Joel 2-3

Holman Christian Standard Bible

2 Blow the horn in Zion;^(A)
sound the alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the residents of the land tremble,
for the Day of the Lord is coming;^(B)
in fact, it is near—
² a day of darkness and gloom,^(C)
a day of clouds and dense overcast,^(D)
like the dawn spreading over the mountains;
a great and strong people^(E) appears,
such as never existed in ages past^(F)
and never will again
in all the generations to come.^(G)

³ A fire destroys^[a] in front of them,^(H)
and behind them a flame devours.
The land in front of them
is like the Garden of Eden,^(I)
but behind them,
it is like a desert wasteland;^(J)
there is no escape from them.
⁴ Their appearance is like that of horses,^(K)
and they gallop like war horses.
⁵ They bound on the tops of the mountains.
Their sound is like the sound of chariots,^(L)
like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble,^(M)
like a mighty army deployed for war.

⁶ Nations writhe in horror before them;^(N)
all faces turn pale.
⁷ They attack as warriors attack;
they scale walls as men of war do.
Each goes on his own path,^(O)
and they do not change their course.
⁸ They do not push each other;
each man proceeds on his own path.
They dodge the arrows, never stopping.
⁹ They storm the city;
they run on the wall;
they climb into the houses;^(P)
they enter through the windows like thieves.^(Q)

¹⁰ The earth quakes before them;^(R)
the sky shakes.
The sun and moon grow dark,^(S)
and the stars cease their shining.^(T)
11 The Lord raises His voice^(U)
in the presence of His army.^(V)
His camp is very large;
Those who carry out His command are powerful.^(W)
Indeed, the Day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful^(X)—
who can endure it?^(Y)

¹⁵ Blow the horn in Zion!^(AH)
Announce a sacred fast;^(AI)
proclaim an assembly.
¹⁶ Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;^(AJ)
assemble the aged;^[b](AK)
gather the children,
even those nursing at the breast.
Let the groom leave his bedroom,^(AL)
and the bride her honeymoon chamber.
¹⁷ Let the priests,^(AM) the Lord’s ministers,
weep between the portico and the altar.^(AN)
Let them say:
“Have pity on Your people, Lord,^(AO)
and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace,^(AP)
an object of scorn among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”^(AQ)

Look, I am about to send you
grain, new wine, and olive oil.^(AT)
You will be satiated with them,
and I will no longer make you
a disgrace among the nations.^(AU)

²⁰ I will drive the northerner far from you^(AV)
and banish him to a dry and desolate land,
his front ranks into the Dead Sea,^(AW)
and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea.^(AX)
His stench will rise;
yes, his rotten smell will rise,^(AY)
for he has done catastrophic things.

²¹ Don’t be afraid, land;^(AZ)
rejoice and be glad,
for the Lord has done great things.^(BA)
22 Don’t be afraid, wild animals,
for the wilderness pastures have turned green,^(BB)
the trees bear their fruit,
and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.
²³ Children of Zion,^(BC) rejoice and be glad
in the Lord your God,^(BD)
because He gives you the autumn rain
for your vindication.^[c](BE)
He sends showers for you,
both autumn and spring rain^(BF) as before.
²⁴ The threshing floors will be full of grain,^(BG)
and the vats will overflow
with new wine and olive oil.

²⁵ I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust ate,^(BH)
the young locust, the destroying locust,
and the devouring locust—
My great army that I sent against you.
²⁶ You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.^(BI)
You will praise the name of Yahweh your God,^(BJ)
who has dealt wondrously with you.^(BK)
My people will never again be put to shame.^(BL)
27 You will know that I am present in Israel^(BM)
and that I am Yahweh your God,
and there is no other.^(BN)
My people will never again be put to shame.^(BO)

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations:^(CO)
Prepare for holy war;^(CP)
rouse the warriors;^(CQ)
let all the men of war advance and attack!
¹⁰ Beat your plows into swords
and your pruning knives into spears.^(CR)
Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”
¹¹ Come quickly,^[h] all you surrounding nations;
gather yourselves.^(CS)
Bring down Your warriors there, Lord.^(CT)

¹² Let the nations be roused
and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit down
to judge all the surrounding nations.^(CU)
13 Swing the sickle
because the harvest is ripe.^(CV)
Come and trample the grapes
because the winepress is full;^(CW)
the wine vats overflow
because the wickedness of the nations is great.^(CX)

¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes^(CY)
in the valley of decision!
For the Day of the Lord is near^(CZ)
in the valley of decision.
¹⁵ The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will cease their shining.^(DA)
16 The Lord will roar from Zion^(DB)
and raise His voice from Jerusalem;^(DC)
heaven and earth will shake.^(DD)
But the Lord will be a refuge for His people,^(DE)
a stronghold for the Israelites.^(DF)