CHAPTER 24

1 Behold, Jehovah emptieth the earth,
Maketh it bare,
Overturneth its face,
And scattereth its inhabitants.

2 And it shall be, as the people, so the priest;
As the servant, so his master;
As the maid, so her mistress;
As the buyer, so the seller;
As the lender, so the borrower;
As the usurer, so he that giveth usury. ³⁸¹³⁸¹     Or, As the creditor, so the debtor.

3 By emptying shall the earth be emptied,
And by plundering shall it be plundered;
For Jehovah hath spoken this word.

4 The earth hath lamented, and hath fallen;
The world hath languished, and hath fallen;
They who were the lofty people of the earth have languished.

5 And the earth hath been deceitful under its inhabitants;
Because they have transgressed the laws,
They have changed the ordinance,
They have broken the covenant of eternity.

6 Therefore hath the curse consumed the earth,
And its inhabitants are made desolate;
Therefore are the inhabitants of the earth burned,
And few men have been left.

7 The wine hath failed;
The vine hath languished;
All who were of joyful heart have groaned.

8 The joy of tabrets hath ceased,
The noise of them that exult is ended,
The mirth of the harp is silent.

9 They shall not drink wine with a song;
Strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10 The city of vanity is broken down;
Every house is shut up, that none may enter.

11 There is a cry about wine in the streets;
All joy is darkened;
The mirth of the land hath departed.

12 Desolation is left in the city,
And the gate is smitten with desolation.

13 For in the midst of the land,
In the midst of the peoples,
Thus shall it be as the shaking of an olive-tree,
And as the shaking of the grapes, when the vintage is ended.

14 They shall lift up their voice;
They shall shout for the majesty of the Lord;
They shall cry aloud from the sea.

15 Therefore glorify ye Jehovah in the valleys,
The name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs,
Glory to the Righteous One!

And I said, I have leanness! I have leanness! Wo to me!
The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously;
With treachery have the treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.

17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare,
Are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth!

18 And it shall come to pass,
That he who fleeth from the voice of fear,
Shall fall into the pit,
And he who goeth up out of the midst of the pit
Shall be taken in the snare;
For the windows from on high are opened,
And the foundations of the earth are shaken.

19 By bruising is the earth bruised;
By breaking down is the earth broken down;
By shaking is the earth shaken.

20 With reeling doth the earth reel, like a drunkard;
And it shall be removed, like a tabernacle;
And its transgression shall be heavy upon it;
And it shall fall, and shall not add to rise again.

21 And it shall be in that day,
Jehovah will visit
Upon the high army on high,
And upon the kings of the earth on the earth.

22 And with gathering together shall they be gathered together
Like prisoners in a dungeon;
And they shall be shut up in a prison;
Afterwards at the end of many days shall they be visited.

23 The moon shall be confounded,
And the sun shall be ashamed,
When Jehovah of hosts shall reign
In Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem;
And before his elders glory.