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A Song of Praise to the Lord

25 Lord, you are my God.
    I will honor you.
    I will praise your name.
You have been perfectly faithful.
    You have done wonderful things.
    You had planned them long ago.
You have turned cities into piles of trash.
    You have pulled down the high walls that were around them.
You have destroyed our enemies’ forts.
    They will never be rebuilt.
Powerful nations will honor you.
    Even sinful people from their cities will have respect for you.
Poor people have come to you for safety.
    You have kept needy people safe when they were in trouble.
You have been a place to hide when storms came.
    You have been a shade from the heat of the sun.
Evil people attack us.
    They are like a storm beating against a wall.
    They are like the heat of the desert.
You stopped the noisy shouts of our enemies.
    You kept them from winning the battle over us and singing about it.
    You are like the shadow of a cloud that cools the earth.

On Mount Zion the Lord who rules over all will prepare
    a feast for all the nations.
The best and richest foods
    and the finest aged wines will be served.
On that mountain the Lord will destroy
    the veil of sadness that covers all the nations.
He will destroy the gloom that is spread over everyone.
    He will swallow up death forever.
The Lord and King will wipe away the tears
    from everyone’s face.
He will remove the shame of his people
    from the whole earth.
The Lord has spoken.

At that time they will say,

“He is our God.
    We trusted in him, and he saved us.
He is the Lord. We trusted in him.
    Let us be filled with joy because he saved us.”

10 The Lord’s power will keep Mount Zion safe.
    But the people of Moab will be crushed in their land.
They will be crushed just as straw is crushed in animal waste.
11 They will try to swim their way out of it.
    They will spread out their hands in it,
    just as swimmers spread out their hands to swim.
But God will bring down Moab’s pride.
    None of their skill will help them.
12 He will pull down their high, strong walls.
    He will bring them down to the ground.
    He’ll bring them right down to the dust.

Another Song of Praise

26 At that time a song will be sung in the land of Judah. It will say,

“We have a strong city.
    God’s saving power surrounds it
    like walls and towers.
Open its gates
    so that those who do what is right can enter.
    They are the people who remain faithful to God.
Lord, you will give perfect peace
    to those who commit themselves to be faithful to you.
    That’s because they trust in you.

“Trust in the Lord forever.
    The Lord himself is the Rock.
    The Lord will keep us safe forever.
He brings down those who are proud.
    He pulls down cities that have high walls.
They fall down flat on the ground.
    He throws them down to the dust.
The feet of those who were treated badly stomp on them.
    Those who were poor walk all over them.”

The path of godly people is level.
    You are the God who does what is right.
    You make their way smooth.
Lord, we are living the way your laws command us to live.
    We are waiting for you to act.
We want your honor and fame to be known.
My heart longs for you at night.
    My spirit longs for you in the morning.
You will come and judge the earth.
    Then the people of the world will learn to do what is right.
10 Sometimes grace is shown to sinful people.
    But they still don’t learn to do what is right.
They keep on doing evil even in a land where others are honest and fair.
    They don’t have any respect for the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, you have raised your hand high to punish them.
    But they don’t even see it.
Let them see how much you love your people.
    Then they will be put to shame.
    Let the fire you are saving for your enemies burn them up.

12 Lord, you give us peace.
    You are the one who has done everything we’ve accomplished.
13 Lord, you are our God.
    Other masters besides you have ruled over us.
    But your name is the only one we honor.
14 Those other masters are now dead.
    They will never live again.
    Their spirits won’t rise from the dead.
You punished them and destroyed them.
    You wiped out all memory of them.
15 Lord, you have made our nation grow.
    You have made it larger.
You have gained glory for yourself.
    You have increased the size of our land.

16 Lord, when your people were suffering, they came to you.
    When you punished them,
    they could barely whisper a prayer.
17 Lord, you made us like a woman who is about to have a baby.
    She groans and cries out in pain.
18 We were pregnant and groaned with pain.
    But nothing was born.
We didn’t bring your saving power to the earth.
    And the people of the world have not come to life.

19 Lord, your people who have died will live again.
    Their bodies will rise from the dead.
Let those who lie in the grave
    wake up and shout for joy.
You give life, Lord, like the dew of the morning.
    So the earth will give up its dead people.

20 My people, go into your houses.
    Shut the doors behind you.
Hide yourselves for a little while.
    Do it until the Lord’s anger is over.
21 He is coming from the place where he lives.
    He will punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The blood spilled on the earth will be brought out into the open.
    The ground will no longer hide those who have been killed.

Israel Will Be Saved

27 At that time

the Lord will punish Leviathan with his sword.
    His great, powerful and deadly sword will punish
the serpent that glides through the sea.
    He will kill that twisting sea monster.

At that time the Lord will sing about his fruitful vineyard. He will say,

“I am the Lord. I watch over my vineyard.
    I water it all the time.
I guard it day and night.
    I do it so no one can harm it.
I am not angry with my vineyard.
    I wish thorns and bushes would come up in it.
Then I would march out against them in battle.
    I would set all of them on fire.
So the enemies of my people should come to me for safety.
    They should make peace with me.
I will say it again.
    They should make peace with me.”

In days to come, Jacob’s people will put down roots like a vine.
    Israel will bud and bloom.
    They will fill the whole world with fruit.

The Lord struck down those who struck down Israel.
    But he hasn’t punished Israel as much.
The Lord killed those who killed many of his people.
    But he hasn’t punished his people as much.
The Lord will use war to punish Israel.
    He will make them leave their land.
With a strong blast of his anger he will drive them out.
    It will be as if the east wind were blowing.
The people of Jacob will have to pay for their sin.
    Here is how they will show that their sin has been removed.
They will make all the altar stones like limestone.
    They will crush them to pieces.
No poles used to worship the female god named Asherah will be left standing.
    No incense altars will be left either.
10 Cities that have high walls around them will become empty.
    They will be settlements with no one in them.
    They will be like a desert.
Calves will eat and lie down in them.
    They will strip bare the branches of their trees.
11 When their twigs are dry, they will be broken off.
    Then women will come and make fires with them.
The people of Jacob don’t understand the Lord.
    So the God who made them won’t be concerned about them.
    Their Creator won’t be kind to them.

12 At that time the Lord will separate Israel from other people. He will gather the Israelites together one by one. He will gather them from the Euphrates River to the Wadi of Egypt. 13 At that time a loud trumpet will be blown. Those who were dying in Assyria will come and worship the Lord. So will those who were taken away to Egypt. All of them will worship the Lord on his holy mountain in Jerusalem.

Praise to the Lord

25 Lord, you are my God;(A)
    I will exalt you and praise your name,(B)
for in perfect faithfulness(C)
    you have done wonderful things,(D)
    things planned(E) long ago.
You have made the city a heap of rubble,(F)
    the fortified(G) town a ruin,(H)
the foreigners’ stronghold(I) a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.(J)
Therefore strong peoples will honor you;(K)
    cities of ruthless(L) nations will revere you.
You have been a refuge(M) for the poor,(N)
    a refuge for the needy(O) in their distress,
a shelter from the storm(P)
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless(Q)
    is like a storm driving against a wall
    and like the heat of the desert.
You silence(R) the uproar of foreigners;(S)
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless(T) is stilled.

On this mountain(U) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast(V) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.(W)
On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud(X) that enfolds all peoples,(Y)
the sheet that covers all nations;
    he will swallow up death(Z) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears(AA)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace(AB)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.(AC)

In that day(AD) they will say,

“Surely this is our God;(AE)
    we trusted(AF) in him, and he saved(AG) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice(AH) and be glad in his salvation.”(AI)

10 The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;(AJ)
    but Moab(AK) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down(AL) their pride(AM)
    despite the cleverness[a] of their hands.
12 He will bring down your high fortified walls(AN)
    and lay them low;(AO)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

A Song of Praise

26 In that day(AP) this song will be sung(AQ) in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;(AR)
    God makes salvation
    its walls(AS) and ramparts.(AT)
Open the gates(AU)
    that the righteous(AV) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
You will keep in perfect peace(AW)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust(AX) in you.
Trust(AY) in the Lord forever,(AZ)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock(BA) eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground(BB)
    and casts it down to the dust.(BC)
Feet trample(BD) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,(BE)
    the footsteps of the poor.(BF)

The path of the righteous is level;(BG)
    you, the Upright One,(BH) make the way of the righteous smooth.(BI)
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[b](BJ)
    we wait(BK) for you;
your name(BL) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;(BM)
    in the morning my spirit longs(BN) for you.
When your judgments(BO) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.(BP)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,(BQ)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil(BR)
    and do not regard(BS) the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,(BT)
    but they do not see(BU) it.
Let them see your zeal(BV) for your people and be put to shame;(BW)
    let the fire(BX) reserved for your enemies consume them.

12 Lord, you establish peace(BY) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done(BZ) for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords(CA) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name(CB) alone do we honor.(CC)
14 They are now dead,(CD) they live no more;
    their spirits(CE) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;(CF)
    you wiped out all memory of them.(CG)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.(CH)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders(CI) of the land.

16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(CJ)
    when you disciplined(CK) them,
    they could barely whisper(CL) a prayer.[c]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(CM)
    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(CN) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(CO) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.(CP)

19 But your dead(CQ) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust(CR)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew(CS) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.(CT)

20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors(CU) behind you;
hide(CV) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath(CW) has passed by.(CX)
21 See, the Lord is coming(CY) out of his dwelling(CZ)
    to punish(DA) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood(DB) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Deliverance of Israel

27 In that day,(DC)

the Lord will punish with his sword(DD)
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan(DE) the gliding serpent,(DF)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster(DG) of the sea.

In that day(DH)

“Sing(DI) about a fruitful vineyard:(DJ)
    I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water(DK) it continually.
I guard(DL) it day and night
    so that no one may harm(DM) it.
    I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.(DN)
Or else let them come to me for refuge;(DO)
    let them make peace(DP) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

In days to come Jacob will take root,(DQ)
    Israel will bud and blossom(DR)
    and fill all the world with fruit.(DS)

Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck(DT) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
By warfare[d] and exile(DU) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind(DV) blows.
By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned(DW) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:(DX)
When he makes all the altar stones(DY)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles[e](DZ) or incense altars(EA)
    will be left standing.
10 The fortified city stands desolate,(EB)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken(EC) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,(ED)
    there they lie down;(EE)
    they strip its branches bare.
11 When its twigs are dry, they are broken off(EF)
    and women come and make fires(EG) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;(EH)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator(EI) shows them no favor.(EJ)

12 In that day the Lord will thresh(EK) from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,(EL) and you, Israel, will be gathered(EM) up one by one. 13 And in that day(EN) a great trumpet(EO) will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled(EP) in Egypt(EQ) will come and worship(ER) the Lord on the holy mountain(ES) in Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 25:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
  3. Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  4. Isaiah 27:8 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Isaiah 27:9 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah