Isaiah 24

Chapter 24

Destruction of the Earth

1 Look! The LORD is about to destroy the earth
and make it a vast wasteland.
He devastates the surface of the earth
and scatters the people.2 Priests and laypeople,
servants and masters,
maids and mistresses,
buyers and sellers,
lenders and borrowers,
bankers and debtors—none will be spared.3 The earth will be completely emptied and looted.
The LORD has spoken!4 The earth mourns and dries up,
and the crops waste away and wither.
Even the greatest people on earth waste away.5 The earth suffers for the sins of its people,
for they have twisted God’s instructions,
violated his laws,
and broken his everlasting covenant.6 Therefore, a curse consumes the earth.
Its people must pay the price for their sin.
They are destroyed by fire,
and only a few are left alive.7 The grapevines waste away,
and there is no new wine.
All the merrymakers sigh and mourn.8 The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled;
the happy cries of celebration are heard no more.
The melodious chords of the harp are silent.9 Gone are the joys of wine and song;
alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth.10 The city writhes in chaos;
every home is locked to keep out intruders.11 Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine.
Joy has turned to gloom.
Gladness has been banished from the land.12 The city is left in ruins,
its gates battered down.13 Throughout the earth the story is the same—
only a remnant is left,
like the stray olives left on the tree
or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest.14 But all who are left shout and sing for joy.
Those in the west praise the LORD’s majesty.15 In eastern lands, give glory to the LORD.
In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.16 We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth,
songs that give glory to the Righteous One!
But my heart is heavy with grief.
Weep for me, for I wither away.
Deceit still prevails,
and treachery is everywhere.17 Terror and traps and snares will be your lot,
you people of the earth.18 Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,
and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare.
Destruction falls like rain from the heavens;
the foundations of the earth shake.19 The earth has broken up.
It has utterly collapsed;
it is violently shaken.20 The earth staggers like a drunk.
It trembles like a tent in a storm.
It falls and will not rise again,
for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy.21 In that day the LORD will punish the gods in the heavens
and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.22 They will be rounded up and put in prison.
They will be shut up in prison
and will finally be punished.23 Then the glory of the moon will wane,
and the brightness of the sun will fade,
for the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion.
He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem,
in the sight of all the leaders of his people.

ISAIAH 24

The Earth Will Be Punished

1 The [Lord] is going to twist the earth out of shape and turn it into a desert. Everyone will be scattered, 2 including ordinary people and priests, slaves and slave owners, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, the rich and the poor.

3 The earth will be stripped bare and left that way. This is what the [Lord] has promised.

4 The earth wilts away;
its mighty leaders melt
to nothing.t

5 The earth is polluted
because its people
disobeyed the laws of God,
breaking their agreement
that was to last forever.

6 The earth is under a curse;
its people are dying out
because of their sins.

7 Grapevines have dried up:
wine is almost gone—
mournful sounds are heard
instead of joyful shouts.

8 No one plays tambourines
or stringed instruments;
all noisy celebrating
has come to an end.

9 They no longer sing
as they drink their wine,
and it tastes sour.

10 Towns are crushed and in chaos;
houses are locked tight.

11 Happy times have disappeared
from the earth,
and people shout in the streets,
“We're out of wine!”

12 Cities are destroyed;
their gates are torn down.

13 Nations will be stripped bare,
like olive trees or vineyards
after the harvest season.

Praise the God of Justice

14 People in the west shout;
they joyfully praise
the majesty of the [Lord].

15 And so, everyone in the east
and those on the islands
should praise the [Lord],
the God of Israel.

16 From all over the world
songs of praise are heard
for the God of justice.t
But I feel awful,
terribly miserable.
Can anyone be trusted?
So many are treacherous!

There's No Escape

17 Terror, traps, and pits
are waiting for everyone.

18 If you are terrified and run,
you will fall into a pit;
if you crawl out of the pit,
you will get caught in a trap.
The sky has split apart
like a window thrown open.
The foundations of the earth
have been shaken;

19 the earth is shattered,
ripped to pieces.

20 It staggers and shakes
like a drunkard
or a hut in a windstorm.
It is burdened down with sin;
the earth will fall,
never again to get up.

21 On that day the [Lord]
will punish the powers
in the heavenst
and the kings of the earth.

22 He will put them in a pit
and keep them prisoner.
Then later on,
he will punish them.

23 Both the moon and sun will
be embarrassed and ashamed.
The [Lord] All-Powerful will rule
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
where he will show its rulers
his wonderful glory.