Isaiah 24

1 Behold, Jehovah maketh the land empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad 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 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 him from whom usury is taken.

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 land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for Jehovah hath spoken this word.

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

4 The land mourneth, it fadeth away; the world languisheth, it fadeth away: the haughty people of the land do languish.

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 And the land is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; for they have violated the laws, changed the statute, 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 doth the curse devour the earth, and they that dwell therein are held guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are consumed, and few men are left.

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 mourneth, the vine languisheth, all that were merry-hearted do sigh;

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

8 the mirth of tambours ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

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

9 They do not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to them that drink 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 solitude is broken down; every house is shut up, so that none entereth in.

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

11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone;

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 desolation remaineth in the city, and the gate is smitten, — a ruin.

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

13 For so will it be in the midst of the land among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive-tree, as the grape-gleanings when the vintage is done.

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 These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout for the majesty of Jehovah, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

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 Jehovah in the east, the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the west.

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 end of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous! And I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

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

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

18 And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the sound 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 open, and the foundations of the earth shake.

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 down, the earth is completely dissolved, the earth is violently moved.

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

20 The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunkard, and is shaken like a night hut; and its transgression is heavy upon it; and it falleth and shall not 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 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

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 And they shall be brought together, [as] an assemblage of prisoners for the pit, and shall be shut up in prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

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

23 And the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts shall reign on mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients in 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.