Isaiah 24

1 Look, Yahweh is about to empty the earth, to devastate it, mar its surface, and scatter 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 It will come about that, 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 receiver of interest, so with the giver of interest.

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.

3 The earth will be completely devastated and completely stripped; for Yahweh has spoken this word.

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

4 The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and fades away, the prominent people of the earth waste away.

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

5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

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

6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants are found guilty. The inhabitants of the earth burn up, and few people are left.

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.

7 The new wine dries up, the vine withers, all the merry-hearted groan.

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

8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops, and the revelry of those who rejoice; the joy of the lyre ceases.

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

9 They no longer drink wine and sing, and the beer is bitter to those who drink it.

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

10 The city of chaos has been broken down; every house is closed up and empty.

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

11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; all joy is darkened, the gladness of the land has disappeared.

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

12 In the city is left a desolation, and the gate is broken into a ruin.

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

13 For this is how it will be on the whole earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as the gleanings when the grape harvest is done.

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.

14 They will lift up their voices and shout the majesty of Yahweh, and will joyfully shout from the sea.

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

15 Therefore in the east glorify Yahweh, and in the isles of the sea give glory to the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

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

16 From the farthest part of the earth we have heard songs, “Glory to the righteous one!” But I said, “I have wasted away, I have wasted away, woe is me! The treacherous have dealt treacherously; yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.”

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.

17 Terror, the pit, and the snare are upon you, inhabitants of the earth.

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

18 He who flees from the sound of terror will fall into the pit, and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be caught in the snare. The windows of the heavens will be opened, and the foundations of the earth will shake.

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.

19 The earth will be completely broken, the earth ripped apart; the earth will be violently shaken.

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

20 The earth will stagger like a drunken man and it will sway back and forth like a hut. Its sin will be heavy on it and it will fall and never rise again.

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.

21 On that day Yahweh will punish the host of the heaven in the heavens, and the kings of the earth on the earth.

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.

22 They will be gathered together, prisoners in a pit, and will be shut up in a prison; and after many days they will be punished.

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.

23 Then the moon will be ashamed, and the sun disgraced, for Yahweh of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his elders in glory.

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.