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Isaiah 3:24
ESV Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.
NIV Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.
NASB Now it will come about that instead of balsam oil there will be a stench; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a robe of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.
CSB Instead of perfume there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of beautifully styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothes, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.
NLT Instead of smelling of sweet perfume, she will stink. She will wear a rope for a sash, and her elegant hair will fall out. She will wear rough burlap instead of rich robes. Shame will replace her beauty.
KJV And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
NKJV And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; Instead of a sash, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, baldness; Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.

What does Isaiah 3:24 mean?

Isaiah has written that the Lord will take something away from the prideful women of Jerusalem and Judah. They will lose all the adornments they wear to glorify themselves in their community (Isaiah 3:16–17). For these women, external enhancements represent the condition of their hearts. They are boastful about their wealth and sexually immorality, as well as relying on false gods and demonic spirituality (Isaiah 3:18–23).

Now Isaiah describes how these women will live after God's judgment comes in the form of invading armies. Their smell of perfume will be replaced with a stench, perhaps the smell of death and decay. Instead of fine belts, they will wear simple ropes around their waists, maybe as they are led away into captivity tied together. Their carefully arranged hair will be replaced by baldness (Isaiah 3:17), indicating either being shaved by the enemy or shaving their own heads in mourning over their great losses.

The rich robes of these once wealthy ladies will be taken away, leaving them to cover themselves with whatever cheap material they can find. Finally, their once great beauty will be marred by the branding of their enemies. Being branded involved having the enemy's mark burned onto a part of the body, much as cows are sometimes branded to show ownership.

These once self-exalted women will lose all hope of seeing themselves as beautiful or desirable or self-reliant again.
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