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, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2 people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.

And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.

3 The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered.

The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the LORD hath spoken this word.

4 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.

The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth 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 earth also is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken 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 hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7 The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan.

The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted 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 endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

9 They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.

They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10 The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.

The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, 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; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12 The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.

In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with 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 thus shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the grape gleanings when the vintage is done.

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, they shall shout; for the majesty of the LORD they cry aloud 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 glorify ye the LORD in the east, even the name of the LORD, 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 uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, glory to the righteous. But I said, I pine away, I pine away, woe is me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

17 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.

Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant 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 shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

19 The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.

The earth is utterly broken, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

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 shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall be moved to and fro like a hut; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21 In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones 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.

And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and 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.

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.