24:3 The earth will be completely devastated
and thoroughly ransacked.
For the Lord has decreed this judgment. 1
24:4 The earth 2 dries up 3 and withers,
the world shrivels up and withers;
the prominent people of the earth 4 fade away.
24:5 The earth is defiled by 5 its inhabitants, 6
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation, 7
and broken the permanent treaty. 8
24:6 So a treaty curse 9 devours the earth;
its inhabitants pay for their guilt. 10
This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, 11
and are reduced to just a handful of people. 12
24:7 The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate 13 groan.
24:8 The happy sound 14 of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound of the harp ceases.
24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; 15
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
24:10 The ruined town 16 is shattered;
all of the houses are shut up tight. 17
24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; 18
all joy turns to sorrow; 19
celebrations disappear from the earth. 20
24:12 The city is left in ruins; 21
the gate is reduced to rubble. 22
24:13 This is what will happen throughout 23 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. 24
24:14 They 25 lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise 26 the majesty of the Lord in the west.
24:15 So in the east 27 extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol 28 the fame 29 of the Lord God of Israel.
24:16 From the ends of the earth we 30 hear songs –
the Just One is majestic. 31
But I 32 say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” 33
24:17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth! 34
24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit; 35
the one who climbs out of the pit,
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens 36 are opened up 37
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. 38
24:20 The earth will stagger around 39 like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. 40
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
24:21 At that time 41 the Lord will punish 42
the heavenly forces in the heavens 43
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, 44
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time, 45 they will be punished. 46
24:23 The full moon will be covered up, 47
the bright sun 48 will be darkened; 49
for the Lord who commands armies will rule 50
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem 51
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 52