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Judgment on the Earth

¹ Behold, the LORD ^(F1)(C1)lays waste to the earth, devastates it, twists and distorts its face and scatters its inhabitants.² And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the ^(C1)creditor like the debtor as God's impartial judgment of sin comes on all.³ The earth will be completely laid waste and utterly pillaged, for the LORD has spoken this word.⁴ The ^(C1)earth dries up and crumbles away, the world dries out and crumbles away, the ^(C2)exalted of the people of the earth fade away.⁵ The earth also is ^(C1)polluted ^(F1)by its inhabitants, because they have transgressed laws, violated statutes, and ^(C2)broken the everlasting covenant. ^(VR1)6 Therefore, a ^(C1)curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer the punishment of their guilt. Therefore, the ^(C2)inhabitants of the earth are burned under the curse of God's wrath, and few people are left. ^(VR1)

⁷ The ^(C1)new wine mourns,
The vine decays;
All the merry-hearted sigh and groan.

⁸ The ^(C1)mirth of the timbrels (tambourines) ceases,
The noise of those who rejoice ends,
The joy of the harp ceases.

⁹ They do not drink wine with a song;
^(C1)Strong drink is ^(C2)bitter to those who drink it.

¹⁰ The ^(C1)city of chaos is broken down;
^(C2)Every house is shut up so that no one may enter.

¹¹ There is an ^(C1)outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
All jubilation is darkened,
^(C2)The joy of the earth is banished.

¹² Horrible desolation is left in the city,
And the ^(C1)gate is battered into ruins.

¹³ For so ^(C1)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 and only a little of the fruit remains.

^14 (C1)They who have escaped and remain raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They rejoice from the Mediterranean Sea in the majesty of the LORD.

¹⁵ Therefore ^(C1)honor and glorify the LORD in the east in the region of light,
The ^(C2)name of the LORD, the God of Israel honor His name,
In the ^(C3)coastlands and islands of the Mediterranean Sea.

¹⁶ From the ^(C1)ends of the earth we hear songs, "^(C2)Glory and honor to the Righteous One,"
But I say, "^(C3)I waste away, I waste away. Woe to me!
The ^(C4)treacherous deal treacherously,
Indeed, the treacherous deal very treacherously."

^17 (C1)Terror and pit of destruction and snare
Confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.

¹⁸ Then it will be that he who flees at the sound of terror will fall into the pit,
And he who comes up out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the ^(C1)windows of heaven are opened, and the ^(C2)foundations of the earth tremble.

^19 (C1)The earth is broken completely apart,
The earth is ^(C2)split apart,
The earth is shaken violently.

²⁰ The earth ^(C1)reels back and forth like a drunkard
And sways like a shack;
Its ^(C2)transgression lies heavily upon it,
And it will fall and ^(C3)not rise again.

²¹ So it will happen in that day
That the LORD will visit and ^(C1)punish the host (fallen angels) of heaven on high,
And the ^(C2)kings of the earth on the earth. ^(VR1)

²² They will be gathered together
As ^(C1)prisoners are gathered in a dungeon;
They will be shut up in prison,
And after many days they will be visited and ^(C2)punished. ^(VR1)

²³ Then the ^(C1)full moon will be embarrassed and the sun ashamed,
For the ^(C2)LORD of hosts will reign on ^(C3)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory and brilliance will shine before His elders.