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.

Look, the LORD makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants.

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.

It will 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 creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest.

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

The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for the LORD has 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 mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.

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 polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the law, violated the statute, and 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 the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

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

The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted 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 tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.

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

They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.

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

The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man 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 because of 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.

The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.

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 it will be so in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as 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.

These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of the LORD. They cry aloud 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 the LORD in the east, even the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the islands 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 said, "I pine away. I pine away. Woe is me." The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

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

Fear, the pit, and the snare, are on you who inhabitant 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.

It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the midst of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

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 utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently.

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 will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will 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.

It shall happen in that day that the LORD will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on 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 will be gathered, a gathering in a dungeon, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited.

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 on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his elders will be glory.