Isaiah 24

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

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 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 taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.

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 land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for Yhwh hath spoken this word.

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

4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

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 also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

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 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

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 mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

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

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

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

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

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

10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

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

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

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 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

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

13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

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 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of Yhwh, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

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 Wherefore glorify ye Yhwh in the fires, even the name of Yhwh God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

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

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

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

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

18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do 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 utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

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

20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not 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 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Yhwh shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon 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 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

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 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when Yhwh of Armies shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

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.