24:1. Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip it, and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof.
24:2. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest: and as with the servant so with his master: as with the handmaid, so with her mistress: as with the buyer, so with the seller: as with the lender, so with the borrower: as with him that calleth for his money, so with him that oweth.
24:3. With desolation shall the earth be laid waste, and it shall be utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
24:4. The earth mourned, and faded away, and is weakened: the world faded away, the height of the people of the earth is weakened.
24:5. And the earth is infected by the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant.
24:6. Therefore shall a curse devour the earth, and the inhabitants thereof shall sin: and therefore they that dwell therein shall be mad, and few men shall be left.
24:7. The vintage hath mourned, the vine hath languished away, all the merry have sighed.
24:8. The mirth of timbrels hath ceased, the noise of them that rejoice is ended, the melody of the harp is silent.
24:9. They shall not drink wine with a song: the drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
24:10. The city of vanity is broken down, every house is shut up, no man cometh in.