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—
²a 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)

³A 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.
⁴Their appearance is like that of horses,^(K)
and they gallop like war horses.
⁵They 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.

⁶Nations writhe in horror before them;^(N)
all faces turn pale.
⁷They 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.
⁸They do not push each other;
each man proceeds on his own path.
They dodge the arrows, never stopping.
⁹They storm the city;
they run on the wall;
they climb into the houses;^(P)
they enter through the windows like thieves.^(Q)

¹⁰The earth quakes before them;^(R)
the sky shakes.
The sun and moon grow dark,^(S)
and the stars cease their shining.^(T)
¹¹The 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)

God’s Call for Repentance

¹²Even now—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
turn to Me with all your heart,^(Z)
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.^(AA)
¹³Tear your hearts,^(AB)
not just your clothes,^(AC)
and return to the Lord your God.
For He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, rich in faithful love,
and He relents from sending disaster.^(AD)
¹⁴Who knows? He may turn and relent^(AE)
and leave a blessing behind Him,^(AF)
so you can offer grain and wine
to the Lord your God.^(AG)

¹⁵Blow the horn in Zion!^(AH)
Announce a sacred fast;^(AI)
proclaim an assembly.
¹⁶Gather 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.
¹⁷Let 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)

God’s Response to His People

¹⁸Then the Lord became jealous for His land^(AR) and spared His people.^(AS) ¹⁹The Lord answered His people:

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)

²⁰I 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.

²¹Don’t be afraid, land;^(AZ)
rejoice and be glad,
for the Lord has done great things.^(BA)
²²Don’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.
²³Children 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.
²⁴The threshing floors will be full of grain,^(BG)
and the vats will overflow
with new wine and olive oil.

²⁵I 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.
²⁶You 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)
²⁷You 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)

God’s Promise of His Spirit

²⁸^[d] After this^(BP)
I will pour out My Spirit^(BQ) on all humanity;^(BR)
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your old men will have dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
²⁹I will even pour out My Spirit
on the male and female slaves in those days.^(BS)
³⁰I will display wonders
in the heavens and on the earth:^(BT)
blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
³¹The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood^(BU)
before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the Lord comes.^(BV)
³²Then everyone who calls
on the name of Yahweh will be saved,^(BW)
for there will be an escape
for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
as the Lord promised,^(BX)
among the survivors the Lord calls.

Judgment of the Nations

3 ^[e]Yes, in those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,^(BY)
²I will gather all the nations^(BZ)
and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.^[f]^(CA)
I will enter into judgment with them there^(CB)
because of My people, My inheritance Israel.
The nations have scattered the Israelites
in foreign countries^(CC)
and divided up My land.^(CD)
³They cast lots for My people;^(CE)
they bartered a boy for a prostitute
and sold a girl for wine to drink.^(CF)

⁴And also: Tyre,^(CG) Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia^(CH)—what are you to Me? Are you paying Me back or trying to get even with Me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads.^(CI) ⁵For you took My silver and gold and carried My finest treasures^(CJ) to your temples. ⁶You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks^(CK) to remove them far from their own territory. ⁷Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them;^(CL) I will bring retribution on your heads. ⁸I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah,^(CM) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,^[g]^(CN) to a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken.

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

¹²Let the nations be roused
and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit down
to judge all the surrounding nations.^(CU)
¹³Swing 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)

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes^(CY)
in the valley of decision!
For the Day of the Lord is near^(CZ)
in the valley of decision.
¹⁵The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will cease their shining.^(DA)
¹⁶The 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)

Israel Blessed

¹⁷Then you will know
that I am Yahweh your God,^(DG)
who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain.^(DH)
Jerusalem will be holy,^(DI)
and foreigners will never overrun it again.^(DJ)
¹⁸In that day
the mountains will drip with sweet wine,^(DK)
and the hills will flow with milk.^(DL)
All the streams of Judah will flow with water,^(DM)
and a spring will issue from the Lord’s house,^(DN)
watering the Valley of Acacias.^[i]^(DO)
¹⁹Egypt will become desolate,
and Edom a desert wasteland,
because of the violence done to the people of Judah^(DP)
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
²⁰But Judah will be inhabited forever,^(DQ)
and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
²¹I will pardon their bloodguilt,^[j]^(DR)
which I have not pardoned,
for the Lord dwells in Zion.

Footnotes

Joel 2:3 Lit consumes
Joel 2:16 Or elders
Joel 2:23 Or righteousness
Joel 2:28 Jl 3:1 in Hb
Joel 3:1 Jl 4:1 in Hb
Joel 3:2 = The Lord Will Judge
Joel 3:8 Probably the south Arabian kingdom of Sheba (modern Yemen)
Joel 3:11 LXX, Syr, Tg read Gather yourselves and come; Hb obscure
Joel 3:18 Or Shittim
Joel 3:21 LXX, Syr read I will avenge their blood

Joel 2-3

New International Version

An Army of Locusts

2 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)—
²    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.

³Before 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.
⁴They have the appearance of horses;^(O)
    they gallop along like cavalry.
⁵With 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.

⁶At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;^(R)
    every face turns pale.^(S)
⁷They charge like warriors;^(T)
    they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,^(U)
    not swerving^(V) from their course.
⁸They do not jostle each other;
    each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
    without breaking ranks.
⁹They rush upon the city;
    they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;^(W)
    like thieves they enter through the windows.^(X)

¹⁰Before them the earth shakes,^(Y)
    the heavens tremble,^(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,^(AA)
    and the stars no longer shine.^(AB)
¹¹The 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.”

¹³Rend 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)
¹⁴Who 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.

¹⁵Blow the trumpet^(AT) in Zion,^(AU)
    declare a holy fast,^(AV)
    call a sacred assembly.^(AW)
¹⁶Gather 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.
¹⁷Let 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

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

¹⁹The 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)
²³Be 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.
²⁴The 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.
²⁶You 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)
²⁷Then 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.
²⁹Even on my servants,^(CQ) both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.^(CR)
³⁰I will show wonders in the heavens^(CS)
    and on the earth,^(CT)
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
³¹The 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)
³²And 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

3 ^[d]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes^(DC) of Judah^(DD) and Jerusalem,
²I 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.
³They cast lots^(DI) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine^(DJ) to drink.

⁴“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) ⁵For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.^[f]^(DN) ⁶You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,^(DO) that you might send them far from their homeland.

⁷“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. ⁸I 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)

⁹Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!^(DV)
Rouse the warriors!^(DW)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks^(DX) into spears.^(DY)
Let the weakling^(DZ) say,
    “I am strong!”^(EA)
¹¹Come 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.
¹³Swing 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!”

¹⁴Multitudes,^(EJ) multitudes
    in the valley^(EK) of decision!
For the day of the Lord^(EL) is near
    in the valley of decision.^(EM)
¹⁵The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.^(EN)
¹⁶The 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)
¹⁹But 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.
²⁰Judah will be inhabited forever^(FH)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
²¹Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?^(FI)
    No, I will not.^(FJ)”

The Lord dwells in Zion!^(FK)

Footnotes

Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / ¹⁹The Lord will reply
Joel 2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
Joel 2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.
Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
Joel 3:5 Or palaces
Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

New International Version (NIV)

Joel 2-3

Holman Christian Standard Bible

God’s Call for Repentance

God’s Response to His People

God’s Promise of His Spirit

Judgment of the Nations

Israel Blessed

Footnotes

Cross references

Joel 2-3

New International Version

An Army of Locusts

Rend Your Heart

The Lord’s Answer

The Day of the Lord

The Nations Judged

Blessings for God’s People

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Joel 2-3 Holman Christian Standard Bible

God’s Call for Repentance

God’s Response to His People

God’s Promise of His Spirit

Judgment of the Nations

Israel Blessed

Footnotes

Cross references

Joel 2-3 New International Version

An Army of Locusts

Rend Your Heart

The Lord’s Answer

The Day of the Lord

The Nations Judged

Blessings for God’s People

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Joel 2-3

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Joel 2-3

New International Version