Isaiah 24:1-8

1Behold, the Lord lays waste to the earth, devastates it, twists and distorts its face and scatters its inhabitants.

2And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor [as God’s impartial judgment of sin comes on all].

3The earth will be completely laid waste and utterly pillaged, for the Lord has spoken this word.

4The earth dries up and crumbles away, the world dries out and crumbles away, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.

5The earth also is polluted by its inhabitants, because they have transgressed laws, violated statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer the punishment of their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned [under the curse of God’s wrath], and few people are left.

7The new wine mourns, The vine decays; All the merry-hearted sigh and groan.

8The mirth of the timbrels (tambourines) ceases, The noise of those who rejoice ends, The joy of the harp ceases.