76 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
76 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 24
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1 Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth
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and make it a vast wasteland.
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He devastates the surface of the earth
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and scatters the people.
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2 Priests and laypeople,
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servants and masters,
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maids and mistresses,
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buyers and sellers,
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lenders and borrowers,
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bankers and debtors—none will be spared.
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3 The earth will be completely emptied and looted.
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The Lord has spoken!
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4 The earth mourns and dries up,
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and the land wastes away and withers.
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Even the greatest people on earth waste away.
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5 The earth suffers for the sins of its people,
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for they have twisted God’s instructions,
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violated his laws,
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and broken his everlasting covenant.
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6 Therefore, a curse consumes the earth.
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Its people must pay the price for their sin.
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They are destroyed by fire,
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and only a few are left alive.
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7 The grapevines waste away,
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and there is no new wine.
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All the merrymakers sigh and mourn.
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8 The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled;
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the happy cries of celebration are heard no more.
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The melodious chords of the harp are silent.
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9 Gone are the joys of wine and song;
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alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth.
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10 The city writhes in chaos;
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every home is locked to keep out intruders.
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11 Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine.
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Joy has turned to gloom.
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Gladness has been banished from the land.
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12 The city is left in ruins,
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its gates battered down.
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13 Throughout the earth the story is the same—
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only a remnant is left,
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like the stray olives left on the tree
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or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest.
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14 But all who are left shout and sing for joy.
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Those in the west praise the Lord’s majesty.
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15 In eastern lands, give glory to the Lord.
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In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
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16 We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth,
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songs that give glory to the Righteous One!
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But my heart is heavy with grief.
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Weep for me, for I wither away.
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Deceit still prevails,
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and treachery is everywhere.
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17 Terror and traps and snares will be your lot,
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you people of the earth.
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18 Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,
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and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare.
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Destruction falls like rain from the heavens;
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the foundations of the earth shake.
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19 The earth has broken up.
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It has utterly collapsed;
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it is violently shaken.
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20 The earth staggers like a drunk.
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It trembles like a tent in a storm.
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It falls and will not rise again,
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for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy.
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21 In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens
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and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.
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22 They will be rounded up and put in prison.
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They will be shut up in prison
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and will finally be punished.
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23 Then the glory of the moon will wane,
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and the brightness of the sun will fade,
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for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion.
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He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem,
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in the sight of all the leaders of his people. |