Isaiah 24
1 Lo, Jehovah is emptying the land, And is making it waste, And hath overturned [it on] its face, And hath scattered its inhabitants.
Watch out! The Lord is going to destroy the earth, to make it totally devastated. He's going to rip up the surface of the earth and scatter its inhabitants.
2 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.
It will happen the same for everybody—whether people or priests, servants or their masters, maids or their mistresses, buyers or sellers, lenders or borrowers, creditors or debtors.
3 Utterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, For Jehovah hath spoken this word:
The earth will be completely laid waste and looted. This is what the Lord has said.
4 Mourned, faded hath the land, Languished, faded hath the world, Languished have they — the high place of the people of the land.
The earth dries up and withers away; the world shrivels up and withers away, the high and mighty people shrivel up along with the earth.
5 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.
The earth is polluted by its people; they have flouted God's laws, violated his regulations, and broken the eternal agreement with him.
6 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.
That is why a curse is destroying the earth. The people suffer because of their guilt. The inhabitants of the earth are burned up and only a few survive.
7 Mourned hath the new wine, languished the vine, Sighed have all the joyful of heart.
The new wine dries up, and the vine withers. All the people celebrating groan.
8 Ceased hath the joy of tabrets, Ceased hath the noise of exulting ones, Ceased hath the joy of a harp.
The happy sound of tambourines is over; the noise of the party-goers has stopped; the delightful harp music has finished,
9 With a song they drink not wine, Bitter is strong drink to those drinking it.
People don't sing any more as they drink wine, and the beer tastes bitter.
10 It was broken down — a city of emptiness, Shut hath been every house from entrance.
The chaotic city is falling apart; every house is barred shut to keep others out.
11 A cry over the wine [is] in out-places, Darkened hath been all joy, Removed hath been the joy of the land.
Crowds on the street are shouting, demanding to have wine. Joy turns into darkness. There's no happiness left on earth.
12 Left in the city [is] desolation, And [with] wasting is the gate smitten.
The city is in a horrible state of ruin; its gates have been broken down.
13 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,
This is the way it's going to be all throughout the earth among the nations—only a few olives are left after the tree is shaken, only a few grapes are left to be gleaned after the harvest.
14 They — they lift up their voice, They sing of the excellency of Jehovah, They have cried aloud from the sea.
These survivors shout aloud and sing for joy. From the west they praise the Lord's majesty.
15 Therefore in prosperity honour ye Jehovah, In isles of the sea, the name of Jehovah, God of Israel.
From the east they glorify the Lord; from the sea shores they praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
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, Yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.
We hear songs coming from the ends of the earth, singing, “Glory to the God who does right.” But I'm miserable, miserable. Pity me! Deceitful people go on betraying, again and again.
17 Fear, and a snare, and a gin, [Are] on thee, O inhabitant of the land.
Terrors and pit-traps and snares are waiting for you, people of the earth.
18 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.
Those who run away in terror will fall into a pit-trap, and those who escape from the pit-trap will be caught in a snare. Heaven's windows are opened; earth's foundations shake.
19 Utterly broken down hath been the land, Utterly broken hath been the land, Utterly moved hath been the land.
The earth is completely broken up; the earth is ripped apart, the earth is violently shaken.
20 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.
The earth staggers to and fro like a drunk, and sways this way and that like a shelter. The guilt of its rebelliousness weighs heavily on it, and it collapses—it won't rise again.
21 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.
At that time the Lord will punish all the high heavenly beings and the kings of the earth.
22 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.
They will be brought together, prisoners in a pit. They will be imprisoned, and eventually they will be punished.
23 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!
The moon will be embarrassed and the sun will be ashamed, for the Lord Almighty will reign in glory on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem in the presence of its leaders.
