Isaiah 24
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
D. Apocalypse of Isaiah[a]
Chapter 24
Judgment upon the World and the Lord’s Enthronement on Mount Zion[b]
1 See! The Lord is about to empty the earth and lay it waste;
he will twist its surface,
and scatter its inhabitants:(A)
2 People and priest shall fare alike:
servant and master,
Maid and mistress,
buyer and seller,
Lender and borrower,
creditor and debtor.(B)
3 The earth shall be utterly laid waste, utterly stripped,
for the Lord has decreed this word.
4 The earth mourns and fades,
the world languishes and fades;
both heaven and earth languish.(C)
5 The earth is polluted because of its inhabitants,
for they have transgressed laws, violated statutes,
broken the ancient covenant.[c](D)
6 Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants pay for their guilt;
Therefore they who dwell on earth have dwindled,
and only a few are left.(E)
7 The new wine mourns, the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted groan.(F)
8 Stilled are the cheerful timbrels,
ended the shouts of the jubilant,
stilled the cheerful harp.(G)
9 They no longer drink wine and sing;
strong brew is bitter to those who drink it.(H)
10 Broken down is the city of chaos,[d]
every house is shut against entry.(I)
11 In the streets they cry out for lack of wine;
all joy has grown dim,
cheer is exiled from the land.(J)
12 In the city nothing remains but desolation,
gates battered into ruins.
13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth,
among the peoples,
As when an olive tree has been beaten,
as with a gleaning when the vintage is done.(K)
14 These[e] shall lift up their voice,
they shall sing for joy in the majesty of the Lord,
they shall shout from the western sea:
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!”(L)
16 From the end of the earth we hear songs:
“Splendor to the Just One!”
But I said, “I am wasted, wasted away.
Woe is me! The traitors betray;
with treachery have the traitors betrayed!(M)
17 Terror, pit, and trap
for you, inhabitant of the earth!(N)
18 One who flees at the sound of terror
will fall into the pit;
One who climbs out of the pit
will be caught in the trap.
For the windows on high are open
and the foundations of the earth shake.(O)
19 The earth will burst asunder,
the earth will be shaken apart,
the earth will be convulsed.
20 The earth will reel like a drunkard,
sway like a hut;
Its rebellion will weigh it down;
it will fall, never to rise again.”(P)
21 On that day the Lord will punish
the host of the heavens[f] in the heavens,
and the kings of the earth on the earth.
22 They will be gathered together
like prisoners into a pit;
They will be shut up in a dungeon,
and after many days they will be punished.(Q)
23 Then the moon will blush
and the sun be ashamed,(R)
For the Lord of hosts will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
glorious in the sight of the elders.[g](S)
Footnotes
- 24:1–27:13 Although it has become traditional to call these chapters “Apocalypse of Isaiah,” and although they do contain some apocalyptic traits, many others are lacking, so that the title is imprecise as a designation. These chapters are not a unified composition and their growth into their present form was a long, complicated process. They echo many themes from chaps. 13–23, “Oracles Against the Foreign Nations,” as well as from earlier parts of Isaiah (e.g., the reversal of the “vineyard song,” 5:1–7, in 27:2–5). Of particular interest is an unnamed city (24:10–13; 25:2; 26:5–6; 27:10–11), a wicked city, doomed to destruction; to the extent that it is identifiable, it may be Babylon, but more generally it symbolizes all forces hostile to God. And it stands in contrast to another city, also unnamed but no doubt to be identified with Jerusalem (26:1–2).
- 24:1–23 The world is about to be shaken by a devastating judgment that will overthrow both the human and divine enemies of the Lord, who will then reign in glory over his people on Mount Zion.
- 24:5 Ancient covenant: God’s commandments to all humankind (cf. Gn 9:4–6).
- 24:10 City of chaos: a godless city which appears several times in chaps. 24–27; see note on 24:1–27:13.
- 24:14 These: the saved.
- 24:21 Host of the heavens: the stars, which were often regarded as gods; cf. Dt 4:19; Jer 8:2.
- 24:23 The elders: the tradition in Ex 24:9–11 suggests that this refers to the people of God who are to share in the banquet on Mount Zion (Is 25:6–8).
以赛亚书 24
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
主必审判世界
24 看啊，耶和华必摧毁大地，
使大地荒凉。
祂毁坏地面，驱散万民。
2 那时，祭司和百姓，
主人和仆人，
主母和婢女，
买的和卖的，
贷的和借的，
债主和债户都必同遭厄运。
3 大地必完全毁坏，一片荒凉。
这是耶和华说的。
4 大地必衰残枯干，
世界必衰败荒凉，
世上的权贵也必败落。
5 大地被世人玷污，
他们违犯律法，
不守律例，背弃永远的约。
6 所以大地必遭受咒诅，
世人必因罪而受惩罚。
他们必被焚烧，
所剩无几。
7 葡萄树枯萎，新酒停产，
欢乐的人都发出悲叹。
8 欢快的鼓声止息，
悦耳的琴音消失，
宴乐的喧闹不复听闻。
9 再没有人对酒高歌，
浓酒变得苦涩。
10 毁坏的城一片荒凉，
家家户户大门紧闭，无人能进。
11 人们因无酒而在街上喊叫；
一切欢乐变作哀愁，
地上喜乐不复存在。
12 城里一片荒凉，
城门一片瓦砾。
13 世上万民所剩无几，
像打过的橄榄树，
又如摘过的葡萄树。
14 劫后余生的人必高声欢呼，
在西方赞美耶和华的威严。
15 因此，要在东方尊崇耶和华，
要在众海岛赞美以色列的上帝耶和华的名。
16 我们听见从地极传来歌唱声：
“荣耀归给公义者。”
我说：“我完了！
我完了！我有祸了！
因为诡诈的仍然在行诡诈，
极为猖獗。”
17 世人啊！
恐怖、陷阱和网罗要临到你们。
18 逃避恐怖的必掉进陷阱，
从陷阱爬上来的必被网罗缠住。
天上的水闸开启，
大地的根基摇动。
19 大地断裂、崩溃，剧烈震动。
20 大地像醉汉东摇西晃，
又像暴风中的茅屋摇来摆去。
它被沉重的罪恶压垮，
再也无法起来。
21 到那日，耶和华必在天上惩罚天上的众权能者，
在地上惩罚地上的君王。
22 他们必像囚犯一样被聚在一起，
关在牢里，
日后必受惩罚。
23 那时，月亮必羞于露面，
太阳必黯然无光，
因为万军之耶和华必在锡安山，
在耶路撒冷掌权，
在祂子民的首领面前彰显荣耀。
Isaiah 24
King James Version
24 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2 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.
3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6 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.
7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
9 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.
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