Isaiah 24

1 Watch out! The Lord is going to destroy the earth, to make it totally devastated. He's going to rip up the surface of the earth and scatter its inhabitants.

Behold, the Lord will lay waste to the earth, and he will strip it, and he will afflict its surface, and he will scatter its inhabitants.

2 It will happen the same for everybody—whether people or priests, servants or their masters, maids or their mistresses, buyers or sellers, lenders or borrowers, creditors or debtors.

And this 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 the creditor, so with the debtor.

3 The earth will be completely laid waste and looted. This is what the Lord has said.

The earth will be utterly devastated and utterly plundered. For the Lord has spoken this word.

4 The earth dries up and withers away; the world shrivels up and withers away, the high and mighty people shrivel up along with the earth.

The earth mourned, and slipped away, and languished. The world slipped away; the loftiness of the people of the earth was weakened.

5 The earth is polluted by its people; they have flouted God's laws, violated his regulations, and broken the eternal agreement with him.

And the earth was corrupted by its inhabitants. For they have transgressed the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have dissipated the everlasting covenant.

6 That is why a curse is destroying the earth. The people suffer because of their guilt. The inhabitants of the earth are burned up and only a few survive.

Because of this, a curse will devour the earth, and its inhabitants will sin. And for this reason, its caretakers will become crazed, and few men will be left behind.

7 The new wine dries up, and the vine withers. All the people celebrating groan.

The vintage has mourned. The vine has languished. All those who were rejoicing in their hearts have groaned.

8 The happy sound of tambourines is over; the noise of the party-goers has stopped; the delightful harp music has finished,

The gladness of the drums has ceased. The sound of rejoicing has quieted. The sweetness of stringed instruments has been silenced.

9 People don't sing any more as they drink wine, and the beer tastes bitter.

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

10 The chaotic city is falling apart; every house is barred shut to keep others out.

The city of vanity has been worn away. Every house has been closed up; no one enters.

11 Crowds on the street are shouting, demanding to have wine. Joy turns into darkness. There's no happiness left on earth.

There will be a clamor for wine in the streets. All rejoicing has been abandoned. The gladness of the earth has been carried away.

12 The city is in a horrible state of ruin; its gates have been broken down.

Solitude is what remains in the city, and calamity will overwhelm its gates.

13 This is the way it's going to be all throughout the earth among the nations—only a few olives are left after the tree is shaken, only a few grapes are left to be gleaned after the harvest.

For so shall it be in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people: it is as if the few remaining olives are being shaken from the olive tree, and it is like a few clusters of grapes, when the grape harvest has already ended.

14 These survivors shout aloud and sing for joy. From the west they praise the Lord's majesty.

These few shall lift up their voice and give praise. When the Lord will have been glorified, they will make a joyful noise from the sea.

15 From the east they glorify the Lord; from the sea shores they praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

Because of this, glorify the Lord in doctrine: the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea.

16 We hear songs coming from the ends of the earth, singing, “Glory to the God who does right.” But I'm miserable, miserable. Pity me! Deceitful people go on betraying, again and again.

From the ends of the earth, we have heard the praises of the glory of the Just One. And I said: “My secret is for myself! My secret is for myself! Woe to me! Those who would betray us have betrayed us, and they have betrayed us with the betrayal of transgression.”

17 Terrors and pit-traps and snares are waiting for you, people of the earth.

Dread, and the pit, and the snare are over you, O inhabitant of the earth!

18 Those who run away in terror will fall into a pit-trap, and those who escape from the pit-trap will be caught in a snare. Heaven's windows are opened; earth's foundations shake.

And this shall be: whoever will flee from the voice of dread will fall into the pit. And whoever will extricate himself from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the floodgates from above have been opened, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken.

19 The earth is completely broken up; the earth is ripped apart, the earth is violently shaken.

The earth will be utterly broken! The earth will be utterly crushed! The earth will be utterly shaken!

20 The earth staggers to and fro like a drunk, and sways this way and that like a shelter. The guilt of its rebelliousness weighs heavily on it, and it collapses—it won't rise again.

The earth will stagger greatly, like a drunken man, and will be carried away, like the tent of a single night. And its iniquity will be heavy upon it, and it will fall and not rise up again.

21 At that time the Lord will punish all the high heavenly beings and the kings of the earth.

And this shall be: in that day, the Lord will visit upon the armies of the sky above, and upon the kings of the earth who are on the ground.

22 They will be brought together, prisoners in a pit. They will be imprisoned, and eventually they will be punished.

And they will be gathered together like the gathering of one bundle into a pit. And they will be enclosed in that place, as in a prison. And after many days, they will be visited.

23 The moon will be embarrassed and the sun will be ashamed, for the Lord Almighty will reign in glory on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem in the presence of its leaders.

And the moon will be ashamed, and the sun will be confounded, when the Lord of hosts will reign on mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and when he will have been glorified in the sight of his elders.