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Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is at hand;

a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and gross darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains;—a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after them, to the years of generations and generations.

A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth; the land is as a garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness: yea, and nothing escapeth them.

The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so they run.

Like the noise of chariots, on the tops of the mountains, they leap; like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

Before them the peoples are in anguish: all faces turn pale.

They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and break not their ranks.

Neither doth one press upon another; they march every one in his path; and fall amid weapons, but are not wounded.

They spread themselves over the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in by the windows like a thief.

10 The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

11 And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for strong is he that executeth his word: for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can bear it?

12 Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning;

13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth? He might return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, an oblation and a drink-offering for Jehovah your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, hallow a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly;

16 gather the people, hallow the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride from her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare, O Jehovah, thy people, and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that they should be a byword of the nations. Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

18 Then Jehovah will be jealous for his land, and will have pity on his people.

19 And Jehovah will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I send you corn, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

20 And I will remove far off from you him [that cometh] from the north, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the hinder sea; and his stench shall come up, and his ill odour shall come up, for he hath exalted himself to do great things.

21 —Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for Jehovah doeth great things.

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring; for the tree beareth its fruit; the fig-tree and the vine yield full increase.

23 And ye, children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the early rain in due measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the early rain, and the latter rain at the beginning [of the season].

24 And the floors shall be full of corn, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of Jehovah your God, who hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, Jehovah, [am] your God, and there is none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterwards [that] I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

29 Yea, even upon the bondmen and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be changed to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.

32 And it shall be that whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be saved: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Jehovah hath said, and for the residue whom Jehovah shall call.

For behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall turn again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

I will also gather all the nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of my people and mine inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations: and they have parted my land;

and they have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, and have drunk [it].

Yea also, what have ye to do with me, O Tyre and Zidon, and all the districts of Philistia? Will ye render me a recompence? But if ye recompense me, swiftly [and] speedily will I bring your recompence upon your own head;

because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my beautiful pleasant things,

and the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the children of the Greeks, that ye might remove them far from their border.

Behold, I will raise them up out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will bring your recompence upon your own head.

And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far off: for Jehovah hath spoken.

Proclaim this among the nations: prepare war, arouse the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.

10 Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-knives into spears; let the weak say, I am strong.

11 Haste ye and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together. Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.

12 Let the nations rouse themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about.

13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down, for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of Jehovah is at hand in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

16 And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: and Jehovah will be a shelter for his people, and the refuge of the children of Israel.

17 And ye shall know that I, Jehovah, [am] your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain; and Jerusalem shall be holy, and no strangers shall pass through her any more.

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, in that they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah shall abide for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21 And I will purge them from the blood from which I had not purged them: for Jehovah dwelleth in Zion.

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)

The Nations Judged

[d]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes(DC) of Judah(DD) and Jerusalem,
I will gather(DE) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[e](DF)
There I will put them on trial(DG)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(DH) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.
They cast lots(DI) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine(DJ) to drink.

“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(DK) and all you regions of Philistia?(DL) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(DM) For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[f](DN) You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(DO) that you might send them far from their homeland.

“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,(DP) and I will return(DQ) on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons(DR) and daughters to the people of Judah,(DS) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(DT) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.(DU)

Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!(DV)
Rouse the warriors!(DW)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks(DX) into spears.(DY)
Let the weakling(DZ) say,
    “I am strong!”(EA)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble(EB) there.

Bring down your warriors,(EC) Lord!

12 “Let the nations be roused;
    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(ED)
for there I will sit
    to judge(EE) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(EF)
    for the harvest(EG) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(EH)
    for the winepress(EI) is full
    and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

14 Multitudes,(EJ) multitudes
    in the valley(EK) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(EL) is near
    in the valley of decision.(EM)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.(EN)
16 The Lord will roar(EO) from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem;(EP)
    the earth and the heavens will tremble.(EQ)
But the Lord will be a refuge(ER) for his people,
    a stronghold(ES) for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

17 “Then you will know(ET) that I, the Lord your God,(EU)
    dwell in Zion,(EV) my holy hill.(EW)
Jerusalem will be holy;(EX)
    never again will foreigners invade her.(EY)

18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(EZ)
    and the hills will flow with milk;(FA)
    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(FB)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house(FC)
    and will water the valley of acacias.[g](FD)
19 But Egypt(FE) will be desolate,
    Edom(FF) a desert waste,
because of violence(FG) done to the people of Judah,
    in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(FH)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(FI)
    No, I will not.(FJ)

The Lord dwells in Zion!(FK)

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.
  4. Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
  5. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
  6. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
  7. Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim