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Isaiah chapter 26

English Standard Version

1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. 5 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. 6The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy." 7The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous. 8In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. 9My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 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. 11O Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them. 12O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works. 13O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance. 14They 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 But you have increased the nation, O Lord, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land. 16O Lord, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them. 17 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 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 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead. 20Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. 21 For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.
New International Version

1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. 2Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. 3You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. 4Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. 5He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.
6Feet trample it down— the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor. 7The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. 8Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. 9My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. 10But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them. 12 Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. 13 Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor. 14They are now dead, they live no more; their spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them.
15You have enlarged the nation, Lord; you have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for yourself; you have extended all the borders of the land. 16 Lord, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer. 17As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, Lord.
18We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life.
19But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise— let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy— your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. 20Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. 21See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer.
New American Standard Bible

1On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security. 2Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, The one that remains faithful. 3The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. 4Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock. 5For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust. 6The foot will trample it, The feet of the poor, the steps of the helpless.' 7The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level. 8Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, Lord, We have waited for You eagerly; Your name, and remembering You, is the desire of our souls. 9At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; For when the earth experiences Your judgments, The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 Though the wicked person is shown compassion, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord. 11Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see it. They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies. 12Lord, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works. 13Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us; But through You alone we confess Your name. 14The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And You have eliminated all remembrance of them. 15You have increased the nation, Lord, You have increased the nation, You are glorified; You have extended all the borders of the land. 16Lord, they sought You in distress; They could only whisper a prayer, Your discipline was upon them. 17As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth, She writhes and cries out in her labor pains; This is how we were before You, Lord. 18We were pregnant, we writhed in labor, We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind. We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth, Nor were inhabitants of the world born. 19Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits. 20Come, my people, enter your rooms And close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while Until indignation runs its course. 21For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing; And the earth will reveal her bloodshed And will no longer cover her slain.
Christian Standard Bible

1On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city. Salvation is established as walls and ramparts. 2Open the gates so a righteous nation can come in— one that remains faithful. 3You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. 4Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock! 5For he has humbled those who live in lofty places— an inaccessible city. He brings it down; he brings it down to the ground; he throws it to the dust. 6Feet trample it, the feet of the humble, the steps of the poor. 7The path of the righteous is level; you clear a straight path for the righteous. 8Yes, Lord, we wait for you in the path of your judgments. Our desire is for your name and renown. 9I long for you in the night; yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you, for when your judgments are in the land, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 10But 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 us, but we remember your name alone. 14The 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. 15You have added to the nation, Lord. You have added to the nation; you are honored. You have expanded all the borders of the land. 16 Lord, they went to you in their distress; they poured out whispered prayers because your discipline fell on them. 17As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pains, so we were before you, Lord.
18We 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.
19Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For you will be covered with the morning dew, and the earth will bring out the departed spirits. 20Go, my people, enter your rooms and close your doors behind you. Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed. 21For look, the Lord is coming from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal the blood shed on it and will no longer conceal her slain.
New Living Translation

1In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song: Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation. 2Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. 3You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! 4Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord GOD is the eternal Rock. 5He humbles the proud and brings down the arrogant city. He brings it down to the dust. 6The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot, and the needy walk all over it.
7But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. 8Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. 9In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right. 10Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord’s majesty. 11O Lord, they pay no attention to your upraised fist. Show them your eagerness to defend your people. Then they will be ashamed. Let your fire consume your enemies.
12Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you. 13O Lord our God, others have ruled us, but you alone are the one we worship. 14Those we served before are dead and gone. Their departed spirits will never return! You attacked them and destroyed them, and they are long forgotten. 15O Lord, you have made our nation great; yes, you have made us great. You have extended our borders, and we give you the glory!
16Lord, in distress we searched for you. We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline. 17Just as a pregnant woman writhes and cries out in pain as she gives birth, so were we in your presence, Lord. 18We, too, writhe in agony, but nothing comes of our suffering. We have not given salvation to the earth, nor brought life into the world. 19But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead!
20Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the Lord’s anger has passed. 21Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see.
King James Version

1In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
5For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
6The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. 7The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
8Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
11Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
12Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
13O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
15Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
16Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
17Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O Lord.
18We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
New King James Version

1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open the gates, That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. 3You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength. 5For He brings down those who dwell on high, The lofty city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He brings it down to the dust. 6The foot shall tread it down— The feet of the poor And the steps of the needy.” 7The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just. 8Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. 9 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 Let grace be shown to the wicked, Yet he will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, And will not behold the majesty of the Lord. 11Lord, when Your hand is lifted up, they will not see. But they will see and be ashamed For their envy of people; Yes, the fire of Your enemies shall devour them. 12Lord, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us. 13O Lord our God, 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 perish. 15You have increased the nation, O Lord, You have increased the nation; You are glorified; You have expanded all the borders of the land. 16Lord, in trouble they have visited You, They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them. 17As a woman with child Is in pain and cries out in her pangs, When she draws near the time of her delivery, So have we been in Your sight, O Lord. 18We have been with child, we have been in pain; We have, as it were, brought forth wind; We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth, Nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. 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. 20Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. 21For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.

What does Isaiah chapter 26 mean?

Chapter 26 is part of a larger section (Isaiah 24—27) centered around celebrating the Lord's ultimate judgment of wickedness during the end times. These chapters also mention His reign over the earth from His throne in Jerusalem. The judgment and devastation of the earth has been told. The great feast of the ordination of the Lord as King has been described. Now, Isaiah presents a song that will be sung in Judah on that day.

The prophet's song moves back and forth between that future celebration and the realities of his current day. This song gives praise to God for the victory over His enemies. At the same it also calls the Lord to bring judgment upon enemies. It acknowledges Israel's faithlessness and their suffering under the Lord's discipline, while also looking forward to the resurrection of God's people.

Isaiah begins in celebration mode, pointing to the strong city of the Lord's salvation. He calls for the gates to open for the nation which honors God. In ancient cities, gates were the primary means of entry and a key part of defenses. The "walls and bulwarks" imply that this city is indeed strong; only if the gates are deliberately opened can anyone hope to enter. Isaiah reminds the people that God keeps in "perfect peace" all who keep their minds focused on Him. He calls believers to trust in the Lord forever because He is secure, referring to God as an "everlasting rock" (Isaiah 26:1–4).

In contrast with the city of the righteous, Isaiah mentions another which sums up the world system and its people. This is a lofty city—implying one set on a high, safe place such as a mountainside—which the Lord has judged. The prophet Obadiah similarly noted that the Edomites thought they were secure in their mountain fortresses (Obadiah 1:3–4); but God would still defeat them (Obadiah 1:19–21). Isaiah speaks of what he sees in prophecy using the past tense. He shows that even the poor and powerless now trample over that once imposing "city" of worldliness and those who used it to rule over others (Isaiah 26:5–6).

The Lord takes away obstacles and dangers which come to those who ignore Him. The natural consequences of sin are not shallow punishment. They are warnings pointing sinners towards the truth (Proverbs 19:25; Romans 2:4). The life of God-believers is not easier than that of non-believers (John 16:33), but it is not filled with spiritual dangers. God's people wait on those prepared paths, for the Lord to act. That's what Isaiah desires the most. His soul longs for the Lord. He knows that the world will not learn righteousness until the Lord bring judgment on wickedness. He also knows that the wicked will not change their ways in response to only the threat of the Lord's justice. Isaiah prays for the Lord to show the world that He supports His people by consuming His enemies (Isaiah 26:7–11).

In the end, the Lord will bring peace to Israel and Judah. After all, God is the source of every good thing they have ever accomplished. They no longer acknowledge the other human tyrants who have ruled over them. Those other rulers are all dead and gone and not worth talking about. The Lord alone has increased their nation, both in population and size, for His own glory (Isaiah 26:12–15).

Near the end of the chapter, Isaiah acknowledges the distress in Israel and Judah brought on by the Lord's discipline. God's response to their sin is, again, meant to bring them back to Him. The people responded by seeking Him and whispering prayers to God. Their suffering was intense. It only increased; the prophet compares their suffering to a woman in labor. In the end, though, their pain resulted in no victory. They failed to provide deliverance to the earth from the suffering caused by other nations. This failure was brought on because they did not remain faithful to the Lord their God (Isaiah 26:16–18).

Still, those who have died, belonging to the Lord, will be raised from the dead. Those who have been raised will rejoice aloud to their Lord. For now, they will remain safe and hidden while God pours out His fury to punish evildoing. All death and bloodshed will be exposed by the Lord's judgment (Isaiah 26:19–21).
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