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The Day of the Lord

(A)Blow a trumpet in (B)Zion;
    sound an alarm on (C)my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
    for (D)the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
(E)a day of darkness and gloom,
    (F)a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
    (G)a great and powerful people;
(H)their like has never been before,
    nor will be again after them
    through the years of all generations.
(I)Fire devours before them,
    and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like (J)the garden of Eden before them,
    but (K)behind them a desolate wilderness,
    and nothing escapes them.
(L)Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
    and like war horses they run.
(M)As with the rumbling of chariots,
    they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of (N)a flame of fire
    devouring the stubble,
(O)like a powerful army
    drawn up for battle.
Before them peoples are in anguish;
    (P)all faces grow pale.
Like warriors they charge;
    like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
    they do not swerve from their paths.
They do not jostle one another;
    (Q)each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
    and are not halted.
(R)They leap upon the city,
    they run upon the walls,
(S)they climb up into the houses,
    (T)they enter through the windows (U)like a thief.
10 (V)The earth quakes before them;
    the heavens tremble.
(W)The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 (X)The Lord utters his voice
    before (Y)his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
    (Z)he who executes his word is powerful.
(AA)For the day of the Lord is (AB)great and very awesome;
    (AC)who can endure it?

Return to the Lord

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
    (AD)“return to me with all your heart,
(AE)with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13     and (AF)rend your hearts and not (AG)your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    (AH)for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    (AI)and he relents over disaster.
14 (AJ)Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
    and (AK)leave a blessing behind him,
(AL)a grain offering and a drink offering
    for the Lord your God?
15 (AM)Blow the trumpet in Zion;
    (AN)consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16     gather the people.
(AO)Consecrate the congregation;
    assemble the elders;
(AP)gather the children,
    even nursing infants.
(AQ)Let the bridegroom leave his room,
    and the bride her chamber.
17 (AR)Between the (AS)vestibule and the (AT)altar
    (AU)let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
    and make not your heritage a reproach,
    a byword among the nations.[a]
(AV)Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?’”

The Lord Had Pity

18 (AW)Then the Lord became jealous for his land
    (AX)and had pity on his people.
19 The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, (AY)I am sending to you
    grain, wine, and oil,
    (AZ)and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
    a reproach among the nations.
20 “I will remove the northerner far from you,
    and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard[b] into (BA)the eastern sea,
    and his rearguard[c] into (BB)the western sea;
(BC)the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
    for he has done great things.
21 “Fear not, O land;
    be glad and rejoice,
    for (BD)the Lord has done great things!
22 Fear not, (BE)you beasts of the field,
    for (BF)the pastures of the wilderness are green;
(BG)the tree bears its fruit;
    the fig tree and (BH)vine give their full yield.
23 (BI)“Be glad, O children of Zion,
    and (BJ)rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given (BK)the early rain for your vindication;
    he has poured down for you abundant rain,
    (BL)the early and (BM)the latter rain, as before.
24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
    the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will restore to you the years
    that (BN)the swarming locust has eaten,
(BO)the hopper, (BP)the destroyer, and (BQ)the cutter,
    (BR)my great army, which I sent among you.
26 (BS)“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
    and praise the name of the Lord your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people (BT)shall never again be put to shame.
27 (BU)You shall know that I am (BV)in the midst of Israel,
    and that (BW)I am the Lord your God (BX)and there is none else.
And my people (BY)shall never again be put to shame.

The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit

28 [d] (BZ)“And it shall come to pass afterwards,
    that (CA)I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
(CB)your sons and (CC)your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
29 (CD)Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

30 “And I will show (CE)wonders in the heavens and (CF)on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 (CG)The sun shall be turned to darkness, (CH)and the moon to blood, (CI)before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that (CJ)everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (CK)For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among (CL)the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:17 Or reproach, that the nations should rule over them
  2. Joel 2:20 Hebrew face
  3. Joel 2:20 Hebrew his end
  4. Joel 2:28 Ch 3:1 in Hebrew

An Army of Locusts

Blow the trumpet(A) in Zion;(B)
    sound the alarm on my holy hill.(C)

Let all who live in the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord(D) is coming.
It is close at hand(E)
    a day of darkness(F) and gloom,(G)
    a day of clouds(H) and blackness.(I)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
    a large and mighty army(J) comes,
such as never was in ancient times(K)
    nor ever will be in ages to come.

Before them fire(L) devours,
    behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,(M)
    behind them, a desert waste(N)
    nothing escapes them.
They have the appearance of horses;(O)
    they gallop along like cavalry.
With a noise like that of chariots(P)
    they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire(Q) consuming stubble,
    like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;(R)
    every face turns pale.(S)
They charge like warriors;(T)
    they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,(U)
    not swerving(V) from their course.
They do not jostle each other;
    each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
    without breaking ranks.
They rush upon the city;
    they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;(W)
    like thieves they enter through the windows.(X)

10 Before them the earth shakes,(Y)
    the heavens tremble,(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,(AA)
    and the stars no longer shine.(AB)
11 The Lord(AC) thunders(AD)
    at the head of his army;(AE)
his forces are beyond number,
    and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;(AF)
    it is dreadful.
    Who can endure it?(AG)

Rend Your Heart

12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return(AH) to me with all your heart,(AI)
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

13 Rend your heart(AJ)
    and not your garments.(AK)
Return(AL) to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,(AM)
slow to anger and abounding in love,(AN)
    and he relents from sending calamity.(AO)
14 Who knows? He may turn(AP) and relent(AQ)
    and leave behind a blessing(AR)
grain offerings and drink offerings(AS)
    for the Lord your God.

15 Blow the trumpet(AT) in Zion,(AU)
    declare a holy fast,(AV)
    call a sacred assembly.(AW)
16 Gather the people,
    consecrate(AX) the assembly;
bring together the elders,(AY)
    gather the children,
    those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom(AZ) leave his room
    and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister(BA) before the Lord,
    weep(BB) between the portico and the altar.(BC)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
    Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,(BD)
    a byword(BE) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?(BF)’”

The Lord’s Answer

18 Then the Lord was jealous(BG) for his land
    and took pity(BH) on his people.

19 The Lord replied[a] to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine(BI) and olive oil,(BJ)
    enough to satisfy you fully;(BK)
never again will I make you
    an object of scorn(BL) to the nations.

20 “I will drive the northern horde(BM) far from you,
    pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
    and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench(BN) will go up;
    its smell will rise.”

Surely he has done great things!
21     Do not be afraid,(BO) land of Judah;
    be glad and rejoice.(BP)
Surely the Lord has done great things!(BQ)
22     Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
    for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.(BR)
The trees are bearing their fruit;
    the fig tree(BS) and the vine(BT) yield their riches.(BU)
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
    rejoice(BV) in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
    because he is faithful.(BW)
He sends you abundant showers,(BX)
    both autumn(BY) and spring rains,(BZ) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
    the vats will overflow(CA) with new wine(CB) and oil.

25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts(CC) have eaten(CD)
    the great locust and the young locust,
    the other locusts and the locust swarm[b]
my great army(CE) that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,(CF)
    and you will praise(CG) the name of the Lord your God,
    who has worked wonders(CH) for you;
never again will my people be shamed.(CI)
27 Then you will know(CJ) that I am in Israel,
    that I am the Lord(CK) your God,
    and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.(CL)

The Day of the Lord

28 “And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit(CM) on all people.(CN)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(CO)
    your old men will dream dreams,(CP)
    your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants,(CQ) both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.(CR)
30 I will show wonders in the heavens(CS)
    and on the earth,(CT)
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness(CU)
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.(CV)
32 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord(CW) will be saved;(CX)
for on Mount Zion(CY) and in Jerusalem
    there will be deliverance,(CZ)
    as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors(DA)
    whom the Lord calls.[c](DB)

Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / 19 The Lord will reply
  2. Joel 2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
  3. Joel 2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.