Isaiah 24

1 Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants.

Behold, the Lord is about to lay waste the world, and will make it desolate, and will lay bare the surface of it, and scatter them that dwell therein.

2 It will 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 creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest.

And the people shall be as the priest, and the servant as the lord, and the maid as the mistress; the buyer shall be as the seller, the lender as the borrower, and the debtor as his creditor.

3 The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for the LORD has spoken this word.

The earth shall be completely laid waste, and the earth shall be utterly spoiled: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.

4 The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.

The earth mourns, and the world is ruined, the lofty ones of the earth are mourning.

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

And she has sinned by reason of her inhabitants; because they have transgressed the law, and changed the ordinances, [even] the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

Therefore a curse shall consume the earth, because the inhabitants thereof have sinned: therefore the dwellers in the earth shall be poor, and few men shall be left.

7 The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh.

The wine shall mourn, the vine shall mourn, all the merry-hearted shall sigh.

8 The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.

The mirth of timbrels has ceased, the sound of the harp has ceased.

9 They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.

They are ashamed, they have not drunk wine; strong drink has become bitter to them that drink [it].

10 The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

All the city has become desolate: one shall shut his house so that none shall enter.

11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone.

There is a howling for the wine everywhere; all the mirth of the land has ceased, all the mirth of the land has departed.

12 The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.

And cities shall be left desolate, and houses being left shall fall to ruin.

13 For it will be so within the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

All this shall be in the land in the midst of the nations, as if one should strip an olive tree, so shall they strip them; but when the vintage is done,

14 These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of the LORD. They cry aloud from the sea.

these shall cry aloud; and they that are left on the land shall rejoice together in the glory of the Lord: the water of the sea shall be troubled.

15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the east, even the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea!

Therefore shall the glory of the Lord be in the isles of the sea; the name of the Lord shall be glorious.

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

O Lord God of Israel, from the ends of the earth we have heard wonderful things, [and there is] hope to the godly: but they shall say, Woe to the despisers, that despise the law.

17 Fear, the pit, and the snare are on you who inhabit the earth.

Fear, and a pit, and a snare, are upon you that dwell on the earth.

18 It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

And it shall come to pass, [that] he that flees from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the pit shall be caught by the snare: for windows have been opened in heaven, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken,

19 The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently.

the earth shall be utterly confounded, and the earth shall be completely perplexed.

20 The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again.

It reels as a drunkard and one oppressed with wine, and the earth shall be shaken as a storehouse of fruits; for iniquity has prevailed upon it, and it shall fall, and shall not be able to rise.

21 It will happen in that day that the LORD will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth.

And God shall bring [his] hand upon the host of heaven, and upon the kings of the earth.

22 They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; and after many days they will be visited.

And they shall gather the multitude thereof into prisons, and they shall shut them into a strong hold: after many generations they shall be visited.

23 Then the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem; and glory will be before his elders.

And the brick shall decay, and the wall shall fall; for the Lord shall reign from out of Sion, and out of Jerusalem, and shall be glorified before [his] elders.