| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. | 1Look! The LORD is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. |
| 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 taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. | 2Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. |
| 3The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. | 3The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The LORD has spoken! |
| 4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. | 4The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away. |
| 5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. | 5The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant. |
| 6Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. | 6Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive. |
| 7The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh. | 7The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All the merrymakers sigh and mourn. |
| 8The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. | 8The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled; the happy cries of celebration are heard no more. The melodious chords of the harp are silent. |
| 9They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. | 9Gone are the joys of wine and song; alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth. |
| 10The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in. | 10The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out intruders. |
| 11There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. | 11Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has turned to gloom. Gladness has been banished from the land. |
| 12In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. | 12The city is left in ruins, its gates battered down. |
| 13When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. | 13Throughout the earth the story is the same— only a remnant is left, like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest. |
| 14They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. | 14But all who are left shout and sing for joy. Those in the west praise the LORD’s majesty. |
| 15Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. | 15In eastern lands, give glory to the LORD. In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. |
| 16From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. | 16We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth, songs that give glory to the Righteous One! But my heart is heavy with grief. Weep for me, for I wither away. Deceit still prevails, and treachery is everywhere. |
| 17Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. | 17Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth. |
| 18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. | 18Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare. Destruction falls like rain from the heavens; the foundations of the earth shake. |
| 19The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. | 19The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed; it is violently shaken. |
| 20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. | 20The earth staggers like a drunk. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy. |
| 21And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. | 21In that day the LORD will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. |
| 22And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. | 22They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished. |
| 23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. | 23Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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