Isaiah 24

1 Behold, Jehovah emptieth and draineth the land; Yea, he turneth it upside down, and scattereth its inhabitants.

Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip it, and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2 As with the people, so is it with the priest; As with the servant, so with the master; As with the maid, so with the mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the borrower, so with the lender; As with the usurer, so with the giver of usury.

And it 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 him that calleth for his money, so with him that oweth.

3 The land is utterly emptied and utterly plundered; For Jehovah hath spoken this word.

With desolation shall the earth be laid waste, and it shall be utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.

4 The land mourneth, and withereth; The world languisheth, and withereth; The nobles of the people of the land do languish.

The earth mourned, and faded away, and is weakened: the world faded away, the height of the people of the earth is weakened.

5 The land was polluted under its inhabitants, Because they transgressed the law, they violated the statutes, They broke the everlasting covenant.

And the earth is infected by the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore a curse devoured the land; Its inhabitants suffered for their guilt; Therefore are the inhabitants of the land consumed with heat, And few of the men are left.

Therefore shall a curse devour the earth, and the inhabitants thereof shall sin: and therefore they that dwell therein shall be mad, and few men shall be left.

7 The new wine mourneth; The vine languisheth; All that were of a joyful heart do sigh;

The vintage hath mourned, the vine hath languished away, all the merryhearted have sighed.

8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth; The noise of them that rejoice is at an end; The joy of the harp ceaseth.

The mirth of timbrels hath ceased, the noise of them that rejoice is ended, the melody of the harp is silent.

9 No more do they drink wine with the song; Strong drink is bitter to them that use it.

They shall not drink wine with a song: the drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10 The city of desolation is broken down; Every house is closed, so that none can enter.

The city of vanity is broken down, every house is shut up, no man cometh in.

11 There is a cry for wine in the streets; All gladness is departed; The mirth of the land is gone;

There shall be a crying for wine in the streets: all mirth is forsaken: the joy of the earth is gone away.

12 Desolation is left in the city, And the gate is smitten into ruins.

Desolation is left in the city, and calamity shall oppress the gates.

13 Yea, thus shall it be in the land, in the midst of the people, As when the olive-tree has been shaken; As the gleaning, when the vintage is ended.

For it shall be thus in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people, as if a few olives, that remain, should be shaken out of the olive tree: or grapes, when the vintage is ended.

14 These shall lift up their voice, and sing; Yea, for the majesty of Jehovah they shall shout from the sea.

These shall lift up their voice, and shall give praise: when the Lord shall be glorified, they shall make a joyful noise from the sea.

15 Wherefore praise ye Jehovah in the East, The name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea!

Therefore glorify ye the Lord in instruction: the name of the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the sea.

16 From the end of the earth we hear songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I cry, Alas, my wretchedness, my wretchedness! woe is me! The plunderers plunder; the plunderers seize the spoil.

From the ends of the earth we have heard praises, the glory of the just one. And I said: My secret to myself, my secret to myself, woe is me: the prevaricators have prevaricated, and with the prevarication of transgressors they have prevaricated.

17 The terror, the pit, and the snare Are upon thee, O inhabitant of the land!

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

18 Whoso fleeth from the terror shall fall into the pit, And whoso escapeth from the pit, He shall be taken in the snare; For the floodgates of heaven are opened, And the foundations of the earth tremble.

And it shall come to pass, that he that shall flee from the noise of the fear, shall fall into the pit: and he that shall rid himself out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the flood-gates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken.

19 The earth is utterly broken down; The earth is shattered in pieces; The earth is violently moved from her place.

With breaking shall the earth be broken, with crushing shall the earth be crushed, with trembling shall the earth be moved.

20 The earth reeleth like a drunkard, It moveth to and fro like a hammock; For her iniquity lieth heavy upon her, And she shall fall and rise no more.

With shaking shall the earth be shaken as a drunken man, and shall be removed as the tent of one night: and the iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fell, and not rise again.

21 In that day will Jehovah punish the host of the high ones that are on high, And the kings of the earth upon the earth.

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

22 They shall be thrown together bound into the pit, And shall be shut up in the prison, But after many days shall they be visited.

And they shall be gathered together as in the gathering of one bundle into the pit, and they shall be shut up there in prison: and after many days they shall be visited.

23 The moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed, When Jehovah of hosts shall reign in mount Zion and Jerusalem, And his glory shall be before his ancients.

And the moon shall blush, and the sun shall be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem, and shall be glorified in the sight of his ancients.