1 Behold, the Lord will empty the eartha and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
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 creditor, so with the debtor.
for the Lord has spoken this word.
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
every house is shut up so that none can enter.
all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
the gates are battered into ruins.
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.b
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
and the sun ashamed,
for the Lord of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.