Isaiah 26

In 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.

1In that day people in Judah will sing this song. We have a strong city. God keeps it safe. His saving works like its walls.

2Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

2Open the gates! Let the good people come in. They are the ones who stay true.

3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

3You keep a person in perfect peace when his mind stays on you. He is at peace because he trusts you.

4Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

4Trust the LORD always. The LORD God is like a rock that lasts forever.

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.

5He brings down proud people who live up high. He knocks the tall city flat. He pushes it down to the ground and into the dust.

6The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

6Now feet walk all over it. They are the feet of poor people who were treated badly.

7The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

7The path of good people is smooth and level. LORD, you make their way straight.

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.

8LORD, we wait for you. We walk the way you say is right. We want you, and we want to remember your name.

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.

9At night I want you. Early in the morning I look for you. When you judge the earth, people learn what is right.

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.

10Even when a bad man is treated kindly, he does not learn to do right. In a good land he still does wrong. He does not see how great the LORD is.

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.

11LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. They will see how much you care for your people. Then they will feel ashamed. The fire meant for your enemies will burn them up.

NoteThe KJV says "their envy at the people." That old wording means God's strong care for his own people. It is not talking about the enemies being jealous.

12LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

12LORD, you will give us peace. Everything we have done, you did for 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.

13LORD our God, other rulers have been our masters. But we say only your 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.

14Those rulers are dead. They will not live again. You punished them and destroyed them. Now nobody remembers them at all.

NoteThis verse is about the other rulers in verse 13, not about God's people. Verse 19 says something different about them.

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.

15You made our nation bigger, LORD. You made it bigger. People can see how great you are. You stretched the land out far in every direction.

16LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.

16LORD, when they were in trouble, they came looking for you. When you corrected them, they poured out quiet prayers.

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.

17A woman about to have a baby twists and cries out in pain. LORD, that is how we were in front of you.

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.

18We hurt like that, but nothing came from it. It was like giving birth to wind. We did not save the earth. We did not bring any new life into the world.

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.

19Your dead people will live. Their bodies will get up. Wake up and sing, you who lie down in the dust! Your dew is like the dew of the morning. The earth will give her dead back.

NoteThe KJV says "my dead body." The Hebrew here means the dead bodies of God's people, so this verse says they will rise.

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.

20Come, my people. Go into your rooms. Shut the doors behind you. Hide for a little while, until the anger has passed by.

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.

21Look! The LORD is coming out from where he lives. He will punish the people of the earth for the wrong they did. The ground will show the blood spilled on it. It will not cover up the killed anymore.