1 B ehold, the Lord will make the land and the earth empty and make it waste and turn it upside down (twist the face of it) and scatter abroad its inhabitants.

Lo, Jehovah is emptying the land, And is making it waste, And hath overturned its face, And hath scattered its inhabitants.

2 A nd 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 creditor, so with the debtor.

And it hath been -- as a people so a priest, As the servant so his master, As the maid-servant so her mistress, As the buyer so the seller, As the lender so the borrower, As the usurer so he who is lifting on himself.

3 T he land and the earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly pillaged; for the Lord has said this.

Utterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, For Jehovah hath spoken this word:

4 T he land and the earth mourn and wither, the world languishes and withers, the high ones of the people languish.

Mourned, faded hath the land, Languished, faded hath the world, Languished have they -- the high place of the people of the land.

5 T he land and the earth also are defiled by their inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, disregarded the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

And the land hath been defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed laws, They have changed a statute, They have made void a covenant age-during.

6 T herefore a curse devours the land and the earth, and they who dwell in it suffer the punishment of their guilt. Therefore the inhabitants of the land and the earth are scorched and parched, and few people are left.

Therefore a curse hath consumed the land, And the inhabitants in it are become desolate, Therefore consumed have been inhabitants of the land, And few men have been left.

7 T he new wine mourns, the vine languishes; all the merrymakers sigh.

Mourned hath the new wine, languished the vine, Sighed have all the joyful of heart.

8 T he mirth of the timbrels is stilled, the noise of those who rejoice ends, the joy of the lyre is stopped.

Ceased hath the joy of tabrets, Ceased hath the noise of exulting ones, Ceased hath the joy of a harp.

9 N o more will they drink wine with a song; strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.

With a song they drink not wine, Bitter is strong drink to those drinking it.

10 T he wasted city of emptiness and confusion is broken down; every house is shut up so that no one may enter.

It was broken down -- a city of emptiness, Shut hath been every house from entrance.

11 T here is crying in the streets for wine; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is banished and gone into captivity.

A cry over the wine in out-places, Darkened hath been all joy, Removed hath been the joy of the land.

12 I n the city is left desolation, and its gate is battered and destroyed.

Left in the city desolation, And wasting is the gate smitten.

13 F or so shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking and beating of an olive tree, or as the gleaning when the vintage is done.

When thus it is in the heart of the land, In the midst of the peoples, As the compassing of the olive, As gleanings when harvest hath been finished,

14 t hese lift up their voices, they shout; for the majesty of the Lord they cry aloud from the Sea.

They -- they lift up their voice, They sing of the excellency of Jehovah, They have cried aloud from the sea.

15 W herefore glorify the Lord in the east; the name of the Lord, the God of Israel in the isles and coasts of the Sea.

Therefore in prosperity honour ye Jehovah, In isles of the sea, the name of Jehovah, God of Israel.

16 F rom the uttermost parts of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the Righteous One! But I say, Emaciated I pine away, I pine away. Woe is me! The treacherous dealers deal treacherously! Yes, the treacherous dealers deal very treacherously.

From the skirt of the earth we heard songs, The desire of the righteous. And I say, `Leanness to me, Leanness to me, wo to me.' Treacherous dealers dealt treacherously, Yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.

17 T error and pit and snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!

Fear, and a snare, and a gin, on thee, O inhabitant of the land.

18 A nd he who flees at the noise of the terror will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of the heavens are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble and shake.

And it hath come to pass, He who is fleeing from the noise of the fear Doth fall into the snare, And he who is coming up from the midst of the snare, Is captured by the gin, For windows on high have been opened, And shaken are foundations of the land.

19 T he earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is shaken violently.

Utterly broken down hath been the land, Utterly broken hath been the land, Utterly moved hath been the land.

20 T he earth shall stagger like a drunken man and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; its transgression shall lie heavily upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again.

Stagger greatly doth the land as a drunkard, And it hath been moved as a lodge, And heavy on it hath been its transgression, And it hath fallen, and addeth not to rise.

21 A nd in that day the Lord will visit and punish the host of the high ones on high and the kings of the earth on the earth.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, Jehovah layeth a charge on the host of the high place in the high place, And on the kings of the land on the land.

22 A nd they will be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in a pit or dungeon; they will be shut up in prison, and after many days they will be visited, inspected, and punished or pardoned.

And they have been gathered -- A gathering of bound ones in a pit, And shut up they have been in a prison, And after a multitude of days are inspected.

23 T hen the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts, Who will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders will show forth His glory.

And confounded hath been the moon, And ashamed hath been the sun, For reigned hath Jehovah of Hosts In mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, And over-against His elders -- honour!