'Waste' in the Bible

“I will turn it into a wasteland;It will not be pruned or cultivated,But briars and thorns will come up.I will also command the clouds not to rain on it.”

Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered,“Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant,And houses are without peopleAnd the land is utterly desolate,

The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Moab:Because in a night Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined;Because in a night Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined.

The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Tyre:Wail, O ships of Tarshish,For Tyre is destroyed, without house, without harbor;It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus (Kittim).

Wail, O ships of Tarshish,For your stronghold [of Tyre] is destroyed.

Behold, the Lord lays waste to the earth, devastates it, twists and distorts its face and scatters its inhabitants.

The earth will be completely laid waste and utterly pillaged, for the Lord has spoken this word.

The highways are deserted, the traveler has ceased [to appear].The enemy has broken the covenant, he has rejected the cities,He has no regard for [any] man.

The burning will not be quenched night or day;Its smoke will go up forever.From generation to generation it will lie in ruins;No one will ever again pass through it.

It is true, O Lord, that the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries and their lands,

“Have you not heard [says the God of Israel]That I did it long ago,That I planned it in ancient times?Now I have brought it to pass,That you [king of Assyria] would [be My instrument to] turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

All the nations are as nothing before Him,They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

“In fact, all of these [pagan prophets and priests] are false;Their works are worthless,Their cast images are [merely] wind and emptiness.

“I will lay waste the mountains and hillsAnd wither all their vegetation;I will turn the rivers into coastlandsAnd dry up the ponds.

For the Lord, who created the heavens (He is God, who formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it to be a wasteland, but formed it to be inhabited) says this,“I am the Lord, and there is no one else.

“Your builders hurry;Your destroyers and devastatorsWill go away from you.

“For your ruins and desolate places and your land [once the scene] of destruction—Certainly now [in the coming years] will be too cramped for the inhabitants,And those who once engulfed you will be far away.

For the Lord will comfort Zion [in her captivity];He will comfort all her ruins.And He will make her wilderness like Eden,And her desert like the garden of the Lord;Joy and gladness will be found in her,Thanksgiving and the voice of a melody.

Break forth, shout joyfully together,You ruins of Jerusalem;For the Lord has comforted His people,He has redeemed Jerusalem.

“And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste];You will be called Repairer of the Breach,Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

“For the nation or the kingdom which will not serve you [Jerusalem] shall perish,And the nations [that refuse to serve] shall be utterly ruined.