The Earth is Judged

1“Watch out! The LORDa is about to depopulate the land

and devastate it;

he will turn it upside downb

and scatter its inhabitants.

2It will be the same for the lay people as for priests,

the same for servants as for their masters,

for female servants as for their mistresses,

for buyers as for sellers,

for lenders as for borrowers,

and for creditors as for debtors.

3The earth will be utterly depopulated

and completely laid waste —

for the LORD has spoken this message.c

4“The earth dries up and withers;

the world languishes and fades away;

heaven fades away,

along with the earth.d

5The earth lies defiled

beneath its inhabitants;

because they have transgressed the laws,e

violated the statutes,

and broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore the curse keeps on consuming,f

and its inhabitants are declared guilty.

Furthermore, the inhabitants of earth are ablaze,

and few people are left.

7The new wine evaporates;

the vine and the oilg dry up;

all the merrymakers groan.

8“The celebrations of the tambourine have ended,

the noise of the jubilant has stopped,

and the mirth that the harp produces has ended.

9No longer do they drink wine

accompanied by singing;

even beerh tastes bitter to those who drink it.

10The chaotic city lies broken down;

every house is closed up

so that no one can enter them.i

11There is an outcry in the streets over wine;

all cheer turns to gloom;

the fun times of the earth are banished.

12Desolation remains in the city

whose gates lie battered into ruins.

13So it will be on the earth

and among the nations—

as when an olive tree is beaten,

or as gleanings when the grape harvest has ended.”

Glorifying God

14“They raise their voices;

they shout for joy;j

from the westk they shout aloudl

over the LORD’s majesty.

15Therefore, you in the east,m

give glory to the LORD!

You in the coastlands of the sea,

give glory to the name of the LORD God of Israel!

16From the ends of the earth

we hear songs of praise:

‘Glory to the Righteous One!’

“But I say, ‘I am pining away,

I’m pining away.

How terrible things are for me!

For treacherous people betray—

treacherous people are betraying with treachery!’”

The Universal Impact of Judgment

17“Terror and pit and snare are coming in your direction,

you inhabitants of the earth!

18Whoever flees at the sound of terror

will fall into a pit,

and whoever climbs out of the pit

will be caught in a snare.

For the windows of judgmentn from above are opened,

and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

19The earth is utterly shattered,

the earth is split apart,

the earth is violently shaken.

20The eartho reels to and fro like a drunkard;

it sways like a hut;p

its transgression lies so heavy upon it,

that it falls, never to rise again.

21“And it will come about at that time,q

the LORD will punish

the armies of the exalted ones in the heavens,r

and the rulerss of the earth on earth.

22Theyt will be herded togetheru

into the Pit;v

they will be shut up in prison,

and after many days they will be punished.

23Then the moon will be embarrassed

and the sun ashamed,

for the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will reign

on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem;

and in the presence of its elders

there will be glory.”