¹¹ Then I said, Lord, how long? And he said in answer, Till the towns are waste and unpeopled, and the houses have no men, and the land becomes completely waste,

⁷ Your country has become waste; your towns are burned with fire; as for your land, it is overturned before your eyes, made waste and overcome by men from strange lands.

²⁶ And in the public places of her towns will be sorrow and weeping; and she will be seated on the earth, waste and uncovered.

³¹ And I will make your towns waste and send destruction on your holy places; I will take no pleasure in the smell of your sweet perfumes;

⁵ How long, O Lord? will you be angry for ever? will your wrath go on burning like fire?

¹³ Come back, O Lord; how long? let your purpose for your servants be changed.

³ How long will sinners, O Lord, how long will sinners have joy over us?

¹ See, the Lord is making the earth waste and unpeopled, he is turning it upside down, and sending the people in all directions.

² And it will be the same for the people as for the priest; for the servant as for his master; and for the woman-servant as for her owner; the same for the one offering goods for a price as for him who takes them; the same for him who gives money at interest and for him who takes it; the same for him who lets others have the use of his property as for those who make use of it.

³ The earth will be completely waste and without men; for this is the word of the Lord.

⁴ The earth is sorrowing and wasting away, the world is full of grief and wasting away, the high ones of the earth come to nothing.

⁵ The earth has been made unclean by those living in it; because the laws have not been kept by them, the orders have been changed, and the eternal agreement has been broken.

⁶ For this cause the earth is given up to the curse, and those in it are judged as sinners: for this cause those living on the earth are burned up, and the rest are small in number.

⁷ The new wine is thin, the vine is feeble, and all the glad-hearted make sounds of grief.

⁸ The pleasing sound of all instruments of music has come to an end, and the voices of those who are glad.

⁹ There is no more drinking of wine with a song; strong drink will be bitter to those who take it.

¹⁰ The town is waste and broken down: every house is shut up, so that no man may come in.

¹¹ There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; there is an end of all delight, the joy of the land is gone.

¹² In the town all is waste, and in the public place is destruction.

¹⁰ O God, how long will those who are against us say cruel things? will the hater go on looking down on your name for ever?