Isaiah 24

The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

24See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth^m

and devastateⁿ it;

he will ruin its face

and scatter^o its inhabitants—

²it will be the same

for priest as for people,^p

for the master as for his servant,

for the mistress as for her servant,

for seller as for buyer,^q

for borrower as for lender,

for debtor as for creditor.^r

³The earth will be completely laid waste^s

and totally plundered.^t

The Lord has spoken^u this word.

⁴The earth dries up^v and withers,^w

the world languishes and withers,

the heavens^x languish with the earth.^y

⁵The earth is defiled^z by its people;

they have disobeyed^a the laws,

violated the statutes

and broken the everlasting covenant.^b

⁶Therefore a curse^c consumes the earth;

its people must bear their guilt.

Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,^d

and very few are left.

⁷The new wine dries up^e and the vine withers;^f

all the merrymakers groan.^g

⁸The joyful timbrels^h are stilled,

the noiseⁱ of the revelers^j has stopped,

the joyful harp^k is silent.^l

⁹No longer do they drink wine^m with a song;

the beer is bitterⁿ to its drinkers.

¹⁰The ruined city^o lies desolate;^p

the entrance to every house is barred.

¹¹In the streets they cry out^q for wine;^r

all joy turns to gloom,^s

all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.

¹²The city is left in ruins,^t

its gate^u is battered to pieces.

¹³So will it be on the earth

and among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten,^v

or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.^w

¹⁴They raise their voices, they shout for joy;^x

from the west^y they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.

¹⁵Therefore in the east^z give glory^a to the Lord;

exalt^b the name^c of the Lord, the God of Israel,

in the islands^d of the sea.

¹⁶From the ends of the earth^e we hear singing:^f

“Glory^g to the Righteous One.”^h

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!ⁱ

Woe^j to me!

The treacherous^k betray!

With treachery the treacherous betray!^l”

¹⁷Terror^m and pit and snareⁿ await you,

people of the earth.^o

¹⁸Whoever flees^p at the sound of terror

will fall into a pit;^q

whoever climbs out of the pit

will be caught in a snare.^r

The floodgates of the heavens^s are opened,

the foundations of the earth shake.^t

¹⁹The earth is broken up,^u

the earth is split asunder,^v

the earth is violently shaken.

²⁰The earth reels like a drunkard,^w

it sways like a hut^x in the wind;

so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion^y

that it falls^z—never to rise again.^a

²¹In that day^b the Lord will punish^c

the powers^d in the heavens above

and the kings^e on the earth below.

²²They will be herded together

like prisoners^f bound in a dungeon;^g

they will be shut up in prison

and be punished^a after many days.^h

²³The moon will be dismayed,

the sunⁱ ashamed;

for the Lord Almighty will reign^j

on Mount Zion^k and in Jerusalem,

and before its elders—with great glory.^l