Yahweh Will Empty the Earth

1Behold, Yahweh empties the earth to destruction, eviscerates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. 2And the people will be like the priest, the male slave like his master, the female slave like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3The earth will be completely emptied to destruction and completely plundered, for Yahweh has spoken this word. 4The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the exalted of the people of the earth languish. 5The earth is also polluted [†]by its inhabitants, for they trespassed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who inhabit it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men remain.

7The new wine mourns;

The vine languishes;

All the glad of heart sigh.

8The joy of tambourines ceases;

The rumbling of those exulting stops;

The joy of the harp ceases.

9They do not drink wine with song;

Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

10The city of chaos is broken down;

Every house is shut up so that none may enter.

11There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine;

All gladness [†]turns to gloom.

The joy of the earth is taken away into exile.

12Desolation remains in the city,

And the gate is struck down to ruins.

13For thus it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,

As the [†]shaking of an olive tree,

As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.

14They lift up their voices, they shout for joy;

They cry out from the [†]west concerning the majesty of Yahweh.

15Therefore glorify Yahweh in the [†]east,

The name of Yahweh, the God of Israel,

In the [†]coastlands of the sea.

16From the ends of the earth we hear songs, “Glory to the Righteous One,”

But I say, “[†]I waste away! [†]I waste away! Woe is me!

The treacherous deal treacherously,

And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”

17Panic and pit and pitfall

Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.

18Then it will be that he who flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit,

And he who [†]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the pitfall;

For the windows [†]above are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake.

19The earth is broken asunder;

The earth is split through;

The earth is shaken violently.

20The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard

And it totters like a [†]shack,

For its transgression is heavy upon it,

And it will fall, never to rise again.

21So it will be in that day,

That Yahweh will punish the host of heights on high,

And the kings of the earth on earth.

22They will be gathered together

Like prisoners in the [†]pit,

And will be confined in prison;

And after many days they will be punished.

23Then the moon will be humiliated and the sun ashamed,

For Yahweh of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

And His glory will be before His elders.