 26:3 : S 1Ch 5:20; S Ps 22:5; S 28:7; S Isa 12:2
- Isaiah 26:4 : S Isa 12:2; 50:10
- Isaiah 26:4 : S Ps 62:8
- Isaiah 26:4 : S Ge 49:24
- Isaiah 26:5 : S Isa 25:12; Eze 26:11
- Isaiah 26:5 : S Isa 25:2
- Isaiah 26:6 : S Isa 5:5
- Isaiah 26:6 : Isa 49:26
- Isaiah 26:6 : S Isa 3:15; S 14:30
- Isaiah 26:7 : S Ps 26:12
- Isaiah 26:7 : S Ps 25:8
- Isaiah 26:7 : S Ex 14:19; Isa 40:4; 42:16
- Isaiah 26:8 : S Dt 18:18; Ps 1:2; Isa 56:1; 64:5
- Isaiah 26:8 : S Ps 37:9; S 130:5
- Isaiah 26:8 : S Ps 145:2; S Isa 12:4
- Isaiah 26:9 : S Ps 119:55
- Isaiah 26:9 : Ps 42:1-3; 63:1; 78:34; Isa 55:6
- Isaiah 26:9 : S 1Ch 16:14
- Isaiah 26:9 : Mt 6:33
- Isaiah 26:10 : Mt 5:45
- Isaiah 26:10 : Isa 32:6; 59:7, 13
- Isaiah 26:10 : S 1Sa 12:24; Isa 22:12-13; Jer 2:19; Hos 11:7; Jn 5:37-38; Ro 2:4
- Isaiah 26:11 : S Ps 10:12
- Isaiah 26:11 : Isa 18:3; 44:9, 18
- Isaiah 26:11 : S Isa 9:7; Joel 2:18; Zec 1:14
- Isaiah 26:11 : Mic 7:16
- Isaiah 26:11 : S Isa 1:31; Heb 10:27
- Isaiah 26:12 : S Ps 119:165; S Isa 9:6
- Isaiah 26:12 : S Ps 68:28
- Isaiah 26:13 : Isa 2:8; 10:5, 11
- Isaiah 26:13 : S Isa 12:4
- Isaiah 26:13 : Isa 42:8; 63:7
- Isaiah 26:14 : S Dt 4:28
- Isaiah 26:14 : S Job 26:5
- Isaiah 26:14 : S Ps 9:5; S Isa 10:3
- Isaiah 26:14 : S Ps 9:6
- Isaiah 26:15 : S Job 12:23; S Isa 14:2
- Isaiah 26:15 : Isa 33:17
- Isaiah 26:16 : S Jdg 6:2; S Isa 5:30
- Isaiah 26:16 : S Ps 39:11
- Isaiah 26:16 : Isa 29:4
- Isaiah 26:17 : S Isa 21:3; S Jn 16:21; Rev 12:2
- Isaiah 26:18 : Isa 33:11; 59:4
- Isaiah 26:18 : S Ge 49:10; Ps 17:14
- Isaiah 26:18 : Isa 42:6; 49:6; 51:4; Jer 12:16
- Isaiah 26:19 : S Isa 25:8; Eph 5:14
- Isaiah 26:19 : Ps 22:29
- Isaiah 26:19 : S Ge 27:28; S Isa 18:4
- Isaiah 26:19 : Isa 66:24; Eze 37:1-14; Da 12:2
- Isaiah 26:20 : Ex 12:23
- Isaiah 26:20 : Ps 91:1, 4
- Isaiah 26:20 : S Isa 10:25; S 30:27
- Isaiah 26:20 : S Job 14:13
- Isaiah 26:21 : Isa 29:6; Jude 1:14
- Isaiah 26:21 : S Isa 18:4
- Isaiah 26:21 : S Isa 13:9, 11; 30:12-14
- Isaiah 26:21 : S Job 16:18; Lk 11:50-51