Isaiah 24
1 Look, Yahweh is about to empty the earth, to devastate it, mar its surface, and scatter its inhabitants.
Lo, Jehovah is emptying the land, And is making it waste, And hath overturned [it on] its face, And hath scattered its inhabitants.
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 hath been — as a people so a priest, As the servant so his master, As the maid-servant 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 earth will be completely devastated and completely stripped; for Yahweh has spoken this word.
Utterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, For Jehovah 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.
Mourned, faded hath the land, Languished, faded hath the world, Languished have they — the high place of the people of the land.
5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.
And the land hath been defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed laws, They have changed a statute, They have made void a covenant age-during.
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 a curse hath consumed the land, And the inhabitants in it are become desolate, Therefore consumed have been inhabitants of the land, And few men have been left.
7 The new wine dries up, the vine withers, all the merry-hearted groan.
Mourned hath the new wine, languished the vine, Sighed have all the joyful of heart.
8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops, and the revelry of those who rejoice; the joy of the lyre ceases.
Ceased hath the joy of tabrets, Ceased hath the noise of exulting ones, Ceased hath the joy of a harp.
9 They no longer drink wine and sing, and the beer is bitter to those who drink it.
With a song they drink not wine, Bitter is strong drink to those drinking it.
10 The city of chaos has been broken down; every house is closed up and empty.
It was broken down — a city of emptiness, Shut hath been every house from entrance.
11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; all joy is darkened, the gladness of the land has disappeared.
A cry over the wine [is] in out-places, Darkened hath been all joy, Removed hath been the joy of the land.
12 In the city is left a desolation, and the gate is broken into a ruin.
Left in the city [is] desolation, And [with] wasting is the gate smitten.
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 is in the heart of the land, In the midst of the peoples, As the compassing of the olive, As gleanings when harvest hath been finished,
14 They will lift up their voices and shout the majesty of Yahweh, and will joyfully shout from the sea.
They — they lift up their voice, They sing of the excellency of Jehovah, They have cried 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.
Therefore in prosperity honour ye Jehovah, In isles of the sea, the name of Jehovah, God of Israel.
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 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, Yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.
17 Terror, the pit, and the snare are upon you, inhabitants of the earth.
Fear, and a snare, and a gin, [Are] on thee, O inhabitant of the land.
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 hath come to pass, He who is fleeing from the noise of the fear Doth fall into the snare, And he who is coming up from the midst of the snare, Is captured by the gin, For windows on high have been opened, And shaken are foundations of the land.
19 The earth will be completely broken, the earth ripped apart; the earth will be violently shaken.
Utterly broken down hath been the land, Utterly broken hath been the land, Utterly moved hath been the land.
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.
Stagger greatly doth the land as a drunkard, And it hath been moved as a lodge, And heavy on it hath been its transgression, And it hath fallen, and addeth not to rise.
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 hath come to pass, in that day, Jehovah layeth a charge on the host of the high place in the high place, And on the kings of the land on the land.
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 have been gathered — A gathering of bound ones in a pit, And shut up they have been in a prison, And after a multitude of days are inspected.
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.
And confounded hath been the moon, And ashamed hath been the sun, For reigned hath Jehovah of Hosts In mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, And over-against His elders — honour!
