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, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants.
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.
It will 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 creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest.
3 The earth is utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled, For YHWH has spoken this word:
The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has 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 mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.
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 polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and 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 the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.
7 The new wine has mourned, the vine languished, All the joyful of heart have sighed.
The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted 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 tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.
9 They do not drink wine with a song, Strong drink is bitter to those drinking it.
They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.
10 It was broken down—a city of emptiness, Every house has been shut from [its] entrance.
The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man 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 because of 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.
The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.
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 it will be so within the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as 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.
These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea.
15 Therefore honor YHWH in prosperity, In islands of the sea, the Name of YHWH, God of Israel.
Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands 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 said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.
17 Fear, and a snare, and a trap, [Are] on you, O inhabitant of the earth.
Fear, the pit, and the snare are on you who inhabit 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.
It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth has been utterly broken down, The earth has been utterly broken, The earth has been utterly moved.
The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently.
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 will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will 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.
It will happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on 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.
They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; and after many days they will be visited.
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 will be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem; and glory will be before his elders.
