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24 Ecco, l'eterno vuota la terra e la rende deserta, ne sconvolge la faccia e ne disperde gli abitanti.

Avverrà lo stesso al popolo come al sacerdote, al servo come al suo padrone, alla serva come alla sua padrona, al compratore come al venditore, a chi presta come a chi prende in prestito, al creditore come al debitore.

La terra sarà completamente vuotata e completamente saccheggiata, perché l'Eterno ha pronunciato questa parola.

La terra è in lutto e languisce, il mondo deperisce e langue, gli altolocati del popolo della terra deperiscono.

La terra è profanata sotto i suoi abitanti, perché essi hanno trasgredito le leggi, hanno cambiato lo statuto, hanno infranto il patto eterno.

Perciò una maledizione ha divorato la terra e i suoi abitanti sono desolati; perciò gli abitanti della terra sono arsi e pochi sono gli uomini rimasti.

Il mosto è in lutto, la vite langue, tutti quelli lieti di cuore sospirano.

L'allegria dei tamburelli è cessata, il chiasso dei gaudenti è finito, la gioia dell'arpa è cessata.

Non si beve piú vino con canti, la bevanda inebriante è amara per i suoi bevitori.

10 La città della confusione è distrutta ogni casa è serrata, perché nessuno vi entri.

11 Per le strade si lamentano, perché non c'è vino, ogni gioia si è offuscata l'allegrezza è scomparsa dalla terra.

12 Nella città non rimane che desolazione, e la porta è fatta a pezzi e distrutta.

13 Poiché in mezzo alla terra, fra i popoli, avverrà come quando si scuotono gli ulivi, come quando si racimola dopo la vendemmia.

14 Quelli alzeranno la voce, manderanno grida di gioia, per la maestà dell'Eterno acclameranno dal mare:

15 «Glorificate dunque l'Eterno nelle regioni dell'aurora, il nome dell'Eterno il DIO d'Israele, nelle isole del mare!».

16 Dall'estremità della terra udiamo canti: «Gloria al giusto!». Ma io dico: «Guai a me! Guai a me! Ahimè! I perfidi agiscono perfidamente, sí i perfidi agiscono con molta perfidia.

17 Terrore, fossa e laccio ti sovrastano, o abitante della terra.

18 E avverrà che chi fuggirà di fronte al grido di terrore cadrà nella fossa, e chi risalirà dalla fossa resterà preso nel laccio. Poiché dall'alto si apriranno le cateratte e le fondamenta della terra saranno scosse.

19 La terra si schianterà tutta: la terra si screpolerà interamente, la terra traballerà violentemente.

20 La terra barcollerà come un ubriaco, vacillerà come una capanna. Il suo peccato pesa su di essa, cadrà e non si rialzerà più.

21 In quel giorno avverrà che l'Eterno punirà in alto l'esercito di lassú e giú sulla terra i re della terra;

22 saranno radunati insieme, come carcerati in una prigione sotterranea; saranno rinchiusi in un carcere e, dopo molti giorni, saranno puniti.

23 La luna sarà coperta di confusione e il sole di vergogna, perché l'Eterno degli eserciti regnerà sul monte di Sion e in Gerusalemme, e la sua gloria davanti agli anziani.

The Lord will judge all people

24 Understand this! The Lord is ready to destroy the earth. It will become a desert. He will spoil the ground. He will chase away all the people who live on it.

It will be the same for all people:

priests as well as ordinary people,

masters as well as their servants,

rich ladies as well as their servant girls,

sellers as well as buyers,

people who lend money as well as those who borrow it,

rich people as well as poor people.

The whole earth will become empty. Nothing will remain. The Lord has said that this punishment will certainly happen.

The earth becomes dry and all the plants die. The whole world becomes weak and helpless. Its important people also become weak.

The people who live on the earth have caused it to become unclean.

They have not obeyed God's laws.
They have turned against his teaching.
They have not obeyed the covenant that God made with them for ever.

That is why a curse is destroying the land. The people who live on it are guilty and God is punishing them. They become fewer and fewer. Only a very few of them remain.

There is no new wine and the vines are dying. The people who were happy to drink the wine are now sad. The happy sound of tambourines has stopped. The noise from parties has finished. The harps no longer make any happy music. People cannot drink wine, so they do not sing. When people drink beer, it seems bitter.

10 The city has become so spoiled that it is useless. People have locked their houses so that nobody can go in. 11 They shout in the streets because they have no wine. Nobody is happy any more, anywhere on the earth.

12 The city has become a heap of stones. Its gates lie in pieces on the ground.

13 This is what will happen among all the nations on the earth. Only a few people will remain, like a few olives that remain on a tree after the harvest. After people have picked the grapes off a vine, there are only a few that remain.

14 Those people who are still alive sing aloud because they are happy. People who live in the west praise the Lord because he is great. 15 So people who live in the east should praise the Lord too. People who live on the coast of the sea will also praise the name of the Lord, Israel's God. 16 From every part of the earth, we hear songs. People sing to praise the Righteous One.

But I say, ‘I have become very weak and thin! It will be very bad for me! Evil people are turning against their friends. They deceive people more and more!’

17 People everywhere on the earth, terror is ready to catch you! You will fall into a deep hole, and a trap will catch you! 18 Anyone who runs away from the sound of the terror will fall into the deep hole. The trap will catch anyone who climbs out of the big hole. God has opened the windows of the sky. He has caused the foundations of the earth to shake.

19 The earth has become broken into many pieces. It has torn apart. It is shaking powerfully. 20 The earth is like a drunk man. It cannot walk in a straight line. It moves in all directions, like a tent in a storm. The people's sins are like a heavy weight on the earth. It cannot carry them and it will fall. It will never be able to get up again.

21 At that time, the Lord will punish the powerful beings in the skies above. He will punish the kings who rule on the earth below. 22 He will bring them together like prisoners in a deep hole. That will be their prison. They will be there for a time, and then he will come to punish them.

23 The moon will hide its face in shame. The bright light of the sun will become dark. Yes, the Lord Almighty will become king on Mount Zion. He will rule with great power in Jerusalem. The leaders of the people will see his great glory.

24 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

And it shall be, 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 lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.

The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.

The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

15 Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

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

18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Impending Judgment on the Earth

24 Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste,
Distorts its surface
And scatters abroad its inhabitants.
And it shall be:
As with the people, so with the (A)priest;
As with the servant, so with his master;
As with the maid, so with her mistress;
(B)As with the buyer, so with the seller;
As with the lender, so with the borrower;
As with the creditor, so with the debtor.
The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered,
For the Lord has spoken this word.

The earth mourns and fades away,
The world languishes and fades away;
The (C)haughty[a] people of the earth languish.
(D)The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants,
Because they have (E)transgressed the laws,
Changed the ordinance,
Broken the (F)everlasting covenant.
Therefore (G)the curse has devoured the earth,
And those who dwell in it are [b]desolate.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are (H)burned,
And few men are left.

(I)The new wine fails, the vine languishes,
All the merry-hearted sigh.
The mirth (J)of the tambourine ceases,
The noise of the jubilant ends,
The joy of the harp ceases.
They shall not drink wine with a song;
Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The city of confusion is broken down;
Every house is shut up, so that none may go in.
11 There is a cry for wine in the streets,
All joy is darkened,
The mirth of the land is gone.
12 In the city desolation is left,
And the gate is stricken with destruction.
13 When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people,
(K)It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree,
Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.

14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing;
For the majesty of the Lord
They shall cry aloud from the sea.
15 Therefore (L)glorify the Lord in the dawning light,
(M)The name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.
16 From the ends of the earth we have heard songs:
“Glory to the righteous!”
But I said, [c]“I am ruined, ruined!
Woe to me!
(N)The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously,
Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.”

17 (O)Fear and the pit and the snare
Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall be
That he who flees from the noise of the fear
Shall fall into the pit,
And he who comes up from the midst of the pit
Shall be [d]caught in the snare;
For (P)the windows from on high are open,
And (Q)the foundations of the earth are shaken.

19 (R)The earth is violently broken,
The earth is split open,
The earth is shaken exceedingly.
20 The earth shall (S)reel[e] to and fro like a drunkard,
And shall totter like a hut;
Its transgression shall be heavy upon it,
And it will fall, and not rise again.

21 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones,
And on the earth (T)the kings of the earth.
22 They will be gathered together,
As prisoners are gathered in the [f]pit,
And will be shut up in the prison;
After many days they will be punished.
23 Then the (U)moon will be disgraced
And the sun ashamed;
For the Lord of hosts will (V)reign
On (W)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
And before His elders, gloriously.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 24:4 proud
  2. Isaiah 24:6 Or held guilty
  3. Isaiah 24:16 Lit. Leanness to me, leanness to me
  4. Isaiah 24:18 Lit. taken
  5. Isaiah 24:20 stagger
  6. Isaiah 24:22 dungeon