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The Judgment on the Earth

24 Look! Yahweh is about to lay the earth waste
    and is about to devastate it,
and he will twist her surface,
    and he will scatter her inhabitants.
And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest;
    as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the female slave, so with her mistress;
    as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
    as with the creditor, so with the one to whom he lends.
The earth shall be utterly laid waste,
    and it shall be utterly plundered,

for Yahweh has spoken this word.

The earth dries up, it withers;
    the world languishes, it withers.
The elevated of the people of the earth languish,
    and the earth is defiled beneath its inhabitants.
For they have transgressed laws;
    they have passed by statutes;[a]
    they have broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
    and the inhabitants in it suffer for their guilt.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth burn,
    and few men are left.[b]
The new wine dries up;
    the vine languishes.
All the merry of heart sigh;
    the joy of the tambourine has stopped.
The noise of the jubilant has ceased;
    the joy of the lyre has stopped.
They do not drink wine with song;
    strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The city of emptiness is broken;
    every house is shut so that no one can enter;[c]
11     there is an outcry over the wine in the streets.
All joy turns into darkness;[d]
    the joy of the earth disappears.
12 Desolation is left in the city;
    the gate is crushed into a state of ruin.
13 For it shall be like this in the midst of the earth,
    among the nations,
like the beating of an olive tree,
    like gleanings when a grape harvest is at an end.
14 They lift up their voices;[e] they sing for joy;
    they shout out from the west over the majesty of Yahweh.
15 Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east,
    the name of Yahweh the God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.
16 We hear songs from the edge[f] of the earth:
    “Glory to the righteous one!”
But I say, “Ruin to me!
    Ruin to me! Woe to me!
The treacherous ones deal treacherously,
    and the treacherous ones deal treacherously with treachery!”

17 Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, inhabitants[g] of the earth!

18 And this shall happen:

The one who flees from the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit,
    and the one who goes up from inside the pit[h] shall be caught in the snare,
for the windows from heaven are opened,
    and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken;
    the earth is torn asunder;
    the earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth staggers to and fro like the drunkard,
    and it sways like a hut,
and its transgression is heavy upon it,
    and it falls and does not rise again.

21 And this shall happen on that day:

Yahweh will punish the host of heaven in heaven,
    and the kings of the earth on the earth.
22 And they will be gathered in a gathering, like a prisoner in[i] a pit.
    And they will be shut in[j] a prison and be punished after[k] many days.
23 And the full moon will be ashamed
    and the sun will be ashamed,
for Yahweh of hosts will rule on Mount Zion[l] and in Jerusalem,
    and before his elders in glory.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 24:5 Hebrew “statute”
  2. Isaiah 24:6 Literally “he is left a man of smallness”
  3. Isaiah 24:10 Literally “from entering”
  4. Isaiah 24:11 Literally “evening”
  5. Isaiah 24:14 Hebrew “voice”
  6. Isaiah 24:16 Literally “wing”
  7. Isaiah 24:17 Hebrew “inhabitant”
  8. Isaiah 24:18 Literally “the middle of the pit”
  9. Isaiah 24:22 Literally “on”
  10. Isaiah 24:22 Literally “on”
  11. Isaiah 24:22 Literally “from”
  12. Isaiah 24:23 Literally “the mountain of Zion”

The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth(A)
    and devastate(B) it;
he will ruin its face
    and scatter(C) its inhabitants—
it will be the same
    for priest as for people,(D)
    for the master as for his servant,
    for the mistress as for her servant,
    for seller as for buyer,(E)
    for borrower as for lender,
    for debtor as for creditor.(F)
The earth will be completely laid waste(G)
    and totally plundered.(H)
The Lord has spoken(I) this word.

The earth dries up(J) and withers,(K)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens(L) languish with the earth.(M)
The earth is defiled(N) by its people;
    they have disobeyed(O) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.(P)
Therefore a curse(Q) consumes the earth;
    its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,(R)
    and very few are left.
The new wine dries up(S) and the vine withers;(T)
    all the merrymakers groan.(U)
The joyful timbrels(V) are stilled,
    the noise(W) of the revelers(X) has stopped,
    the joyful harp(Y) is silent.(Z)
No longer do they drink wine(AA) with a song;
    the beer is bitter(AB) to its drinkers.
10 The ruined city(AC) lies desolate;(AD)
    the entrance to every house is barred.
11 In the streets they cry out(AE) for wine;(AF)
    all joy turns to gloom,(AG)
    all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
12 The city is left in ruins,(AH)
    its gate(AI) is battered to pieces.
13 So will it be on the earth
    and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,(AJ)
    or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.(AK)

14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy;(AL)
    from the west(AM) they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
15 Therefore in the east(AN) give glory(AO) to the Lord;
    exalt(AP) the name(AQ) of the Lord, the God of Israel,
    in the islands(AR) of the sea.
16 From the ends of the earth(AS) we hear singing:(AT)
    “Glory(AU) to the Righteous One.”(AV)

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!(AW)
    Woe(AX) to me!
The treacherous(AY) betray!
    With treachery the treacherous betray!(AZ)
17 Terror(BA) and pit and snare(BB) await you,
    people of the earth.(BC)
18 Whoever flees(BD) at the sound of terror
    will fall into a pit;(BE)
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare.(BF)

The floodgates of the heavens(BG) are opened,
    the foundations of the earth shake.(BH)
19 The earth is broken up,(BI)
    the earth is split asunder,(BJ)
    the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth reels like a drunkard,(BK)
    it sways like a hut(BL) in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion(BM)
    that it falls(BN)—never to rise again.(BO)

21 In that day(BP) the Lord will punish(BQ)
    the powers(BR) in the heavens above
    and the kings(BS) on the earth below.
22 They will be herded together
    like prisoners(BT) bound in a dungeon;(BU)
they will be shut up in prison
    and be punished[a] after many days.(BV)
23 The moon will be dismayed,
    the sun(BW) ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign(BX)
    on Mount Zion(BY) and in Jerusalem,
    and before its elders—with great glory.(BZ)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 24:22 Or released