1 The LORD is going to turn the earth into a desolate wasteland. He will mar the face of the earth and scatter the people living on it. 2 The same will happen to people and priests, male slaves and masters, female slaves and masters, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, debtors and creditors. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and stripped because the LORD has spoken. 4 The earth dries up and withers. The world wastes away and withers. The great leaders of the earth waste away. 5 The earth is polluted by those who live on it because they've disobeyed the LORD's teachings, violated his laws, and rejected the everlasting promise. 6 That is why a curse devours the earth, and its people are punished for their guilt. That is why those who live on the earth are burned up, and only a few people are left. 7 New wine dries up, and grapevines waste away. All happy people groan. 8 Joyful tambourine music stops. Noisy celebrations cease. Joyful harp music stops. 9 People no longer drink wine when they sing. Liquor tastes bad to its drinkers. 10 The ruined city lies desolate. The entrance to every house is barred shut. 11 People in the streets call for wine. All joy passes away, and the earth's happiness is banished. 12 The city is left in ruins. Its gate is battered to pieces. 13 That is the way it will be on earth among the nations. They will be like an olive tree which has been shaken or like what's left after the grape harvest. 14 They raise their voices. They shout for joy. From the sea they sing joyfully about the LORD's majesty. 15 Honor the LORD in the east. Honor the name of the LORD God of Israel along the coastlands. 16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise that honor the Righteous One. But I kept saying, "I'm wasting away! I'm wasting away! How horrible it is for me! Traitors continue to betray, and their treachery grows worse and worse." 17 Disasters, pits, and traps are in store for those who live on earth. 18 Whoever flees from news of a disaster will fall into a pit. Whoever climbs out of that pit will be caught in a trap. The floodgates in the sky will be opened, and the foundations of the earth will shake. 19 The earth will be completely broken. The earth will shake back and forth violently. The earth will stagger. 20 The earth will stumble like a drunk and sway like a shack in the wind. Its disobedience weighs heavy on it. It will fall and not get up again. 21 On that day the LORD will punish heaven's armies in heaven and earth's kings on earth. 22 They'll be gathered like prisoners in a jail and locked in prison. After a long time they'll be punished. 23 The moon will be embarrassed. The sun will be ashamed, because the LORD of Armies will rule on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. He will be glorious in the presence of his respected leaders. GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. | |