Isaiah 24:1-9 ▼

1 Behold, Jehovah maketh the land empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad 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 taker of usury, so with him from whom usury is taken.

3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for Jehovah hath spoken this word.

4 The land mourneth, it fadeth away; the world languisheth, it fadeth away: the haughty people of the land do languish.

5 And the land is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; for they have violated the laws, changed the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore doth the curse devour the earth, and they that dwell therein are held guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are consumed, and few men are left.

7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all that were merry-hearted do sigh;

8 the mirth of tambours ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

9 They do not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to them that drink it.