Isaiah 24

1 Look, Yahweh is about to empty the earth, to devastate it, mar its surface, and scatter its inhabitants.

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

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 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.

3 The earth will be completely devastated and completely stripped; for Yahweh has spoken this word.

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

4 The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and fades away, the prominent people of the earth waste away.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

7 The new wine dries up, the vine withers, all the merry-hearted groan.

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

8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops, and the revelry of those who rejoice; the joy of the lyre ceases.

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

9 They no longer drink wine and sing, and the beer is bitter to those who drink it.

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

10 The city of chaos has been broken down; every house is closed up and empty.

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

11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; all joy is darkened, the gladness of the land has disappeared.

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.

12 In the city is left a desolation, and the gate is broken into a ruin.

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

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.

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.

14 They will lift up their voices and shout the majesty of Yahweh, and will joyfully shout from the sea.

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

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.

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

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 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.

17 Terror, the pit, and the snare are upon you, inhabitants of the earth.

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

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 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.

19 The earth will be completely broken, the earth ripped apart; the earth will be violently shaken.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.