| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants. | 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 creditor, so with the debtor. | 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 entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word. | 3The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The LORD has spoken! |
| 4The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. | 4The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away. |
| 5The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, 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 the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are 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 fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh. | 7The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All the merrymakers sigh and mourn. |
| 8The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases. | 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 is bitter to those who 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, so that none may go in. | 10The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out intruders. |
| 11There is a cry 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 desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction. | 12The city is left in ruins, its gates battered down. |
| 13When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of 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. |
| 15Therefore glorify the LORD in the dawning light, The name of the LORD God of Israel in the coastlands 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 ends of the earth we have heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I said, “I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Indeed, 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 you, O inhabitant of the earth. | 17Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth. |
| 18And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken. | 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 violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken 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 totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will 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. |
| 21It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth. | 21In that day the LORD will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. |
| 22They will be gathered together, As prisoners are gathered in the pit, And will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished. | 22They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished. |
| 23Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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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