26:1 At that time
“We have a strong city!
The Lord’s
26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter –
one that remains trustworthy.
26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,
for they trust in you.
26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward,
even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector!
26:5 Indeed,
he brings down an elevated town;
he brings it down to the ground,
he throws it down to the dust.
26:6 It is trampled underfoot
by the feet of the oppressed,
by the soles of the poor.”
26:7
the path of the righteous that you make is straight.
26:8 Yes, as your judgments unfold,
O Lord, we wait for you.
We desire your fame and reputation to grow.
26:9 I
my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,
for when your judgments come upon the earth,
those who live in the world learn about justice.
26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,
they do not learn about justice.
Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly;
they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act,
but they don’t even notice.
They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind,
yes, fire will consume your enemies.
26:12 O Lord, you make us secure,
for even all we have accomplished, you have done for us.
26:13 O Lord, our God,
masters other than you have ruled us,
but we praise your name alone.
26:14 The dead do not come back to life,
the spirits of the dead do not rise.
That is because
you wiped out all memory of them.
26:15 You have made the nation larger,
you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor,
you have extended all the borders of the land.
26:16 O Lord, in distress they looked for you;
they uttered incantations because of your discipline.