Isaiah 24

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

Behold, YHWH is emptying the earth, And is making it desolate, And has overturned [it on] its face, And has scattered 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 it has been—as a people so a priest, As the servant so his master, As the maidservant so her mistress, As the buyer so the seller, As the lender so the borrower, As the usurer so he who is lifting [it] on himself.

3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.

The earth is utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled, For YHWH 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 has mourned, faded, The world has languished, faded, They have languished—the high place of the people of the earth.

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 has been defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed laws, They have changed a statute, They have made void a perpetual 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.

Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, And the inhabitants in it become desolate, Therefore inhabitants of the earth have been consumed, And few men have been left.

7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

The new wine has mourned, the vine languished, All the joyful of heart have sighed.

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

The joy of tambourines has ceased, The noise of exulting ones has ceased, The joy of a harp has ceased.

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

They do not drink wine with a song, Strong drink is bitter to those drinking it.

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

It was broken down—a city of emptiness, Every house has been shut from [its] entrance.

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

In out-places [is] a cry over the wine, All joy has been darkened, The joy of the land has been removed.

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

Desolation [is] left in the city, And the gate is struck [with] ruin.

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.

When thus it is in the heart of the land, In the midst of the peoples, As the surrounding of the olive, As gleanings when harvest has been finished,

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

They lift up their voice, They sing of the excellence of YHWH, They have cried aloud from the sea.

15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, [even] the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

Therefore honor YHWH in prosperity, In islands of the sea, the Name of YHWH, God of Israel.

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 skirt of the earth we heard songs, The desire of the righteous. And I say, “Leanness [is] to me, Leanness [is] to me, woe [is] to me.” Treacherous dealers dealt treacherously, Indeed, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.

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

Fear, and a snare, and a trap, [Are] on 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 it has come to pass, He who is fleeing from the noise of the fear falls into the snare, And he who is coming up from the midst of the snare, Is captured by the trap, For windows have been opened on high, And foundations of the earth are shaken.

19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

The earth has been utterly broken down, The earth has been utterly broken, The earth has been utterly moved.

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 staggers greatly as a drunkard, And it has been moved as a lodge, And its transgression has been heavy on it, And it has fallen, and does not add to rise.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones [that are] on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

And it has come to pass in that day, YHWH lays a charge on the host of the high place in the high place, And on the kings of the earth on the earth.

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 have been gathered—A gathering of bound ones in a pit, And they have been shut up in a prison, And after a multitude of days are inspected.

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

And the moon has been confounded, And the sun has been ashamed, For YHWH of Hosts has reigned In Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, And before His elderly—glory!