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.
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
Yeshayah 24
Orthodox Jewish Bible
24 Hinei, Hashem maketh Ha’Aretz empty, and maketh it waste, and ruineth her face, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2 And it shall be, as with HaAm, so with the kohen; as with the eved, so with his adonim; as with the shifcha (maid), so with her gevirah (mistress); as with the koneh (buyer), so with the mokher (seller); as with the malveh (lender) so with the loveh (borrower); as with the nosheh (creditor), so with the one owing him.
3 HaAretz shall be utterly emptied, and utterly plundered; for Hashem hath spoken this davar (word).
4 Ha’aretz mourneth and fadeth away, the tevel (world) languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty Am HaAretz do languish.
5 Ha’aretz also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed torot, changed chok (ordinance), broken the Brit Olam.
6 Therefore hath the curse devoured Eretz, and they that dwell therein are guilty; therefore, the inhabitants of her [the earth] are diminished, and few enosh (humankind) left.
7 The tirosh (new wine) faileth, the gefen languisheth, all the simchei-lev (merryhearted) do sigh.
8 The mirth of tambourines ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the kinnor (harp) ceaseth.
9 They shall not drink yayin with a shir (song); shekhar (liquor, strong drink) shall be bitter to them that drink it.
10 The city of tohu is broken; every bais is shut up, that no man may come in.
11 There is a crying for yayin in the streets; all simchah is darkened, the mirth of HaAretz is banished.
12 In the Ir is left desolation, and the sha’ar is stricken with ruination.
13 When thus it shall be in the midst of HaAretz among the nations, there shall be as the shaking of a zayit (olive tree), and as the olelot (gleanings) when the grape harvest is done.
14 They shall lift up their kol (voice), they shall sing for the Ga’on (Glory) of Hashem, they shall shout from the yam.
15 Therefore glorify ye Hashem in the Urim (east), even the Shem Hashem Elohei Yisroel in the iyyim (islands) [see Isaiah 42:4] of the yam.
16 From the uttermost part of Ha’Aretz have we heard zemirot (songs), even glory to the Tzaddik (Righteous One). But I said, My wasting away, my wasting away, Oy li (woe unto me)! The bogedim (traitors) have dealt treacherously; the bogedim have dealt very treacherously.
17 Pachad (fear), and the pachat (pit), and the pach (pitfall, snare), are upon thee, O inhabitant of Ha’Aretz.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the pachad shall fall into the pachat; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pachat shall be caught in the pach; for the arubot (windows [see Gen 7:11]) from on high are opened, and the Mosedei Eretz (foundations of the Earth) do shake.
19 Ha’aretz is violently broken down, Ha’Aretz is completely split open, Eretz is shaken exceedingly.
20 Ha’aretz shall stagger to and fro like a shikkor (drunkard), and shall shake like a melunah (watchman’s hut); and the peysha (transgression) thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in yom hahu (that day), that Hashem shall visit [in punishment] the Tzeva HaMarom (Host on High, Pagan deities), and the melachim of ha’adamah (kings of the earth) upon ha’adamah (the earth).
22 And they shall be gathered together, as asir (prisoners) are gathered in the bor (dungeon, pit), and shall be shut up in the masger (prison, dungeon), and after many yamim shall they be visited [in punishment].
23 Then the levanah (moon) shall be disgraced, and the chammah (sun) ashamed, when Hashem Tzva’os shall reign in Har Tziyon, and in Yerushalayim, and before His Zekenim gloriously.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International
