Isaiah 24:1-12 ▼

1 BEHOLD, the LORD shall destroy the earth and lay it waste and turn it upside down and scatter its inhabitants.

2 And 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.

3 The land shall be utterly destroyed and utterly spoiled; for the LORD has spoken this word.

4 The earth howls and sits in mourning, the world wails and sits in mourning, the haughty people of the earth lament.

5 The earth also is defiled like its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the law, changed the ordinance, and nullified the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore the earth shall sit in mourning, and all its inhabitants shall be condemned; therefore all the inhabitants of the earth shall be destroyed, and a few men shall be left.

7 The grain mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.

8 The mirth of the timbrels has ceased, the noise of those that rejoice has ended, the joy of the harp is over.

9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to those who drink it.

10 The city is plundered, every wine cellar is shut up, so that no one may come in.

11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy has ended, the mirth of the land is gone.

12 The city is left in desolation, and its gates are broken with destruction.