Isaiah 24:1-9 ▼

1 Look! 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.

2 Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared.

3 The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The LORD has spoken!

4 The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away.

5 The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore, 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.

7 The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All the merrymakers sigh and mourn.

8 The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled; the happy cries of celebration are heard no more. The melodious chords of the harp are silent.

9 Gone are the joys of wine and song; alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth.