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.

Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

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.

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 creditor, so with the debtor.

3 Utterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, For Jehovah hath spoken this word:

The earth shall be utterly emptied, and clean despoiled; for the LORD hath spoken this word.

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 fainteth and fadeth away, the world faileth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth do fail.

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 also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.

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.

Therefore hath a curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth waste away, and men are left few.

7 Mourned hath the new wine, languished the vine, Sighed have all the joyful of heart.

The new wine faileth, the vine fadeth; all the merry-hearted do sigh.

8 Ceased hath the joy of tabrets, Ceased hath the noise of exulting ones, Ceased hath the joy of a harp.

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

9 With a song they drink not wine, Bitter is strong drink to those drinking it.

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

10 It was broken down — a city of emptiness, Shut hath been every house from entrance.

Broken down is the city of wasteness; every house is shut up, that none may come in.

11 A cry over the wine [is] in out-places, Darkened hath been all joy, Removed hath been the joy of the land.

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

12 Left in the city [is] desolation, And [with] wasting is the gate smitten.

In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten unto ruin.

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,

For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth, among the peoples, as at the beating of an olive-tree, as at the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14 They — they lift up their voice, They sing of the excellency of Jehovah, They have cried aloud from the sea.

Those yonder lift up their voice, they sing for joy; for the majesty of the LORD they shout from the sea:

15 Therefore in prosperity honour ye Jehovah, In isles of the sea, the name of Jehovah, God of Israel.

'Therefore glorify ye the LORD in the regions of light, even the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the isles 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, Yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: 'Glory to the righteous.' But I say: I waste away, I waste away, woe is me! The treacherous deal treacherously; yea, the treacherous deal very treacherously.

17 Fear, and a snare, and a gin, [Are] on thee, O inhabitant of the land.

Terror, and the pit, and the trap, are upon thee, O inhabitant 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.

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the terror shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake;

19 Utterly broken down hath been the land, Utterly broken hath been the land, Utterly moved hath been the land.

The earth is broken, broken down, the earth is crumbled in pieces, the earth trembleth and tottereth;

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 reeleth to and fro like a drunken man, and swayeth to and fro as a lodge; and the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not 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.

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

And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they 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!

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be Glory.