Isaiah 24

1 Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip it, and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof.

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

2 And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest: and as with the servant, so with his master: as with the handmaid, so with her mistress: as with the buyer, so with the seller: as with the lender, so with the borrower: as with him that calleth for his money, so with him that oweth.

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 creditor, so with the debtor.

3 With desolation shall the earth be laid waste, and it shall be utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.

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

4 The earth mourned, and faded away, and is weakened: the world faded away, the height of the people of the earth is weakened.

The earth fainteth and fadeth away, the world faileth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth do fail.

5 And the earth is infected by the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant.

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore shall a curse devour the earth, and the inhabitants thereof shall sin: and therefore they that dwell therein shall be mad, and few men shall be left.

Therefore hath a curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth waste away, and men are left few.

7 The vintage hath mourned, the vine hath languished away, all the merryhearted have sighed.

The new wine faileth, the vine fadeth; all the merry-hearted do sigh.

8 The mirth of timbrels hath ceased, the noise of them that rejoice is ended, the melody of the harp is silent.

The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

9 They shall not drink wine with a song: the drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

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

10 The city of vanity is broken down, every house is shut up, no man cometh in.

Broken down is the city of wasteness; every house is shut up, that none may come in.

11 There shall be a crying for wine in the streets: all mirth is forsaken: the joy of the earth is gone away.

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

12 Desolation is left in the city, and calamity shall oppress the gates.

In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten unto ruin.

13 For it shall be thus in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people, as if a few olives, that remain, should be shaken out of the olive tree: or grapes, when the vintage is ended.

For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth, among the peoples, as at the beating of an olive-tree, as at the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14 These shall lift up their voice, and shall give praise: when the Lord shall be glorified, they shall make a joyful noise from the sea.

Those yonder lift up their voice, they sing for joy; for the majesty of the LORD they shout from the sea:

15 Therefore glorify ye the Lord in instruction: the name of the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the sea.

'Therefore glorify ye the LORD in the regions of light, even the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.'

16 From the ends of the earth we have heard praises, the glory of the just one. And I said: My secret to myself, my secret to myself, woe is me: the prevaricators have prevaricated, and with the prevarication of transgressors they have prevaricated.

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: 'Glory to the righteous.' But I say: I waste away, I waste away, woe is me! The treacherous deal treacherously; yea, the treacherous deal very treacherously.

17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon thee, O thou inhabitant of the earth.

Terror, and the pit, and the trap, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18 And it shall come to pass, that he that shall flee from the noise of the fear, shall fall into the pit: and he that shall rid himself out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the flood-gates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken.

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the terror shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake;

19 With breaking shall the earth be broken, with crushing shall the earth be crushed, with trembling shall the earth be moved.

The earth is broken, broken down, the earth is crumbled in pieces, the earth trembleth and tottereth;

20 With shaking shall the earth be shaken as a drunken man, and shall be removed as the tent of one night: and the iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fell, and not rise again.

The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunken man, and swayeth to and fro as a lodge; and the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

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

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD will punish the host of the high heaven on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22 And they shall be gathered together as in the gathering of one bundle into the pit, and they shall be shut up there in prison: and after many days they shall be visited.

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

23 And the moon shall blush, and the sun shall be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem, and shall be glorified in the sight of his ancients.

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be Glory.