The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earthm

and devastaten it;

he will ruin its face

and scattero its inhabitants—

2 it will be the same

for priest as for people,p

for the master as for his servant,

for the mistress as for her servant,

for seller as for buyer,q

for borrower as for lender,

for debtor as for creditor.r

3 The earth will be completely laid wastes

and totally plundered.t

The Lord has spokenu this word.

4 The earth dries upv and withers,w

the world languishes and withers,

the heavensx languish with the earth.y

5 The earth is defiledz by its people;

they have disobeyeda the laws,

violated the statutes

and broken the everlasting covenant.b

6 Therefore a cursec consumes the earth;

its people must bear their guilt.

Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,d

and very few are left.

7 The new wine dries upe and the vine withers;f

all the merrymakers groan.g

8 The joyful timbrelsh are stilled,

the noisei of the revelersj has stopped,

the joyful harpk is silent.l

9 No longer do they drink winem with a song;

the beer is bittern to its drinkers.

10 The ruined cityo lies desolate;p

the entrance to every house is barred.

11 In the streets they cry outq for wine;r

all joy turns to gloom,s

all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.

12 The city is left in ruins,t

its gateu is battered to pieces.

13 So will it be on the earth

and among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten,v

or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.w

14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy;x

from the westy they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.

15 Therefore in the eastz give glorya to the Lord;

exaltb the namec of the Lord, the God of Israel,

in the islandsd of the sea.

16 From the ends of the earthe we hear singing:f

“Gloryg to the Righteous One.”h

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!i

Woej to me!

The treacherousk betray!

With treachery the treacherous betray!l”

17 Terrorm and pit and snaren await you,

people of the earth.o

18 Whoever fleesp at the sound of terror

will fall into a pit;q

whoever climbs out of the pit

will be caught in a snare.r

The floodgates of the heavenss are opened,

the foundations of the earth shake.t

19 The earth is broken up,u

the earth is split asunder,v

the earth is violently shaken.

20 The earth reels like a drunkard,w

it sways like a hutx in the wind;

so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebelliony

that it fallsz—never to rise again.a

21 In that dayb the Lord will punishc

the powersd in the heavens above

and the kingse on the earth below.

22 They will be herded together

like prisonersf bound in a dungeon;g

they will be shut up in prison

and be punisheda after many days.h

23 The moon will be dismayed,

the suni ashamed;

for the Lord Almighty will reignj

on Mount Zionk and in Jerusalem,

and before its elders—with great glory.l