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

See, the Lord will lay the earth waste. He will destroy it, turn its ground up-side-down, and send its people everywhere.

2 A nd 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.

What happens to the people will happen to the religious leader. What happens to the man servant will happen to his owner. The woman servant will be like her owner. The buyer will be like the seller. The giver will be like the receiver. The one who lets another use his money will be like the one who uses it.

3 U tterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, For Jehovah hath spoken this word:

All the earth will be laid waste and destroyed, for the Lord has said this.

4 M ourned, faded hath the land, Languished, faded hath the world, Languished have they -- the high place of the people of the land.

The earth cries in sorrow and wastes away. The world becomes weak with sorrow and wastes away, together with the honored people of the earth.

5 A nd 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.

The earth has been made unclean by its people. They have sinned and not obeyed the laws, and have broken the agreement that was to be forever.

6 T herefore 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.

So the earth is cursed and those who live in it suffer for their guilt. So the people of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

7 M ourned hath the new wine, languished the vine, Sighed have all the joyful of heart.

The new wine dries up and the vine wastes away. All the glad in heart are in sorrow.

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

The happiness of the music-makers stops. The noise of those filled with joy stops. The happiness of the harp stops.

9 W ith a song they drink not wine, Bitter is strong drink to those drinking it.

They do not drink wine with singing. Strong drink tastes bad to those who drink it.

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

The city of trouble is broken down. Every house is shut up so no one may go in.

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

There is a crying out in the streets about the wine. All joy turns to darkness. The happiness of the earth is gone.

12 L eft in the city desolation, And wasting is the gate smitten.

The city is laid waste. The gate is broken to pieces.

13 W hen 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,

For this is how it will be on the earth among the nations. It will be like the shaking of an olive tree, and like what is left after the grapes have been gathered.

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

They raise their voices. They call out for joy. They cry out from the west about the wonderful power of the Lord.

15 T herefore in prosperity honour ye Jehovah, In isles of the sea, the name of Jehovah, God of Israel.

So honor the Lord in the east. Honor the name of the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the sea.

16 F rom 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.

From the ends of the earth we hear songs: “Praise the One Who is right and good.” But I say, “I waste away! I waste away! It is bad for me! The false ones are not faithful. Yes, their way is very false.”

17 F ear, and a snare, and a gin, on thee, O inhabitant of the land.

Fear and the deep hole and the trap are before you, O people of the earth.

18 A nd 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.

He who runs from the news of trouble will fall into a deep hole. And he who comes out of the hole will be caught in a trap. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the earth shakes.

19 U tterly broken down hath been the land, Utterly broken hath been the land, Utterly moved hath been the land.

The earth is broken in pieces. The earth is torn apart. The earth is very shaken.

20 S tagger 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.

The earth turns from one side to the other side like a drunk man. It shakes like a tent because its sin is heavy upon it. It will fall, never to rise again.

21 A nd 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.

In that day the Lord will punish the powers of heaven above, and the kings of the earth below.

22 A nd 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.

They will be gathered together like those in a prison. They will be kept in a deep, dark prison, and after many days they will be punished.

23 A nd 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!

Then the moon will be dark and the sun will not shine, for the Lord of All will rule on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. And in front of His leaders, He will let His shining-greatness be seen.