Joel 2

1 Let the horn be sounded in Zion, and a war-cry in my holy mountain; let all the people of the land be troubled: for the day of the Lord is coming;

Blow a horn in Zion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord comes, for near is

2 For a day of dark and deep shade is near, a day of cloud and black night: like a black cloud a great and strong people is covering the mountains; there has never been any like them and will not be after them again, from generation to generation.

the day of darkness and gloom, the day of cloud and thick darkness! Like the light of dawn scattered over the mountains, a people great and powerful; its like has not been from of old, neither will be any more after it, even to the years of coming ages.

3 Before them fire sends destruction, and after them flame is burning: the land is like the garden of Eden before them, and after them an unpeopled waste; truly, nothing has been kept safe from them.

Before them the fire devours, and behind them a flame burns; like the garden of Eden is the land before them, and after them it is a desolate desert, nothing escapes them.

4 Their form is like the form of horses, and they are running like war-horses.

Their appearance is as the appearance of horses, and like horsemen they charge.

5 Like the sound of war-carriages they go jumping on the tops of the mountains; like the noise of a flame of fire burning up the grain-stems, like a strong people lined up for the fight.

Like the sound of chariots on the tops of the mountains they leap, like the crackle of flames devouring stubble, like a mighty people preparing for battle.

6 At their coming the people are bent with pain: all faces become red together.

Peoples are in anguish before them, all faces grow pale.

7 They are running like strong men, they go over the wall like men of war; every man goes straight on his way, their lines are not broken.

Like mighty men they run, like warriors they mount up a wall, they march each by himself, they break not their ranks,

8 No one is pushing against another; everyone goes straight on his way: bursting through the sword points, their order is not broken.

none jostles the other. They march each in his path. They fall upon the weapons without breaking.

9 They make a rush on the town, running on the wall; they go up into the houses and in through the windows like a thief.

They scour the city, they run on the wall. They climb up into the houses. Like a thief they enter the windows.

10 The earth is troubled before them and the heavens are shaking: the sun and the moon have become dark, and the stars keep back their shining:

Earth trembles before them, the sky quakes, the sun and moon become dark, and the stars withdraw their shining;

11 And the Lord is thundering before his forces; for very great is his army; for he is strong who gives effect to his word: for the day of the Lord is great and greatly to be feared, and who has strength against it?

and the Lord utters his voice before his army, for his host is exceedingly great. Mighty is he who performs his word. For great is the day of the Lord, it is terrible, who can endure it?

12 But even now, says the Lord, come back to me with all your heart, keeping from food, with weeping and with sorrow:

But now this is the message of the Lord: Turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting and weeping and mourning,

13 Let your hearts be broken, and not your clothing, and come back to the Lord your God: for he is full of grace and pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, ready to be turned from his purpose of punishment.

rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God; for he indeed is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and plenteous in love, and relents of the evil.

14 May it not be that he will again let his purpose be changed and let a blessing come after him, even a meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?

Who knows but he will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal and drink-offering for the Lord your God.

15 Let a horn be sounded in Zion, let a time be fixed for going without food, have a holy meeting:

Blow a horn in Zion, sanctify a fast, summon an assembly,

16 Get the people together, make the mass of the people holy, send for the old men, get together the children and babies at the breast: let the newly married man come out of his room and the bride from her tent.

gather the people, make holy the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and the infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber, and the bride from her bridal tent.

17 Let the priests, the servants of the Lord, be weeping between the covered way and the altar, and let them say, Have mercy on your people, O Lord, do not give up your heritage to shame, so that the nations become their rulers: why let them say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Between the porch and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord weep aloud, let them say: Spare, the Lord, your people. Make not your heritage an object of reproach, for the heathen to mock them. Why should it be said among the nations, “Where is their God?”

18 Then the Lord had a care for the honour of his land and had pity on his people.

Then the Lord became deeply concerned for his land, and took pity upon his people,

19 And the Lord made answer and said to his people, See, I will send you grain and wine and oil in full measure: and I will no longer let you be shamed among the nations:

and the Lord answered and said to his people: I will send you corn, wine, and oil. You will be satisfied. I will not make you again an object of scorn among the nations,

20 I will send the one from the north far away from you, driving him into a dry and waste land, with his front to the sea of the east and his back to the sea of the west, and the smell of him will go up, even his evil smell will go up.

I will remove far from you the northern foe, and I will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear to the western sea. And from it a stench will arise. He has done great things!

21 Have no fear, O land; be glad with great joy; for the Lord has done great things.

Fear not, land, exult. Rejoice for the Lord has done great things!

22 Have no fear, you beasts of the field, for the grass-lands of the waste are becoming green, for the trees are producing fruit, the fig-tree and the vine give out their strength.

Fear not, animals of the field. For the pastures of the wilderness are putting forth new grass, for the trees bear their fruit, fig tree and vine yield full harvest.

23 Be glad, then, you children of Zion, and have joy in the Lord your God: for he gives you food in full measure, making the rain come down for you, the early and the late rain as at the first.

Be glad, then, children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the early rain in just measure, and poured down upon you the winter rain, and sent the latter rain as before.

24 And the floors will be full of grain, and the crushing-places overflowing with wine and oil.

The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

25 I will give back to you the years which were food for the locust, the plant-worm, the field-fly, and the worm, my great army which I sent among you.

I will repay you for the years which the swarming locust has eaten. The hopping, the destroying, and the cutting locusts, my great army which I sent among you, and my people will never again be put to shame.

26 You will have food in full measure, and give praise to the name of the Lord your God, who has done wonders for you:

You will eat your food and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt so wonderfully by you,

27 And you will be certain that I am in Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other: and my people will never be shamed.

and you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, that I am the Lord your God and none else, and my people will never again be put to shame.

28 And after that, it will come about, says the Lord, that I will send my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will be prophets, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions:

Afterwards, I will pour out my spirit on everyone. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions,

29 And on the servants and the servant-girls in those days I will send my spirit.

and even on your male and female slaves in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

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

And I will show signs in the sky and on earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun will be made dark and the moon turned to blood, before the great day of the Lord comes, a day to be feared.

The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.

32 And it will be that whoever makes his prayer to the name of the Lord will be kept safe: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem some will be kept safe, as the Lord has said, and will be among the small band marked out by the Lord.

But whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, even as the Lord has said, and among the fugitives those whom the Lord calls.