Isaiah 24
English Standard Version
Judgment on the Whole Earth
24 Behold, (A)the Lord will empty the earth[a] and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
2 (B)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;
(C)as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
(D)as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3 (E)The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
(F)for the Lord has spoken this word.
4 (G)The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.
5 The earth lies (H)defiled
under its inhabitants;
for (I)they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore (J)a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants (K)suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
7 (L)The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
8 (M)The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
9 No more do they drink wine (N)with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 (O)The wasted city is broken down;
(P)every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11 (Q)There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
(R)all joy has grown dark;
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,
(S)as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.[b]
15 (T)Therefore in the east[c] give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
16 (U)From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to (V)the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For (W)the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
17 (X)Terror and the pit and the snare[d]
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18 (Y)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 (Z)the windows of heaven are opened,
and (AA)the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth (AB)staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
(AC)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 (AD)the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 (AE)They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days (AF)they will be punished.
23 (AG)Then the moon will be confounded
and the sun ashamed,
for (AH)the Lord of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 24:1 Or land; also throughout this chapter
- Isaiah 24:14 Hebrew from the sea
- Isaiah 24:15 Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires
- Isaiah 24:17 The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike
Isaiah 24
New American Standard Bible
Judgment on the Earth
24 Behold, the Lord (A)lays the earth waste, devastates it, twists its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the female servant like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the (B)creditor like the debtor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The (C)earth dries up and crumbles away, the mainland dries out and crumbles away, the (D)exalted of the people of the earth dwindle. 5 The earth is also (E)defiled [a]by its inhabitants, for they violated laws, altered statutes, and (F)broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a (G)curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the (H)inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.
7 The (I)new wine mourns,
The vine decays,
All the joyful-hearted sigh.
8 The (J)joy of tambourines ceases,
The noise of revelers stops,
The joy of the harp ceases.
9 They do not drink wine with song;
(K)Intoxicating drink is (L)bitter to those who drink it.
10 The (M)city of chaos is broken down;
(N)Every house is shut up so that no one may enter.
11 There is an (O)outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
(P)All joy [b]turns to gloom.
The joy of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city
And the (Q)gate is battered to ruins.
13 For (R)so it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the [c]shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.
14 (S)They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [d]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore (T)glorify the Lord in the [e]east,
The (U)name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the [f](V)coastlands of the sea.
16 From the (W)ends of the earth we hear songs: “(X)Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “[g]I am finished! I am finished! Woe to me!
The (Y)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
17 (Z)Terror and pit and snare
[h]Confront you, you inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit,
And the one who [i]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the (AA)windows [j]above are opened, and the (AB)foundations of the earth shake.
19 (AC)The earth is broken apart,
The earth is (AD)split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth (AE)trembles like a heavy drinker
And sways like a hut,
For its (AF)wrongdoing is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, (AG)never to rise again.
21 So it will happen on that day,
That the Lord will (AH)punish the rebellious [k](AI)angels of [l]heaven on high,
And the (AJ)kings of the earth on earth.
22 They will be gathered together
Like (AK)prisoners in the [m]dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will (AL)be punished.
23 Then the (AM)moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame,
For the (AN)Lord of armies will reign on (AO)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 24:5 Lit under
- Isaiah 24:11 Lit is darkened
- Isaiah 24:13 Lit striking
- Isaiah 24:14 Lit sea
- Isaiah 24:15 Lit region of light
- Isaiah 24:15 Or islands
- Isaiah 24:16 Meaning uncertain
- Isaiah 24:17 Lit Are upon you
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit goes up from the midst of
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit from the height; i.e., heaven
- Isaiah 24:21 Lit host
- Isaiah 24:21 Lit the height in the height
- Isaiah 24:22 Lit pit
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
