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 maketh the earth emptie, and hee maketh it waste: hee turneth it vpside downe, and scattereth abrode the inhabitants thereof.
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 there shalbe like people, like Priest, and like seruaunt, like master, like maide, like mistresse, like bier, like seller, like lender, like borower, like giuer, like taker to vsurie.
3 The earth will be completely laid waste and looted. This is what the Lord has said.
The earth shalbe cleane emptied, and vtterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this worde.
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 lamenteth and fadeth away: the world is feeble and decaied: the proude people of the earth are 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.
The earth also deceiueth, because of the inhabitantes thereof: for they transgressed the lawes: they changed the ordinances, and brake the euerlasting couenant.
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.
Therefore hath the curse deuoured the earth, and the inhabitantes thereof are desolate. Wherefore the inhabitants of the land are burned vp, and fewe men are left.
7 The new wine dries up, and the vine withers. All the people celebrating groan.
The wine faileth, the vine hath no might: all that were of merie heart, doe mourne.
8 The happy sound of tambourines is over; the noise of the party-goers has stopped; the delightful harp music has finished,
The mirth of tabrets ceaseth: the noyse of them that reioyce, endeth: the ioye of the harpe ceaseth.
9 People don't sing any more as they drink wine, and the beer tastes bitter.
They shall not drinke wine with mirth: strong drinke shall be bitter to them that drinke it.
10 The chaotic city is falling apart; every house is barred shut to keep others out.
The citie of vanitie is broken downe: euery house is shut vp, that no man may come in.
11 Crowds on the street are shouting, demanding to have wine. Joy turns into darkness. There's no happiness left on earth.
There is a crying for wine in the streetes: al ioy is darkened: the mirth of the world is gone away.
12 The city is in a horrible state of ruin; its gates have been broken down.
In the citie is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
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.
Surely thus shall it bee in the middes of the earth, among the people, as the shaking of an oliue tree, and as the grapes when the vintage is ended.
14 These survivors shout aloud and sing for joy. From the west they praise the Lord's majesty.
They shall lift vp their voyce: they shall shout for the magnificence of the Lord: they shall reioyce 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.
Wherefore praise yee the Lord in the valleis, euen the Name of the Lord God of Israel, in the yles 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 vttermost part of the earth wee haue heard praises, euen glory to the iust, and I sayd, My leanesse, my leanesse, woe is mee: the transgressours haue offended: yea, the transgressours haue grieuously offended.
17 Terrors and pit-traps and snares are waiting for you, people of the earth.
Feare, and the pitte, and the snare are vpon thee, 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 hee that fleeth from the noyse of the feare, shall fall into the pit: and he that commeth vp out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the windowes from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth doe shake.
19 The earth is completely broken up; the earth is ripped apart, the earth is violently shaken.
The earth is vtterly broken downe: the earth is cleane dissolued: the earth is mooued exceedingly.
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 shall reele to and from like a drunken man, and shall be remooued like a tent, and the iniquitie thereof shall be heauie vpon it: so that it shall fall, and rise no more.
21 At that time the Lord will punish all the high heavenly beings and the kings of the earth.
And in that day shall the Lord visite the hoste aboue that is on hie, euen the Kinges of the world that are vpon the earth.
22 They will be brought together, prisoners in a pit. They will be imprisoned, and eventually they will be punished.
And they shall be gathered together, as the prisoners in the pit: and they shall be shut vp in the prison, and after many daies shall they 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.
Then the moone shall be abashed, and the sunne ashamed, when the Lord of hostes shall reigne in mount Zion and in Ierusalem: and glory shalbe before his ancient men.
