5. The people have defiled the earth by breaking God's laws and by violating the covenant he made to last for ever.
6. So God has pronounced a curse on the earth. Its people are paying for what they have done. Fewer and fewer remain alive.
7. The grapevines wither, and wine is becoming scarce. Everyone who was once happy is now sad,
8. and the joyful music of their harps and drums has ceased.
9. There is no more happy singing over wine; no one enjoys its taste any more.
10. In the city everything is in chaos, and people lock themselves in their houses for safety.
11. People shout in the streets because there is no more wine. Happiness is gone for ever; it has been banished from the land.
12. The city is in ruins, and its gates have been broken down.
13. This is what will happen in every nation all over the world. It will be like the end of harvest, when the olives have been beaten off every tree and the last grapes picked from the vines.
14. Those who survive will sing for joy. Those in the west will tell how great the Lord is,