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24. Lord's Devastation of Earth

¹ See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth
   and devastate it;
he will ruin its face
   and scatter its inhabitants—
² it will be the same
   for priest as for people,
   for the master as for his servant,
   for the mistress as for her servant,
   for seller as for buyer,
   for borrower as for lender,
   for debtor as for creditor.
³ The earth will be completely laid waste
   and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word.

    ⁴ The earth dries up and withers,
   the world languishes and withers,
   the heavens languish with the earth.
⁵ The earth is defiled by its people;
   they have disobeyed the laws,
violated the statutes
   and broken the everlasting covenant.
⁶ Therefore a curse consumes the earth;
   its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,
   and very few are left.
⁷ The new wine dries up and the vine withers;
   all the merrymakers groan.
⁸ The joyful timbrels are stilled,
   the noise of the revelers has stopped,
   the joyful harp is silent.
⁹ No longer do they drink wine with a song;
   the beer is bitter to its drinkers.
¹⁰ The ruined city lies desolate;
   the entrance to every house is barred.
¹¹ In the streets they cry out for wine;
   all joy turns to gloom,
   all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
¹² The city is left in ruins,
   its gate is battered to pieces.
¹³ So will it be on the earth
   and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
   or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.

    ¹⁴ They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
   from the west they acclaim the LORD’s majesty.
¹⁵ Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD;
   exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel,
   in the islands of the sea.
¹⁶ From the ends of the earth we hear singing:
   “Glory to the Righteous One.”

   But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!
   Woe to me!
The treacherous betray!
   With treachery the treacherous betray!”
¹⁷ Terror and pit and snare await you,
   people of the earth.
¹⁸ Whoever flees at the sound of terror
   will fall into a pit;
whoever climbs out of the pit
   will be caught in a snare.

   The floodgates of the heavens are opened,
   the foundations of the earth shake.
¹⁹ The earth is broken up,
   the earth is split asunder,
   the earth is violently shaken.
²⁰ The earth reels like a drunkard,
   it sways like a hut in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion
   that it falls—never to rise again.

    ²¹ In that day the LORD will punish
   the powers in the heavens above
   and the kings on the earth below.
²² They will be herded together
   like prisoners bound in a dungeon;
they will be shut up in prison
   and be punished Or released after many days.
²³ The moon will be dismayed,
   the sun ashamed;
for the LORD Almighty will reign
   on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
   and before its elders—with great glory.

20. And shall be removed like a tent. This does not mean that any change will take place in the position of the earth; but these words, as we have already said, must be referred to men; as if he had said, that there would be no kingly power and no regular government. In short, he intended to describe those changes which he had spoken of in the tenth chapter.

And the transgressions thereof shall be heavy upon it. When he says that “the earth is laden with its iniquity,” he has very appropriately assigned this reason, that we may understand that God is never angry with men without a cause; for we ourselves are the authors of all the evils which we suffer. God is by nature disposed to kindness, and regards us with a father’s love; and therefore it is our own fault that we are treated with sharpness and severity, and we have no reason to blame him. ¹³¹¹³¹ {Bogus footnote}

And it shall fall, and not rise again. He at length repeats what he briefly stated a little before, that there will be no remedy for those evils. Some think that this relates to the Jews, whose form of government was entirely taken away, so that they were broken down and scattered, and were scarcely reckoned in the rank of men. But I give a more extensive interpretation, that the distresses of the world will be so severe, that it cannot be restored to its original condition. Men always contend against adverse events, and their minds are full of confidence. Having endured calamities, they think that there will be some room for breathing, and their minds are swelled with false hopes, which the Prophet therefore takes away, that they may not in future deceive themselves by unfounded expectation. Yet it ought to be observed, that this general statement does not set aside the exception which Isaiah formerly made.