The LORD Will Judge the Earth
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 common man,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 party19
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 in the midst of 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.30
24:14 They31
lift their voices and shout joyfully,
they praise32
the majesty of the LORD in the west.
24:15 So along the seacoasts33
extol the LORD,
along the seacoasts extol34
the fame35
of the LORD God of Israel.
24:16 From the ends of the earth we36
hear songs,
the Just One is majestic.37
But I38
say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!”39
24:17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth.40
24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit;
the one who climbs out of the pit,
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens41
are opened up,42
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.43
24:20 The earth will stagger around44
like a drunk,
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm.45
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never rise again.
The Lord Will Become King
24:21 At that time46
the LORD will punish47
the heavenly forces in the heavens,48
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit,49
locked up in a prison;
and after staying there for a long time,50
they will be punished.51
24:23 The full moon will be covered up,52
the bright sun53
will be darkened;54
for the LORD who leads armies will rule55
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
in the presence of his assembly in majestic splendor.56