Isaiah 24

Judgment on the Whole Earth

1 Behold, *ch. 13:9the Lord will empty the earth*24:1 Or land; also throughout this chapter and make it desolate,

and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

2 *Hos. 4:9;[Lam. 4:16]; See ch. 3:1-3And 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;

*[Ezek. 7:12,13] as with the buyer, so with the seller;

as with the lender, so with the borrower;

*[Jer. 15:10]as with the creditor, so with the debtor.

3 *ver. 1, 6The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;

*See ch. 1:20for the Lord has spoken this word.

4 *[ch. 16:8;Hos. 4:3]The earth mourns and withers;

the world languishes and withers;

the highest people of the earth languish.

5 The earth lies *Num. 35:33defiled

under its inhabitants;

for *[ch. 2:6,8]they have transgressed the laws,

violated the statutes,

broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore *Zech. 5:3,4a curse devours the earth,

and its inhabitants *[Ps. 5:10]suffer for their guilt;

therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,

and few men are left.

7 *[Joel 1:10,12]The wine mourns,

the vine languishes,

all the merry-hearted sigh.

8 *Jer. 7:34;Hos. 2:11;[Amos 8:10]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 *[Amos 6:5,6]with singing;

strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

10 *[ch. 34:11] The wasted city is broken down;

*ch. 23:1every house is shut up so that none can enter.

11 *[ver. 7; Ps. 144:14;Joel 1:5] There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;

*[Joel 1:12]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,

*ch. 17:6;[Mic. 7:1]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.*24:14 Hebrew from the sea

15 *[ch. 45:6]Therefore in the east*24:15 Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires give glory to the Lord;

in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

16 *[ver. 14] From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,

of glory to *[ch. 26:2;60:21] the Righteous One.

But I say, "I waste away,

I waste away. Woe is me!

For *ch. 21:2;33:1the traitors have betrayed,

with betrayal the traitors have betrayed."

17 *Jer. 48:43,44;[Job 20:24;Amos 5:19]Terror and the pit and the snare*24:17 The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike

are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!

18 *[See ver. 17above] 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 *See Gen. 7:11the windows of heaven are opened,

and *Ps. 18:7the foundations of the earth tremble.

19 The earth is utterly broken,

the earth is split apart,

the earth is violently shaken.

20 The earth *[ch. 19:14;29:9] staggers like a drunken man;

it sways like a hut;

*[ver. 5, 6]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 *Ps. 76:12;[ch. 10:12;31:8]the kings of the earth, on the earth.

22 *Mic. 4:11,12They will be gathered together

as prisoners in a pit;

they will be shut up in a prison,

and after many days *ch. 29:6they will be punished.

23 *See ch. 13:10Then the moon will be confounded

and the sun ashamed,

for *Ps. 99:1,2;Mic. 4:7the Lord of hosts reigns

on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

and his glory will be before his elders.