Isaiah 26
Common English Bible
Trusting in God forever
26 On that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
Ours is a strong city!
God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates and let a righteous nation enter,
a nation that keeps faith.
3 Those with sound thoughts you will keep in peace,
in peace because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord is a rock for all ages.
5 He has thrown down those living on high,
and he will level the lofty town,
leveling it down to the earth;
he will bring it down to dust.
6 The feet trample it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.
7 The way of the righteous is level;
you clear a path for the righteous.
8 In the path of your justice, Lord, we wait for you;
with all our being, we long for your name and your acclaim.
9 At night I long for you with my whole being;
my spirit within me watches for you.
When your judgments are at work in the earth,
those living in the world learn righteousness.
10 When the wicked are favored, they don’t learn righteousness;
even among those who do right they do wrong,
and they fail to see the Lord’s majesty.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted up,
but they don’t see.
Let them see and shrink back because of your zeal for your people;
your burning anger that consumes your enemies.
12 Lord, grant us peace,
because all that we have done has been your doing.
13 Lord our God, other masters besides you have ruled us,
but we will profess your name alone.
14 The dead don’t live; ghosts don’t rise.
Indeed, you have punished and destroyed them,
and abolished all memory of them.
15 You’ve enlarged the nation, Lord.
You’ve enlarged the nation; you are glorified.
You’ve expanded all the land’s boundaries.
16 Lord, in distress they sought you out;
they poured out prayers to you when you disciplined them.
17 As a pregnant woman close to childbirth is in labor pains,
crying out in her pangs,
so were we because of you, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed,
but we gave birth to wind.
We have achieved no victories on earth;
the inhabitants of the earth never fall.
19 Your dead will live, their[a] corpses will rise,
and those who dwell in the dust will shout for joy.
Your shadow is a shadow of light,
but you will bring down the ghosts into the underworld.
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you.
Take cover, for in a little while the fury will be over.
21 Look! The Lord is going out from his place
to bring the iniquity of the ruler of the earth down upon him.
The earth will uncover its blood
and will conceal its slain no longer.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:19 Or my
Isaiah 26
English Standard Version
You Keep Him in Perfect Peace
26 In that day (A)this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
he sets up (B)salvation
as walls and bulwarks.
2 (C)Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 (D)You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
5 (E)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.
6 The foot tramples it,
the feet of (F)the poor,
the steps of (G)the needy.”
7 The path of the righteous is level;
(H)you make level the way of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments,
O Lord, we wait for you;
(I)your name and (J)remembrance
are the desire of our soul.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
(K)For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 (L)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.
11 O Lord, (M)your hand is lifted up,
but (N)they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let (O)the fire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O Lord, you will ordain (P)peace for us,
for you have indeed done for us all our works.
13 O Lord our God,
(Q)other lords besides you have ruled over us,
(R)but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
14 They 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 (S)But you have increased the nation, O Lord,
you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
(T)you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
16 O Lord, (U)in distress they sought you;
they poured out a whispered prayer
when your discipline was upon them.
17 (V)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 (W)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 (X)Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For (Y)your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves (Z)for a little while
until the fury has passed by.
21 (AA)For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place
to punish the inhabitants of (AB)the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
and will no more cover its slain.
Isaiah 26
New King James Version
A Song of Salvation
26 In (A)that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
(B)God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.
2 (C)Open the gates,
That the righteous nation which [a]keeps the truth may enter in.
3 You will keep him in perfect (D)peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
(E)For in Yah, the Lord, is [b]everlasting strength.
5 For He brings [c]down those who dwell on high,
(F)The lofty city;
He lays it low,
He lays it low to the ground,
He brings it down to the dust.
6 The foot shall [d]tread it down—
The feet of the poor
And the steps of the needy.”
7 The way of the just is uprightness;
(G)O Most Upright,
You [e]weigh the path of the just.
8 Yes, (H)in the way of Your judgments,
O Lord, we have (I)waited for You;
The desire of our soul is for Your name
And for the remembrance of You.
9 (J)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 (K)Let grace be shown to the wicked,
Yet he will not learn righteousness;
In (L)the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly,
And will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, when Your hand is lifted up, (M)they will not see.
But they will see and be ashamed
For [f]their envy of people;
Yes, the fire of Your enemies shall devour them.
12 Lord, You will establish peace for us,
For You have also done all our works [g]in us.
13 O Lord our God, (N)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 (O)perish.
15 You have increased the nation, O Lord,
You have (P)increased the nation;
You are glorified;
You have expanded all the [h]borders of the land.
16 Lord, (Q)in trouble they have visited You,
They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them.
17 As (R)a woman with child
Is in pain and cries out in her [i]pangs,
When she draws near the time of her delivery,
So have we been in Your sight, O Lord.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain;
We have, as it were, [j]brought forth wind;
We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth,
Nor have (S)the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19 (T)Your dead shall live;
Together with [k]my dead body they shall arise.
(U)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.
Take Refuge from the Coming Judgment
20 Come, my people, (V)enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, (W)for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
21 For behold, the Lord (X)comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her [l]blood,
And will no more cover her slain.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:2 Or remains faithful
- Isaiah 26:4 Or Rock of Ages
- Isaiah 26:5 low
- Isaiah 26:6 trample
- Isaiah 26:7 Or make level
- Isaiah 26:11 Or Your zeal for the people
- Isaiah 26:12 Or for us
- Isaiah 26:15 Or ends
- Isaiah 26:17 sharp pains
- Isaiah 26:18 given birth to
- Isaiah 26:19 So with MT, Vg.; Syr., Tg. their dead bodies; LXX those in the tombs
- Isaiah 26:21 Or bloodshed
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
