Isaiah 24

1 See, the Lord is making the earth waste and unpeopled, he is turning it upside down, and sending the people in all directions.

Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip it, and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2 And it will be the same for the people as for the priest; for the servant as for his master; and for the woman-servant as for her owner; the same for the one offering goods for a price as for him who takes them; the same for him who gives money at interest and for him who takes it; the same for him who lets others have the use of his property as for those who make use of it.

And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest: and as with the servant, so with his master: as with the handmaid, so with her mistress: as with the buyer, so with the seller: as with the lender, so with the borrower: as with him that calleth for his money, so with him that oweth.

3 The earth will be completely waste and without men; for this is the word of the Lord.

With desolation shall the earth be laid waste, and it shall be utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.

4 The earth is sorrowing and wasting away, the world is full of grief and wasting away, the high ones of the earth come to nothing.

The earth mourned, and faded away, and is weakened: the world faded away, the height of the people of the earth is weakened.

5 The earth has been made unclean by those living in it; because the laws have not been kept by them, the orders have been changed, and the eternal agreement has been broken.

And the earth is infected by the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant.

6 For this cause the earth is given up to the curse, and those in it are judged as sinners: for this cause those living on the earth are burned up, and the rest are small in number.

Therefore shall a curse devour the earth, and the inhabitants thereof shall sin: and therefore they that dwell therein shall be mad, and few men shall be left.

7 The new wine is thin, the vine is feeble, and all the glad-hearted make sounds of grief.

The vintage hath mourned, the vine hath languished away, all the merryhearted have sighed.

8 The pleasing sound of all instruments of music has come to an end, and the voices of those who are glad.

The mirth of timbrels hath ceased, the noise of them that rejoice is ended, the melody of the harp is silent.

9 There is no more drinking of wine with a song; strong drink will be bitter to those who take it.

They shall not drink wine with a song: the drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10 The town is waste and broken down: every house is shut up, so that no man may come in.

The city of vanity is broken down, every house is shut up, no man cometh in.

11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; there is an end of all delight, the joy of the land is gone.

There shall be a crying for wine in the streets: all mirth is forsaken: the joy of the earth is gone away.

12 In the town all is waste, and in the public place is destruction.

Desolation is left in the city, and calamity shall oppress the gates.

13 For it will be in the heart of the earth among the peoples, like the shaking of an olive-tree, as the last of the grapes after the getting-in is done.

For it shall be thus in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people, as if a few olives, that remain, should be shaken out of the olive tree: or grapes, when the vintage is ended.

14 But those will be making sounds of joy; they will be crying loudly from the sea for the glory of the Lord.

These shall lift up their voice, and shall give praise: when the Lord shall be glorified, they shall make a joyful noise from the sea.

15 Give praise to the Lord in the east, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the sea-lands.

Therefore glorify ye the Lord in instruction: the name of the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the sea.

16 From the farthest part of the earth comes the sound of songs, glory to the upright. But I said, I am wasting away, wasting away, the curse is on me! The false ones go on in their false way, yes, they go on acting falsely.

From the ends of the earth we have heard praises, the glory of the just one. And I said: My secret to myself, my secret to myself, woe is me: the prevaricators have prevaricated, and with the prevarication of transgressors they have prevaricated.

17 Fear, and death, and the net, are come on you, O people of the earth.

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

18 And it will be that he who goes in flight from the sound of fear will be overtaken by death; and he who gets free from death will be taken in the net: for the windows on high are open, and the bases of the earth are shaking.

And it shall come to pass, that he that shall flee from the noise of the fear, shall fall into the pit: and he that shall rid himself out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the flood-gates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken.

19 The earth is completely broken, it is parted in two, it is violently moved.

With breaking shall the earth be broken, with crushing shall the earth be crushed, with trembling shall the earth be moved.

20 The earth will be moving uncertainly, like a man overcome by drink; it will be shaking like a tent; and the weight of its sin will be on it, crushing it down so that it will not get up again.

With shaking shall the earth be shaken as a drunken man, and shall be removed as the tent of one night: and the iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fell, and not rise again.

21 And in that day the Lord will send punishment on the army of the high ones on high, and on the kings of the earth on the earth.

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

22 And they will be got together, like prisoners in the prison-house; and after a long time they will have their punishment.

And they shall be gathered together as in the gathering of one bundle into the pit, and they shall be shut up there in prison: and after many days they shall be visited.

23 Then the moon will be veiled, and the sun put to shame; for the Lord of armies will be ruling in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his judges he will let his glory be seen.

And the moon shall blush, and the sun shall be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem, and shall be glorified in the sight of his ancients.