Isaiah 24

1 Behold, Jehovah maketh the land empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad its inhabitants.

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

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

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

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

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

5 And the land is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; for they have violated the laws, changed the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

9 They do not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to them that drink it.

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

10 The city of solitude is broken down; every house is shut up, so that none entereth in.

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

11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth 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 desolation remaineth in the city, and the gate is smitten, — a ruin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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.