Isaiah 24
1 Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—
See, the Lord is making the earth waste and unpeopled, he is turning it upside down, and sending the people in all directions.
2 people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
And it will be the same for the people as for the priest; for the servant as for his master; and for the woman-servant as for her owner; the same for the one offering goods for a price as for him who takes them; the same for him who gives money at interest and for him who takes it; the same for him who lets others have the use of his property as for those who make use of it.
3 The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered.
The earth will be completely waste and without men; for this is the word of the Lord.
4 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.
The earth is sorrowing and wasting away, the world is full of grief and wasting away, the high ones of the earth come to nothing.
5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant.
The earth has been made unclean by those living in it; because the laws have not been kept by them, the orders have been changed, and the eternal agreement has been broken.
6 Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.
For this cause the earth is given up to the curse, and those in it are judged as sinners: for this cause those living on the earth are burned up, and the rest are small in number.
7 The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan.
The new wine is thin, the vine is feeble, and all the glad-hearted make sounds of grief.
8 The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent.
The pleasing sound of all instruments of music has come to an end, and the voices of those who are glad.
9 They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.
There is no more drinking of wine with a song; strong drink will be bitter to those who take it.
10 The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.
The town is waste and broken down: every house is shut up, so that no man may come in.
11 In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; there is an end of all delight, the joy of the land is gone.
12 The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.
In the town all is waste, and in the public place is destruction.
13 So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.
For it will be in the heart of the earth among the peoples, like the shaking of an olive-tree, as the last of the grapes after the getting-in is done.
14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD.
But those will be making sounds of joy; they will be crying loudly from the sea for the glory of the Lord.
15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.
Give praise to the Lord in the east, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the sea-lands.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.
From the farthest part of the earth comes the sound of songs, glory to the upright. But I said, I am wasting away, wasting away, the curse is on me! The false ones go on in their false way, yes, they go on acting falsely.
17 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.
Fear, and death, and the net, are come on you, O people of the earth.
18 Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
And it will be that he who goes in flight from the sound of fear will be overtaken by death; and he who gets free from death will be taken in the net: for the windows on high are open, and the bases of the earth are shaking.
19 The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.
The earth is completely broken, it is parted in two, it is violently moved.
20 The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.
The earth will be moving uncertainly, like a man overcome by drink; it will be shaking like a tent; and the weight of its sin will be on it, crushing it down so that it will not get up again.
21 In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.
And in that day the Lord will send punishment on the army of the high ones on high, and on the kings of the earth on the earth.
22 They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days.
And they will be got together, like prisoners in the prison-house; and after a long time they will have their punishment.
23 The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.
Then the moon will be veiled, and the sun put to shame; for the Lord of armies will be ruling in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his judges he will let his glory be seen.
