בַּיֹּום הַהוּא יוּשַׁר הַשִּׁיר־הַזֶּה בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה עִיר עָז־לָנוּ יְשׁוּעָה יָשִׁית חֹומֹות וָחֵל׃   26:1

Isai. 26:1   In that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah:

                           Ours is a city strong.

                   Saving, He shall array walls and bulwarks.

פִּתְחוּ שְׁעָרִים וְיָבֹא גֹוי־צַדִּיק שֹׁמֵר אֱמֻנִים׃   26:2

Isai. 26:2   Open the gates, that a righteous nation,

                            taking heed of faithfulness, may enter.

יֵצֶר סָמוּךְ תִּצֹּר שָׁלֹום שָׁלֹום כִּי בְךָ בָּטוּחַ׃   26:3

Isai. 26:3   A supportive inclination You shall preserve in perfect peace,

                            because it trusts in You.

בִּטְחוּ בַיהוָה עֲדֵי־עַד כִּי בְּיָהּ יְהוָה צוּר עֹולָמִים׃   26:4

Isai. 26:4   Trust in the Lord forever!

                            For with God, the Lord is an everlasting Rock.

The Hebrew that translates into the first five words in the second line of this verse, “For with God, the Lord ... ,” is consistently mistranslated.  Most other translators resort to variations on “For the Lord, the Lord Himself....”  The above is the precise translation of the Hebrew.  And here’s what I think it means:  If you trust in the Lord and are with God, He is an everlasting Rock for you; on the other hand, if you are not with Him (see the next two verses), He will not be an everlasting Rock for you.  Now as I see it, the truth of the matter is that the Lord is always a Rock.  But if you don’t trust in Him and are not with Him, you will not see Him as a Rock.  That’s what I think Isaiah means here.

כִּי הֵשַׁח יֹשְׁבֵי מָרֹום קִרְיָה נִשְׂגָּבָה יַשְׁפִּילֶנָּה יַשְׁפִּילָהּ עַד־אֶרֶץ יַגִּיעֶנָּה עַד־עָפָר׃   26:5

Isai. 26:5   For He has brought down

                            the haughty inhabitants, the exalted city.

                   He will lay it low, depress to the ground,

                            touch it to the dust.

תִּרְמְסֶנָּה רָגֶל רַגְלֵי עָנִי פַּעֲמֵי דַלִּים׃   26:

Isai. 26:6   The foot shall trample it,

                            the feet of the poor,

                     the steps of the needy.

אֹרַח לַצַּדִּיק מֵישָׁרִים יָשָׁר מַעְגַּל צַדִּיק תְּפַלֵּס׃   26:7

Isai. 26:7   The paths for the righteous are even.

                            Most Upright, You shall make the righteous way straight.

אַף אֹרַח מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ יְהוָה קִוִּינוּךָ לְשִׁמְךָ וּלְזִכְרְךָ תַּאֲוַת־נָפֶשׁ׃   26:8

Isai. 26:8   Also the way of Your judgments!

                            O Lord, we wait for You,

                     for Your name and for Your remembrance,

                             the desire of the soul.

נַפְשִׁי אִוִּיתִיךָ בַּלַּיְלָה אַף־רוּחִי בְקִרְבִּי אֲשַׁחֲרֶךָּ כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לָאָרֶץ צֶדֶק לָמְדוּ יֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל׃   26:9

Isai. 26:9   O my Breath! I desire You in the night.

                             Also, my Strength within me!

                     I will seek You diligently.

                             For as Your judgments are for the earth,

                     the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

יֻחַן רָשָׁע בַּל־לָמַד צֶדֶק בְּאֶרֶץ נְכֹחֹות יְעַוֵּל וּבַל־יִרְאֶה גֵּאוּת יְהוָה׃   26:10

Isai. 26:10   Let a wicked one be shown favor,

                             he would not learn righteousness.

                       In the land of right ways, he will deal unjustly,

                             and will not perceive the majesty of the Lord.

יְהוָה רָמָה יָדְךָ בַּל־יֶחֱזָיוּן יֶחֱזוּ וְיֵבֹשׁוּ קִנְאַת־עָם אַף־אֵשׁ צָרֶיךָ תֹאכְלֵם׃   26:11

Isai. 26:11   Lord, Your “hand” is lifted, they cannot see.

                              They shall see of the zeal of the people and be ashamed.

                      Indeed the fire of Your enemies shall consume them.

יְהוָה תִּשְׁפֹּת שָׁלֹום לָנוּ כִּי גַּם כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂינוּ פָּעַלְתָּ לָּנוּ׃   26:12

Isai. 26:12   O Lord, You will establish peace for us,

                               likewise for all our possessions You ordain for us.

יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּעָלוּנוּ אֲדֹנִים זוּלָתֶךָ לְבַד־בְּךָ נַזְכִּיר שְׁמֶךָ׃   26:13

Isai. 26:13   O Lord, our God,

                              masters have had dominion over us in Your stead;

                      with You alone will we make mention of Your name.

מֵתִים בַּל־יִחְיוּ רְפָאִים בַּל־יָקֻמוּ לָכֵן פָּקַדְתָּ וַתַּשְׁמִידֵם וַתְּאַבֵּד כָּל־זֵכֶר לָמֹו׃   26:14

Isai. 26:14   The dead can not live,

                              the ghosts can not rise.

                      Therefore You have attended to and destroyed them,

                             and have made all memory of theirs to perish.

יָסַפְתָּ לַגֹּוי יְהוָה יָסַפְתָּ לַגֹּוי נִכְבָּדְתָּ רִחַקְתָּ כָּל־קַצְוֵי־אָרֶץ׃   26:15

Isai. 26:15   You add to the nations of the Lord;

                             You add to the nations You glorify.

                      You remove all the borders of the earth.

יְהוָה בַּצַּר פְּקָדוּךָ צָקוּן לַחַשׁ מוּסָרְךָ לָמֹו׃   26:16

Isai. 26:16   Lord, they remember You in trouble,

                              they pour out an incantation

                      of Your chastening of them.

כְּמֹו הָרָה תַּקְרִיב לָלֶדֶת תָּחִיל תִּזְעַק בַּחֲבָלֶיהָ כֵּן הָיִינוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה׃   26:17

Isai. 26:17   As an expectant woman

                              drawing near the time of delivery

                      writhes in pain, cries out in her pangs,

                              so are we in Your presence, O Lord.

הָרִינוּ חַלְנוּ כְּמֹו יָלַדְנוּ רוּחַ יְשׁוּעֹת בַּל־נַעֲשֶׂה אֶרֶץ וּבַל־יִפְּלוּ יֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל׃   26:18

Isai. 26:18   We are expecting,

                              we are writhing in pain, as it were:

                      We bring forth wind.

                              We did not accomplish deliverance of the earth,

                       and the inhabitants of the world are not subdued.

יִחְיוּ מֵתֶיךָ נְבֵלָתִי יְקוּמוּן הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ שֹׁכְנֵי עָפָר כִּי טַל אֹורֹת טַלֶּךָ וָאָרֶץ רְפָאִים תַּפִּיל׃   26:19

Isai. 26:19   Your dead shall be alive, my bodies shall rise up.

                              Awake and sing, dwellers of the dust!

                      For the light of Your dew is dew,

                              but the earth shall cast down the ghosts.

לֵךְ עַמִּי בֹּא בַחֲדָרֶיךָ וּסְגֹר (דְּלָתֶיךָ) [דְּלָתְךָ] בַּעֲדֶךָ חֲבִי כִמְעַט־רֶגַע עַד־(יַעֲבֹור) [יַעֲבָר]־זָעַם׃   26:20

Isai. 26:20   Go, my people, go into your chambers

                               and shut your doors behind you,

                      a hiding place about a small moment,

                               until the “rage” will have passed over.

There are two errors in this verse.  The word in the first set of parentheses contains an extra yad.  The word in the second set of parentheses contains an extra vav.  Respective corrections are in the brackets.

כִּי־הִנֵּה יְהוָה יֹצֵא מִמְּקֹומֹו לִפְקֹד עֲוֹן יֹשֵׁב־הָאָרֶץ עָלָיו וְגִלְּתָה הָאָרֶץ אֶת־דָּמֶיהָ וְלֹא־תְכַסֶּה עֹוד   26:21 עַל־הֲרוּגֶיהָ׃

Isai. 26:21   For behold! The Lord comes forth

                             from His place to visit the iniquity

                      of the inhabitant of the earth upon him;

                             then the earth will uncover its blood

                      and not be a cover over its slain any more.

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