Isaiah
Chapter 24
1 Look, God will make the earth empty, destroy it, flip it over, and scatter its people.
2 And it will happen to the people just like the priest; to the servant like his master; to the maid like her mistress; to the buyer like the seller; to the lender like the borrower; to the one who charges interest just like the one who pays it.
3 The land will be completely emptied and totally ruined because God has said this.
4 The earth is sad and withers, the world weakens and withers, the proud people of the earth become weak.
5 The earth is polluted because of its people; they’ve broken the laws, changed the rules, and violated the eternal agreement.
6 So the curse has consumed the earth, and those living in it are left empty; that’s why the people of the earth are scorched, with only a few men remaining.
7 The new wine is sad, the vine is weak, and all the happy people sigh.
8 The sound of tambourines stops, the noise of celebrators ends, the happiness of the harp stops.
9 They won’t enjoy wine with singing; hard liquor will taste bad to those who drink it.
10 The city of chaos is destroyed: every house is closed so that no one can enter.
11 People in the streets cry for wine; all happiness has faded, the land’s joy has disappeared.
12 The city is left in ruins, and the gate is struck with devastation.
13 When this happens across the land among the people, it will be like the shaking of an olive tree and like picking the last grapes after the harvest is over.
14 They will raise their voices, they will sing about God’s greatness, they will shout loud from the sea.
15 So praise God when you are in trouble, and honor the name of the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.
16 We have heard songs of praise from the farthest parts of the earth, singing glory to the good people. But I cried out, ‘I am so weak, so weak, how terrible for me! The cheaters have cheated; yes, the cheaters have cheated a lot.’
17 Fear, a pit, and a trap are coming for you, people of the earth.
18 It will happen that the person running away from the sound of terror will fall into a hole; and the one who gets out of the hole will be caught in a trap. This is because the skies above are open, and the earth’s foundations are trembling.
19 The earth is completely shattered, the earth is totally melted, the earth is shaken a lot.
20 The earth will sway back and forth like a drunk person and will be moved like a hut; its wrongdoing will weigh it down, and it will fall, never to get up again.
21 On that day, God will punish the powerful beings above and the kings on the earth.
22 They will be brought together like captives in a hole and locked up in jail, and after a long time, they will be checked on.
23 Then the moon will be embarrassed, and the sun ashamed, when God rules on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his elders with glory.