1 The Lord is going to twist the earth out of shape and turn it into a desert. Everyone will be scattered,
2 including ordinary people and priests, slaves and slave owners, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, the rich and the poor.
3 The earth will be stripped bare and left that way. This is what the Lord has promised.
4 The earth wilts away;its mighty leaders meltto nothing.
5 The earth is pollutedbecause its peopledisobeyed the laws of God,breaking their agreementthat was to last for ever.
6 The earth is under a curse;its people are dying outbecause of their sins.