Isaias

Hebrew Bible

Hebrew Bible, Isaias, Ottley, Cambridge, 1904

XXIV. 1 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it void, and overturneth the face thereof, and scattereth the inhabitants thereof.

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 the giver of usury to him.

3 The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word.

4 The earth mourneth, fadeth ; the world languisheth, fadeth; the highness of the people of the earth languisheth.

5 And the earth is become impious under her inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, overstepped the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore hath a curse devoured the earth, and the inhabitants of it are held guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

[*](18. ‘sufficiently’: or, ’)[*](1. ‘earth’: or, ‘land,’ according to many, and so throughout the chapter, to ver. 17. 3, 4. Heb. verbs repeated, for emphasis.)[*](5. Or, ‘changed the ’)[*](6. Or, ‘parched,’ ‘ scorched, and)[*](7. Or, ‘The grapes of the vintage mourn.)

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8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the uproar of the jubilant endeth, the of the harp ceaseth.

9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it,

10 The city of wasteness is broken down; every house is shut up, not to enter.

11 There is a crying in the streets for wine; all joy is grown dark; the mirth of the land is gone.

12 There remaineth in the city desolation, and into ruin the gate is beaten down.

13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the peoples; as at the beating of an olive tree, as at the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14 These shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; because of the majesty of the Lord, they cry aloud from the sea.

15 Therefore glorify ye the Lord in the lights, the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea

16 From the comer of the earth have we heard songs, Honour to the righteous. And I said, Wasting for me, wasting for me, woe to me ! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have indeed dealt treacherously.

17 Fear, and a pit, and a snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth

18 And it shall be, he who ﬂeeth from the voice 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 windows from on high are opended, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is utterly shattered, the earth is utterly uprooted.

[*](10. Lit. ‘shut up from entering.)[*](11. ‘streets’: or, ‘ﬁelds’ (open places): ‘for,’ or, ‘because of ’ ‘gone,’ strictly, ‘into captivity.’)[*](13. Or, ‘When thus it shall be.’)[*](15. ‘the lights,’ perhaps meaning ‘the East.’ Some would changing a letter: cf. LXX.)[*](16. ‘corner,’ lit. ‘wing.’ or ‘edge.’ Similarly LXX. ‘indeed,’ Heb. verb repeated to intensify.)[*](19. ‘is utterly uprooted’: or, ‘totters ’: Heb. verbs in verse repeated intensively.)

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20 The earth staggereth like a drunkard, and swayeth to and fro like a but; and the rebellion thereof is heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.