Isaiah 24

¹ Behold, the LORD will lay waste the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

² And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, 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 The earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly despoiled; for the LORD has spoken this word.

⁴ The earth mourns and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth.

⁵ The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.

⁶ Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.

⁷ The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.

⁸ The mirth of the timbrels is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled.

⁹ No more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

¹⁰ The city of chaos is broken down, every house is shut up so that none can enter.

¹¹ There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has reached its eventide; the gladness of the earth is banished.

¹² Desolation is left in the city, the gates are battered into ruins.

¹³ For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the vintage is done.

¹⁴ They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.

¹⁵ Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

¹⁶ From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, "I pine away, I pine away. Woe is me! For the treacherous deal treacherously, the treacherous deal very treacherously."

¹⁷ Terror, and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!

¹⁸ He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit; and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

¹⁹ The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is violently shaken.

²⁰ The earth staggers like a drunken man, it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.

²¹ On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.

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

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 before his elders he will manifest his glory.