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Impending Judgement on the Earth

24Now the Lord is about to lay waste the earth and make it desolate,
   and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
² And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
   as with the slave, 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.
³ The earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly despoiled;
   for the Lord has spoken this word.

⁴ The earth dries up and withers,
   the world languishes and withers;
   the heavens languish together with the earth.
⁵ The earth lies polluted
   under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed laws,
   violated the statutes,
   broken the everlasting covenant.
⁶ Therefore a curse devours the earth,
   and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth dwindled,
   and few people are left.
⁷ The wine dries up,
   the vine languishes,
   all the merry-hearted sigh.
⁸ The mirth of the timbrels is stilled,
   the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
   the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
⁹ No longer do they drink wine with singing;
   strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.