Isaiah 24
1 Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—
Behold, Jehovah emptieth and draineth the land; Yea, he turneth it upside down, and scattereth its inhabitants.
2 people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
As with the people, so is it with the priest; As with the servant, so with the master; As with the maid, so with the mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the borrower, so with the lender; As with the usurer, so with the giver of usury.
3 The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered.
The land is utterly emptied and utterly plundered; For Jehovah hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.
The land mourneth, and withereth; The world languisheth, and withereth; The nobles of the people of the land do languish.
5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant.
The land was polluted under its inhabitants, Because they transgressed the law, they violated the statutes, They broke the everlasting covenant.
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.
Therefore a curse devoured the land; Its inhabitants suffered for their guilt; Therefore are the inhabitants of the land consumed with heat, And few of the men are left.
7 The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan.
The new wine mourneth; The vine languisheth; All that were of a joyful heart do sigh;
8 The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent.
The mirth of tabrets ceaseth; The noise of them that rejoice is at an end; The joy of the harp ceaseth.
9 They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.
No more do they drink wine with the song; Strong drink is bitter to them that use it.
10 The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.
The city of desolation is broken down; Every house is closed, so that none can enter.
11 In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
There is a cry for wine in the streets; All gladness is departed; The mirth of the land is gone;
12 The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.
Desolation is left in the city, And the gate is smitten into ruins.
13 So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.
Yea, thus shall it be in the land, in the midst of the people, As when the olive-tree has been shaken; As the gleaning, when the vintage is ended.
14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD.
These shall lift up their voice, and sing; Yea, for the majesty of Jehovah they shall shout from the sea.
15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.
Wherefore praise ye Jehovah in the East, The name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea!
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 end of the earth we hear songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I cry, Alas, my wretchedness, my wretchedness! woe is me! The plunderers plunder; the plunderers seize the spoil.
17 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.
The terror, the pit, and the snare Are upon thee, O inhabitant of the land!
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.
Whoso fleeth from the terror shall fall into the pit, And whoso escapeth from the pit, He shall be taken in the snare; For the floodgates of heaven are opened, And the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.
The earth is utterly broken down; The earth is shattered in pieces; The earth is violently moved from her place.
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 reeleth like a drunkard, It moveth to and fro like a hammock; For her iniquity lieth heavy upon her, And she shall fall and rise no more.
21 In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.
In that day will Jehovah punish the host of the high ones that are on high, And the kings of the earth upon 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.
They shall be thrown together bound into the pit, And shall be shut up in the prison, But after many days shall they be visited.
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.
The moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed, When Jehovah of hosts shall reign in mount Zion and Jerusalem, And his glory shall be before his ancients.
