Isaiah 24

1 See, the Lord is making the earth waste and unpeopled, he is turning it upside down, and sending the people in all directions.

Behold, the Lord maketh empty the land, and layeth it waste, marreth its surface, and scattereth abroad its inhabitants.

2 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.

And it shall be with the people as with the priest; with the servant as with his master; with the bondwoman as with her mistress; with the buyer as with the seller; with the lender as with the borrower; with the debtor as with his creditor.

3 The earth will be completely waste and without men; for this is the word of the Lord.

Empty, emptied out shall be the land, and spoiled, utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word.

4 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.

The land mourneth, withereth away, the world languishes, withereth away, the high ones of the people of the land do languish.

5 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.

For the land was defiled under its inhabitants; because they had transgressed the laws, neglected the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 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.

Therefore hath the curse devoured the land, and they that dwell therein suffer for their guilt; therefore are the inhabitants of the land dried up, and but few men are left.

7 The new wine is thin, the vine is feeble, and all the glad-hearted make sounds of grief.

The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted sigh.

8 The pleasing sound of all instruments of music has come to an end, and the voices of those who are glad.

At rest is the mirth of the tambourines; ceased hath the tumult of the joyful; at rest is the mirth of the harp.

9 There is no more drinking of wine with a song; strong drink will be bitter to those who take it.

Amidst singing shall they no [more] drink wine; bitter shall be the strong drink to those that drink it.

10 The town is waste and broken down: every house is shut up, so that no man may come in.

Broken down is the city of desolation; shut up is every house that none can enter.

11 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.

A [painful] cry for wine is in the streets; darkened is all joy; banished is the mirth of the land.

12 In the town all is waste, and in the public place is destruction.

Destruction is left in the city, in ruins is beaten the gate.

13 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.

For thus shall it be in the midst of the land among the nations, as [at] the shaking of an olive-tree, as [at] the gleaning of grains when the vintage is done.

14 But those will be making sounds of joy; they will be crying loudly from the sea for the glory of the Lord.

These shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; because of the majesty of the Lord, they shout aloud from the sea.

15 Give praise to the Lord in the east, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the sea-lands.

Therefore in the valleys honor ye the Lord; in the isles of the sea, the name of the Lord the God of Israel.

16 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.

From the edge of the earth have we heard songs, “Glory to the righteous.” But I said, “Evil is mine, evil is mine, woe is me! the treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.”

17 Fear, and death, and the net, are come on you, O people of the earth.

Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the land.

18 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.

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the call of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare; for the windows from on high are opened, and there quaked the foundations of the earth.

19 The earth is completely broken, it is parted in two, it is violently moved.

Crushed entirely is the earth, split in pieces is the earth, shaken to its centre is the earth.

20 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.

The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunkard, and vibrateth like a watch-hut; and heavily lieth upon it its transgression; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21 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.

And it shall come to pass on that day, that the Lord will visit punishment on the host of heaven in heaven, and on the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22 And they will be got together, like prisoners in the prison-house; and after a long time they will have their punishment.

And they shall be gathered in heaps, as prisoners, in the prison, and shall be shut up in the dungeon, and thus after many days shall they be punished.

23 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.

And the moon shall be put to the blush, and the sun be made ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign on mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients in glory.