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 empty the land, and layeth it waste, marreth its surface, and scattereth abroad 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 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 earth will be completely laid waste and looted. This is what the Lord has said.
Empty, emptied out shall be the land, and spoiled, utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath 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 land mourneth, withereth away, the world languishes, withereth away, the high ones of the people of the land do languish.
5 The earth is polluted by its people; they have flouted God's laws, violated his regulations, and broken the eternal agreement with him.
For the land was defiled under its inhabitants; because they had transgressed the laws, neglected the statutes, broken 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.
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 dries up, and the vine withers. All the people celebrating groan.
The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted sigh.
8 The happy sound of tambourines is over; the noise of the party-goers has stopped; the delightful harp music has finished,
At rest is the mirth of the tambourines; ceased hath the tumult of the joyful; at rest is the mirth of the harp.
9 People don't sing any more as they drink wine, and the beer tastes bitter.
Amidst singing shall they no [more] drink wine; bitter shall be the strong drink to those that drink it.
10 The chaotic city is falling apart; every house is barred shut to keep others out.
Broken down is the city of desolation; shut up is every house that none can enter.
11 Crowds on the street are shouting, demanding to have wine. Joy turns into darkness. There's no happiness left on earth.
A [painful] cry for wine is in the streets; darkened is all joy; banished is the mirth of the land.
12 The city is in a horrible state of ruin; its gates have been broken down.
Destruction is left in the city, in ruins is beaten the gate.
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 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 survivors shout aloud and sing for joy. From the west they praise the Lord's majesty.
These shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; because of the majesty of the Lord, they shout aloud 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.
Therefore in the valleys honor ye the Lord; in the isles of the sea, the name of the Lord the God of Israel.
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 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 Terrors and pit-traps and snares are waiting for you, people of the earth.
Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the land.
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 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 completely broken up; the earth is ripped apart, the earth is violently shaken.
Crushed entirely is the earth, split in pieces is the earth, shaken to its centre is the earth.
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 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 At that time the Lord will punish all the high heavenly beings and the kings of 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 They will be brought together, prisoners in a pit. They will be imprisoned, and eventually they will be punished.
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 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 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.
