Isaiah 26:12-15,17-21 O Lord our God, once we worshiped other gods; but now we worship You alone. ¹⁴ Those we served before are dead and gone; never again will they return. You came against them and destroyed them, and they are long forgotten.
15 O praise the Lord! He has made our nation very great. He has widened the boundaries of our land!
17 How we missed your presence, Lord! We suffered as a woman giving birth, who cries and writhes in pain. ¹⁸ We too have writhed in agony, but all to no avail. No deliverance has come from all our efforts.
19 Yet we have this assurance: Those who belong to God shall live again. Their bodies shall rise again! Those who dwell in the dust shall awake and sing for joy! For God’s light of life will fall like dew upon them!
20 Go home, my people, and lock the doors! Hide for a little while until the Lord’s wrath against your enemies has passed.
21 Look! The Lord is coming from the heavens to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide the murderers. The guilty will be found. TLBV