Isaiah 24

1 Behold, YHWH is emptying the earth, And is making it desolate, And has overturned [it on] its face, And has scattered its inhabitants.

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

2 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.

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 creditor, so with the debtor.

3 The earth is utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled, For YHWH has spoken this word:

The earth shall be utterly emptied, and clean despoiled; for the LORD hath spoken this word.

4 The earth has mourned, faded, The world has languished, faded, They have languished—the high place of the people of the earth.

The earth fainteth and fadeth away, the world faileth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth do fail.

5 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.

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 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.

Therefore hath a curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth waste away, and men are left few.

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

The new wine faileth, the vine fadeth; all the merry-hearted do sigh.

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

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

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

They drink not wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to them that drink it.

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

Broken down is the city of wasteness; every house is shut up, that none may come in.

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

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

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

In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten unto ruin.

13 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,

For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth, among the peoples, as at the beating of an olive-tree, as at the gleanings when the vintage is done.

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

Those yonder lift up their voice, they sing for joy; for the majesty of the LORD they shout from the sea:

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

'Therefore glorify ye the LORD in the regions of light, even the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.'

16 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.

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: 'Glory to the righteous.' But I say: I waste away, I waste away, woe is me! The treacherous deal treacherously; yea, the treacherous deal very treacherously.

17 Fear, and a snare, and a trap, [Are] on you, O inhabitant of the earth.

Terror, and the pit, and the trap, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18 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.

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the terror shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake;

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

The earth is broken, broken down, the earth is crumbled in pieces, the earth trembleth and tottereth;

20 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.

The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunken man, and swayeth to and fro as a lodge; and the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21 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.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD will punish the host of the high heaven on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22 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.

And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be punished.

23 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!

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be Glory.