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

Behold, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants.

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.

It will 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 creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest.

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

The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has spoken this word.

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 mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.

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 also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

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.

Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

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

The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh.

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

The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.

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

They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.

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

The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come 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 in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone.

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

The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.

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 it will be so within the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

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

These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea.

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

Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the 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 uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

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

Fear, the pit, and the snare, are on you who inhabitant 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.

It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

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

The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently.

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 will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not 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.

It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth.

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

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 shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory.