1 B ehold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants.

¶ Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it naked and turns it upside down and scatters abroad its inhabitants.

2 A nd 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.

And it shall be, as with the people so with the priest; as with the slave 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 T he earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word.

The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled: for the LORD has spoken this word.

4 T he earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.

The earth has destroyed itself and fallen; the world has become sick and fallen; the haughty peoples of the earth are become sick.

5 T he earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.

The earth is also become bankrupt under its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws, falsified the order, broken the everlasting covenant.

6 T herefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

Therefore the curse has consumed the earth, and those that dwell therein are found guilty; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are consumed, and few men left.

7 T he new wine mourns, The vine decays, All the merry-hearted sigh.

The new wine is lost; the vine is sick; all those who were merryhearted sigh.

8 T he gaiety of tambourines ceases, The noise of revelers stops, The gaiety of the harp ceases.

The mirth of tambourines ceases; the noise of those that rejoice ends; the joy of the harp ceases.

9 T hey do not drink wine with song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

They shall not drink wine with a song; the drink shall be bitter to them that would drink it.

10 T he city of chaos is broken down; Every house is shut up so that none may enter.

The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up that no man may come in.

11 T here is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine; All joy turns to gloom. The gaiety of the earth is banished.

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

12 D esolation is left in the city And the gate is battered to ruins.

In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

13 F or thus it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, As the shaking of an olive tree, As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.

¶ For thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the peoples as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14 T hey raise their voices, they shout for joy; They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the Lord.

These shall lift up their voice; they shall sing joyfully in the majesty of the LORD; they shall lift up their voice from the sea.

15 T herefore glorify the Lord in the east, The name of the Lord, the God of Israel, In the coastlands of the sea.

Therefore glorify ye the LORD in the valleys; let the LORD God of Israel be called upon by name in the isles of the sea.

16 F rom the ends of the earth we hear songs, “ Glory to the Righteous One,” But I say, “ Woe to me! Woe to me! Alas for me! The treacherous deal treacherously, And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”

¶ From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard psalms, Glory to the righteous one. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

17 T error and pit and snare Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.

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

18 T hen it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.

And it shall come to pass that he who shall flee from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that shall come up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: because from on high, windows have been opened, and the foundations of the earth shall shake.

19 T he earth is broken asunder, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently.

The earth shall be utterly broken down; the earth is clean dissolved; the earth is moved exceedingly.

20 T he earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.

The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage; and its transgression shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall and never rise again.

21 S o it will happen in that day, That the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high, And the kings of the earth on earth.

And it shall come to pass in that day that the LORD shall visit punishment upon the host of the high ones that are on high and upon the kings of the earth on the earth.

22 T hey will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished.

And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days they shall be visited.

23 T hen the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders.

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of the hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and in the presence of his ancients he shall be glorious.