Daily Bible Reading

Judgment on the Whole Earth

1Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate,

and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

2And 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.

3The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;

for the Lord has spoken this word.

4The earth mourns and withers;

the world languishes and withers;

the highest people of the earth languish.

5The earth lies defiled

under its inhabitants;

for they have transgressed the laws,

violated the statutes,

broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore a curse devours the earth,

and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;

therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,

and few men are left.

7The wine mourns,

the vine languishes,

all the merry-hearted sigh.

8The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,

the noise of the jubilant has ceased,

the mirth of the lyre is stilled.

9No more do they drink wine with singing;

strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

10The wasted city is broken down;

every house is shut up so that none can enter.

11There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;

all joy has grown dark;

the gladness of the earth is banished.

12Desolation is left in the city;

the gates are battered into ruins.

13For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth

among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten,

as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.

14They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;

over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.

15Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;

in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

16From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,

of glory to the Righteous One.

But I say, “I waste away,

I waste away. Woe is me!

For the traitors have betrayed,

with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”

17Terror and the pit and the snare

are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!

18He who flees at the sound of the terror

shall fall into the pit,

and he who climbs out of the pit

shall be caught in the snare.

For the windows of heaven are opened,

and the foundations of the earth tremble.

19The earth is utterly broken,

the earth is split apart,

the earth is violently shaken.

20The earth staggers like a drunken man;

it sways like a hut;

its transgression lies heavy upon it,

and it falls, and will not rise again.

21On that day the Lord will punish

the host of heaven, in heaven,

and the kings of the earth, on the earth.

22They will be gathered together

as prisoners in a pit;

they will be shut up in a prison,

and after many days they will be punished.

23Then the moon will be confounded

and the sun ashamed,

for the Lord of hosts reigns

on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

and his glory will be before his elders.

The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

1See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth

and devastate it;

he will ruin its face

and scatter its inhabitants—

2it will be the same

for priest as for people,

for the master as for his servant,

for the mistress as for her servant,

for seller as for buyer,

for borrower as for lender,

for debtor as for creditor.

3The earth will be completely laid waste

and totally plundered.

The Lord has spoken this word.

4The earth dries up and withers,

the world languishes and withers,

the heavens languish with the earth.

5The earth is defiled by its people;

they have disobeyed the laws,

violated the statutes

and broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore a curse consumes the earth;

its people must bear their guilt.

Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,

and very few are left.

7The new wine dries up and the vine withers;

all the merrymakers groan.

8The joyful timbrels are stilled,

the noise of the revelers has stopped,

the joyful harp is silent.

9No longer do they drink wine with a song;

the beer is bitter to its drinkers.

10The ruined city lies desolate;

the entrance to every house is barred.

11In the streets they cry out for wine;

all joy turns to gloom,

all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.

12The city is left in ruins,

its gate is battered to pieces.

13So will it be on the earth

and among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten,

or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.

14They raise their voices, they shout for joy;

from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.

15Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;

exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel,

in the islands of the sea.

16From the ends of the earth we hear singing:

“Glory to the Righteous One.”

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!

Woe to me!

The treacherous betray!

With treachery the treacherous betray!”

17Terror and pit and snare await you,

people of the earth.

18Whoever flees at the sound of terror

will fall into a pit;

whoever climbs out of the pit

will be caught in a snare.

The floodgates of the heavens are opened,

the foundations of the earth shake.

19The earth is broken up,

the earth is split asunder,

the earth is violently shaken.

20The earth reels like a drunkard,

it sways like a hut in the wind;

so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion

that it falls—never to rise again.

21In that day the Lord will punish

the powers in the heavens above

and the kings on the earth below.

22They will be herded together

like prisoners bound in a dungeon;

they will be shut up in prison

and be punished after many days.

23The moon will be dismayed,

the sun ashamed;

for the Lord Almighty will reign

on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

and before its elders—with great glory.