Isaiah 24
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Will Empty the Earth
24 Behold, Yahweh (A)empties the earth to destruction, eviscerates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the male slave like his master, the female slave 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 emptied to destruction and completely plundered, for Yahweh has spoken this word. 4 The (C)earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the (D)exalted of the people of the earth languish. 5 The earth is also (E)polluted [a]by its inhabitants, for they trespassed laws, violated statutes, (F)broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a (G)curse devours the earth, and those who inhabit it are held guilty. Therefore, the (H)inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men remain.
7 The (I)new wine mourns;
The vine languishes;
All the glad of heart sigh.
8 The (J)joy of tambourines ceases;
The rumbling of those exulting stops;
The joy of the harp ceases.
9 They do not drink wine with song;
(K)Strong 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 none may enter.
11 There is an (O)outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
(P)All gladness [b]turns to gloom.
The joy of the earth is taken away into exile.
12 Desolation remains in the city,
And the (Q)gate is struck down to ruins.
13 For (R)thus 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 lift up their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [d]west concerning the majesty of Yahweh.
15 Therefore (T)glorify Yahweh in the [e]east,
The (U)name of Yahweh, 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](Y)I waste away! [h]I waste away! Woe is me!
The (Z)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
17 (AA)Panic and pit and pitfall
Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that he who flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit,
And he who [i]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the pitfall;
For the (AB)windows [j]above are opened, and the (AC)foundations of the earth quake.
19 (AD)The earth is broken asunder;
The earth is (AE)split through;
The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth (AF)reels to and fro like a drunkard
And it totters like a [k]shack,
For its (AG)transgression is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, (AH)never to rise again.
21 So it will be in that day,
That Yahweh will (AI)punish the host of heights on high,
And the (AJ)kings of the earth on earth.
22 They will be gathered together
Like (AK)prisoners in the [l]pit,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will (AL)be punished.
23 Then the (AM)moon will be humiliated and the sun ashamed,
For (AN)Yahweh of hosts 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 Lit Wasting to me!
- Isaiah 24:16 Lit Wasting to me!
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit goes up from the midst of
- Isaiah 24:18 Heaven; lit from the height
- Isaiah 24:20 Or hut
- Isaiah 24:22 Or dungeon
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
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
