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Isaiah chapter 24

English Standard Version

1Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. 2 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; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. 3 The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. 5The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left. 7 The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh. 8 The mirth of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled. 9No more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. 10 The wasted city is broken down; every house is shut up so that none can enter. 11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished. 12Desolation is left in the city; the gates are battered into ruins. 13For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done. 14They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west. 15 Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One. But I say, "I waste away, I waste away. Woe is me! For the traitors have betrayed, with betrayal the traitors have betrayed." 17 Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth! 18 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 the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. 19The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. 20The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. 21On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. 22 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished. 23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.
New International Version

1See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— 2it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.
3The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word. 4The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. 5The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. 7The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan. 8The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. 9No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers. 10The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred. 11In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth. 12The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces.
13So will it be on the earth and among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest. 14They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty. 15Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea.
16From the ends of the earth we hear singing: "Glory to the Righteous One." But I said, "I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!" 17Terror and pit and snare await you, people of the earth.
18Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. 19The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken.
20The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again. 21In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. 22They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. 23The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.
New American Standard Bible

1Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, twists its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. 2And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the female servant like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3The earth will be completely laid waste and completely plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4The earth dries up and crumbles away, the mainland dries out and crumbles away, the exalted of the people of the earth dwindle. 5The earth is also defiled by its inhabitants, for they violated laws, altered statutes, and broke the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.
7The new wine mourns, The vine decays, All the joyful-hearted sigh. 8The joy of tambourines ceases, The noise of revelers stops, The joy of the harp ceases. 9They do not drink wine with song; Intoxicating drink is bitter to those who drink it. 10The city of chaos is broken down; Every house is shut up so that no one may enter. 11There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine; All joy turns to gloom. The joy of the earth is banished. 12Desolation is left in the city And the gate is battered to ruins. 13For so it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, As the shaking of an olive tree, As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over. 14They raise their voices, they shout for joy; They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the Lord. 15Therefore glorify the Lord in the east, The name of the Lord, the God of Israel, In the coastlands of the sea. 16From the ends of the earth we hear songs: 'Glory to the Righteous One,' But I say, 'I am finished! I am finished! Woe to me! The treacherous deal treacherously, And the treacherous deal very treacherously.' 17Terror and pit and snare Confront you, you inhabitant of the earth. 18Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit, And the one who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake. 19The earth is broken apart, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently. 20The earth trembles like a heavy drinker And sways like a hut, For its wrongdoing is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again. 21So it will happen on that day, That the Lord will punish the rebellious angels of heaven on high, And the kings of the earth on earth. 22They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished. 23Then the moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame, For the Lord of armies will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders.
Christian Standard Bible

1Look, the Lord is stripping the earth bare and making it desolate. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants: 2people and priest alike, servant and master, female servant and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. 3The earth will be stripped completely bare and will be totally plundered, for the Lord has spoken this message. 4The earth mourns and withers; the world wastes away and withers; the exalted people of the earth waste away. 5The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed teachings, overstepped decrees, and broken the permanent covenant. 6Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants have become guilty; the earth’s inhabitants have been burned, and only a few survive. 7The new wine mourns; the vine withers. All the carousers now groan. 8The joyful tambourines have ceased. The noise of the jubilant has stopped. The joyful lyre has ceased. 9They no longer sing and drink wine; beer is bitter to those who drink it. 10The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry. 11In the streets they cry for wine. All joy grows dark; earth’s rejoicing goes into exile. 12Only desolation remains in the city; its gate has collapsed in ruins. 13For this is how it will be on earth among the nations: like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest. 14They raise their voices, they sing out; they proclaim in the west the majesty of the Lord. 15Therefore, in the east honor the Lord! In the coasts and islands of the west honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
16From the ends of the earth we hear songs: The Splendor of the Righteous One. But I said, "I waste away! I waste away! Woe is me." The treacherous act treacherously; the treacherous deal very treacherously. 17Panic, pit, and trap await you who dwell on the earth. 18Whoever flees at the sound of panic will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. For the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. 19The earth is completely devastated; the earth is split open; the earth is violently shaken.
20The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again. 21On that day the Lord will punish the army of the heights in the heights and the kings of the ground on the ground. 22They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. 23The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Armies will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and he will display his glory in the presence of his elders.
New Living Translation

1Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. 2Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors — none will be spared. 3The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken!
4The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away. 5The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant. 6Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive. 7The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All the merrymakers sigh and mourn. 8The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled; the happy cries of celebration are heard no more. The melodious chords of the harp are silent. 9Gone are the joys of wine and song; alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth. 10The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out intruders. 11Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has turned to gloom. Gladness has been banished from the land. 12The city is left in ruins, its gates battered down. 13Throughout the earth the story is the same — only a remnant is left, like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest.
14But all who are left shout and sing for joy. Those in the west praise the Lord’s majesty. 15In eastern lands, give glory to the Lord. In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
16We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth, songs that give glory to the Righteous One! But my heart is heavy with grief. Weep for me, for I wither away. Deceit still prevails, and treachery is everywhere. 17Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth.
18Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare. Destruction falls like rain from the heavens; the foundations of the earth shake. 19The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed; it is violently shaken. 20The earth staggers like a drunk. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy.
21In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. 22They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished. 23Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people.
King James Version

1Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2And 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.
3The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6Therefore 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.
7The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
8The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
9They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
10The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
11There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
12In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
13When 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.
14They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
15Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
16From 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.
17Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18And 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.
19The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20The 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. 21And 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.
22And 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.
23Then 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.
New King James Version

1Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants. 2And 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 creditor, so with the debtor. 3The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the Lord has spoken this word. 4The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. 5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left. 7 The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh. 8The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases. 9They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. 10The city of confusion is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in. 11 There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone. 12In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction. 13When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done. 14They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; For the majesty of the Lord They shall cry aloud from the sea. 15Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light, The name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea. 16From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I said, “I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.” 17 Fear and the pit and the snare Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. 18And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken. 19 The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly. 20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again. 21It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth. 22They will be gathered together, As prisoners are gathered in the pit, And will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished. 23Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the Lord of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.

What does Isaiah chapter 24 mean?

Following oracles about the Lord's judgment on various nations (Isaiah 23) comes this prophecy about the end times. Isaiah looks toward the Lord's final judgment of the entire earth for human sinfulness in the last days. It is a terrifying vision of what is to come.

First is a cataclysmic event which will leave the surface of earth deformed, ruined, and practically deserted. Few details are given, so there is no hint as to what this catastrophe might be. Other end-times prophecies, such as the book of Revelation, include events which are often interpreted as environmental disasters. (Isaiah 24:1).

Whatever this event is, nobody will escape it due to power, position, wealth, or privilege. Castes and classes will become meaningless. Slaves and masters, borrowers and lenders, religious leaders and laymen; all will suffer the same way under the Lord's judgment during that time (Isaiah 24:1–2).

Isaiah paints a picture of earth, after this calamity, as almost uninhabited, with all its resources used up. Some of humanity will survive, but the land becomes "empty" in that cannot support life as it once did. Whatever is left will be sickly, weak, worn down, and decaying. No one will be thriving in this time. This is happening because humanity has defiled the earth. They have sinned and violated their eternal agreement with the Lord. Human sin has brought this curse upon the world. Fewer and fewer will survive; those who do are dried out and beaten down like something left out under a hot sun and drought (Isaiah 24:3–6).

The "city" here is simply a metaphor for the inhabited world of mankind. Civilization will be in ruins with people isolated and locked behind their doors. Happiness will seem like a long-forgotten thing of the past. Those left alive will be as few and as fortunate as the scattered bits missed during a harvest. One example is the impact of the failed grape crops. This crop was crucial to life in the Near East during Isaiah's time. Without the grape harvest, there would be no wine. Without this harvest, there will be none of the music and celebration that came with that time. There will be no partying for even temporary relief from the Lord's judgment (Isaiah 24:7–13).

In a sudden shift, Isaiah reveals that there is joyful celebration somewhere on earth. Apparently, even in those dark times, some will come to the Lord in faith. These new believers join to sing out praise to the Righteous One from the ends of the earth despite the desolation surrounding them. Even with that good news, Isaiah expresses despair; traitors continue to betray the Lord. He turns to describe the final judgment. (Isaiah 24:14–15).

Those who remain alive at the very end will experience terror, the pit, and the snare. The terror brings with it a sound that causes people to scatter and fall into the pit. Those who escape this pit are caught in the snare. There is no final escape (Isaiah 24:16–18).

Finally, the earth is destroyed by massive earthquakes which shake the planet to the core. This is an event from which the planet will never recover (Isaiah 24:19–20).

The Lord then gathers all who have stood against Him, including the kings of the earth and the supernatural powers of heaven. He puts them together into a prison to await the final punishment after many days. Then the Lord of hosts begins His reign over the earth from Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Isaiah 24:21–23).
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