24:1 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth
and leave it in ruins;
he will mar its surface
and scatter its inhabitants.
24:2 Everyone will suffer—the priest as well as the people,1
the master as well as the servant,2
the fine lady as well as the female attendant,3
the seller as well as the buyer,4
the borrower as well as the lender,5
the creditor as well as the debtor.6
24:3 The earth will be completely devastated
and thoroughly ransacked.
For the Lord has decreed this judgment.7
24:4 The earth8 dries up9 and withers,
the world shrivels up and withers;
the prominent people of the earth10 fade away.
24:5 The earth is defiled by11 its inhabitants,12
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation,13
and broken the permanent treaty.14
24:6 So a treaty curse15 devours the earth;
its inhabitants pay for their guilt.16
This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear,17
and are reduced to just a handful of people.18
24:7 The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate19 groan.
24:8 The happy sound20 of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound21 of the harp ceases.
24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine;22
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
24:10 The ruined town23 is shattered;
all of the houses are shut up tight.24
24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine;25
all joy turns to sorrow;26
celebrations disappear from the earth.27
24:12 The city is left in ruins;28
the gate is reduced to rubble.29
24:13 This is what will happen throughout30 the earth,
among the nations.
It will be like when they beat an olive tree,
and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest.31
24:14 They32 lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise33 the majesty of the Lord in the west.
24:15 So in the east34 extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol35 the fame36 of the Lord God of Israel.
24:16 From the ends of the earth we37 hear songs—
the Just One is majestic.38
But I39 say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!”40
24:17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth!41
24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit;42
the one who climbs out of the pit,
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens43 are opened up44
and the foundations of the earth shake.
24:19 The earth is broken in pieces,
the earth is ripped to shreds,
the earth shakes violently.45
24:20 The earth will stagger around46 like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm.47
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
The Lord Will Become King
24:21 At that time48 the Lord will punish49
the heavenly forces in the heavens50
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit,51
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time,52 they will be punished.53
24:23 The full moon will be covered up,54
the bright sun55 will be darkened;56
for the Lord who leads armies will rule57
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem58
in the presence of his assembly in majestic splendor.59