| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants. | 1Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— |
| 2And it shall 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 lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor. | 2people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. |
| 3The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word. | 3The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word. |
| 4The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. | 4The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away. |
| 5The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. | 5The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant. |
| 6Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left. | 6Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive. |
| 7The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh. | 7The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan. |
| 8The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases. | 8The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent. |
| 9They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. | 9They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it. |
| 10The city of confusion is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in. | 10The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry. |
| 11There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone. | 11In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land. |
| 12In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction. | 12The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble. |
| 13When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done. | 13So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest. |
| 14They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; For the majesty of the LORD They shall cry aloud from the sea. | 14They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD. |
| 15Therefore glorify the LORD in the dawning light, The name of the LORD God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea. | 15Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea. |
| 16From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I said, “I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.” | 16From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery. |
| 17Fear and the pit and the snare Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. | 17Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. |
| 18And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken. | 18Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. |
| 19The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly. | 19The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently. |
| 20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again. | 20The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again. |
| 21It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth. | 21In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below. |
| 22They will be gathered together, As prisoners are gathered in the pit, And will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished. | 22They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days. |
| 23Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously. | 23The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory. |
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