Isaiah 24:7-11

24:7 The new wine dries up,

the vines shrivel up,

all those who like to celebrate ¹  groan.

24:8 The happy sound ²  of the tambourines stops,

the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,

the happy sound of the harp ceases.

24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; ³ 

the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

24:10 The ruined town ⁴  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ⁵ 

24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; ⁶ 

all joy turns to sorrow; ⁷ 

celebrations disappear from the earth. ⁸ 

Amos 6:3-7

6:3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, ⁹ 

but you establish a reign of violence. ¹⁰ 

6:4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, ¹¹ 

and sprawl out on their couches.

They eat lambs from the flock,

and calves from the middle of the pen.

6:5 They sing ¹²  to the tune of ¹³  stringed instruments; ¹⁴ 

like David they invent ¹⁵  musical instruments.

6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, ¹⁶ 

and pour the very best oils on themselves. ¹⁷ 

Yet they are not concerned over ¹⁸  the ruin ¹⁹  of Joseph.

6:7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, ²⁰ 

and the religious banquets ²¹  where they sprawl on couches ²²  will end.

Luke 21:34-36

Be Ready!

21:34 “But be on your guard ²³  so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. ²⁴  21:35 For ²⁵  it will overtake ²⁶  all who live on the face of the whole earth. ²⁷  21:36 But stay alert at all times, ²⁸  praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must ²⁹  happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Romans 13:11-14

Motivation to Godly Conduct

13:11 And do this ³⁰  because we know ³¹  the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers. 13:12 The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. 13:13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. 13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires. ³² 

[24:7]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.

[24:8]  ² tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).

[24:9]  ³ tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”

[24:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.

[24:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[24:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”

[24:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.

[24:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”

[6:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who push away a day of disaster.”

[6:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you bring near a seat of violence.” The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שֶׁבֶת (shevet, “seat, sitting”) is unclear in this context. The translation assumes that it refers to a throne from which violence (in the person of the oppressive leaders) reigns. Another option is that the expression refers not to the leaders’ oppressive rule, but to the coming judgment when violence will overtake the nation in the person of enemy invaders.

[6:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “beds of ivory.”

[6:5]  ¹² tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”

[6:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”

[6:5]  ¹⁴ sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).

[6:5]  ¹⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).

[6:6]  ¹⁶ sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).

[6:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”

[6:6]  ¹⁸ tn Or “not sickened by.”

[6:6]  ¹⁹ sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.

[6:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “they will go into exile at the head of the exiles.”

[6:7]  ²¹ sn Religious banquets. This refers to the מַרְזֵחַ (marzeakh), a type of pagan religious banquet popular among the upper class of Israel at this time and apparently associated with mourning. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 137-61; J. L. McLaughlin, The “Marzeah” in the Prophetic Literature (VTSup). Scholars debate whether at this banquet the dead were simply remembered or actually venerated in a formal, cultic sense.

[6:7]  ²² tn Heb “of the sprawled out.” See v. 4.

[21:34]  ²³ tn Grk “watch out for yourselves.”

[21:34]  ²⁴ sn Or like a thief, see Luke 12:39-40. The metaphor of a trap is a vivid one. Most modern English translations traditionally place the words “like a trap” at the end of v. 34, completing the metaphor. In the Greek text (and in the NRSV and REB) the words “like a trap” are placed at the beginning of v. 35. This does not affect the meaning.

[21:35]  ²⁵ tn There is debate in the textual tradition about the position of γάρ (gar) and whether v. 35 looks back to v. 34 or is independent. The textual evidence does slightly favor placing γάρ after the verb and thus linking it back to v. 34. The other reading looks like Isa 24:17. However, the construction is harsh and the translation prefers for stylistic reasons to start a new English sentence here.

[21:35]  ²⁶ tn Or “come upon.”

[21:35]  ²⁷ sn This judgment involves everyone: all who live on the face of the whole earth. No one will escape this evaluation.

[21:36]  ²⁸ sn The call to be alert at all times is a call to remain faithful in looking for the Lord’s return.

[21:36]  ²⁹ tn For the translation of μέλλω (mellw) as “must,” see L&N 71.36.

[13:11]  ³⁰ tn Grk “and this,” probably referring to the command to love (13:8-10); hence, “do” is implied from the previous verses.

[13:11]  ³¹ tn The participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[13:14]  ³² tn Grk “make no provision for the flesh unto desires.”