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Isaiah 26
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Isaiah 26 from Scroll 1Q Isaiaha

In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city.

God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks.

Open the your gates, that the righteous nation may enter:

the one which keeps faith.

You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace,

because he trusts in you.

Trust in Yahweh forever;

for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.

For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city.

He lays it low.

He lays it low even to the ground.

He brings it even to the dust.

The foot shall tread it down;

Even The feet of the poor,

shall tread it down

and the steps of the needy.”

The way of the just is uprightness.

You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.

 

Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you.

Your name and your renown law are the desire of our soul.

With my soul I have desired you in the night.

Yes, with my spirit within me I will seek you earnestly;

for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10 Let favor be shown to the wicked,

yet he will not learn righteousness.

In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully,

and will not see Yahweh’s majesty.

 

11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see;

but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed.

Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

12 Yahweh, you will ordain peace for us,

for you have also done all our work for us.

13 Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us,

but by you only will we make mention of your name.

14 The dead shall not live.

The departed spirits shall not rise.

Therefore you have visited and destroyed them,

and caused all memory of them to perish.

15 You have increased the nation, O Yahweh.

You have increased the nation!

You are glorified!

You have enlarged all the borders of the land.

 

16 Yahweh, in trouble they have visited you.

They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.

17 Just as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery,

is in pain and cries out in her pangs;

so we have been before you, Yahweh.

18 We have been with child.

We have been in pain.

We gave birth, it seems, only to wind.

We have not worked any your deliverance in the earth;

neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

19 Your dead shall live.

My dead bodies shall arise.

Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust;

for your dew is like the dew of herbs,

and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.

 

20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms,

and shut your doors behind you.

Hide yourself for a little moment,

until the indignation is past.

21 For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.

The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.

 

Isaiah 26 from Scroll 1Q Isaiahb

1 In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city.

God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks.

Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter:

the one which keeps faith.

3 You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace,

because he trusts in you.

4 Trust in Yahweh forever;

for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.

For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city.

He lays it low.

He lays it low even to the ground.

He brings it even to the dust.

 

Isaiah 26 from Scroll 4Q56 Isaiahb

1 In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city.

God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks.

2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter:

the one which keeps faith.

[..]

4 Trust in Yahweh forever;

for in Yah, Yahweh the Lord, is an everlasting Rock.

For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city.

He lays it low.

He lays it low even to the ground.

He brings it even to the dust.

The foot shall tread it down;

Even the feet of the poor,

and the steps of the needy.”

7 The way of the just is uprightness.

You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.

 

8 Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you.

Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul desires.

With my soul I have desired you in the night.

Yes, with my spirit within me I will seek you earnestly;

for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10 Let favor be shown to the wicked,

yet he will not learn righteousness.

In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully,

and will not see Yahweh’s majesty.

 

11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see;

but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed.

Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

12 Yahweh, you will ordain judge[1] peace for us,

for you have also done all our work for us.

13 Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us,

but by you only will we make mention of your name.

14 The dead shall not live.

The departed spirits shall not rise.

Therefore you have visited and destroyed them,

and caused all memory of them to perish.

15 You have increased the nation, O Yahweh.

You have increased the nation!

You are glorified!

You have enlarged all the borders of the land.

 

16 Yahweh, in trouble they have visited you.

They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.

17 Just as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery,

is in pain and cries out in her pangs;

so we have been before you, Yahweh.

[..]

19 Your dead shall live.

My dead bodies shall arise.

Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust;

for your dew is like the dew of herbs,

and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.

Isaiah 26 from Scroll 4Q57 Isaiahc

In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city.

God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks.

2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter:

the one which keeps faith.

3 You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace,

because he trusts in you.

Trust in Yahweh forever;

for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.

For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city.

He lays it low.

He lays it low even to the ground.

He brings it even to the dust.

The foot shall tread it down;

Even the feet of the poor,

and the steps of the needy.”

7 The way of the just is uprightness.

You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.

 

8 Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you.

Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul.

9 With my soul I have desired you in the night.

Yes, with my spirit within me I will seek you earnestly;

for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

 



[1] The words for “you will ordain” and “you will judge” are homonyms in Hebrew.

How to read these pages:

      The translation to the left is based on the World English Bible. Words in regular black font are words in the scrolls matching the traditional text for that passage.

      Words in italics cannot be seen in the scroll, since the scroll is fragmentary. These words are supplied for readability by the World English Bible translation.

      Words present in the scroll but with some letters unreadable or missing are in blue like this: blue. One Hebrew word often is translated into multiple English words, and when this occurs, all the English words are in blue.

      Words present in the scroll but with spelling differences that do not affect the meaning are in green like this: green. This is common in Hebrew.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the traditional text that are missing from the text of the scroll are marked through in red like this: strike-through.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the scroll that are not in the traditional text are underlined in red like this: new words.