Joel 2
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming—it's definitely near!
Blow trumpets on Zion [Hill], God’s sacred hill [in Jerusalem]! Tell the people of Judah that they should tremble, because it will soon be the time for Yahweh [to punish us further].
2 It's a gloomy day of darkness, a day of thick clouds and heavy shadows. Like the dawn spreading over the mountains, an army appears, so large and powerful that there has never ever been anything like it before, nor will there ever be anything like it again.
[That will be a very] dark and gloomy day; there will be [black] clouds and it will be very dark. A huge [swarm of locusts] has covered the mountains like [SIM] a black [cloud]. Nothing like this has ever happened before, and nothing like this will ever [happen] again.
3 Fire blazes in front of them, behind them flames are burning. In front of them the land looks like the Garden of Eden, behind them is a desert of total desolation: not a single survivor remains.
[It is as though the locusts bring] flames of fire from which no one can escape. In front of them, the land was [beautiful] like [SIM] the garden of Eden, but behind them [the land is like] a desert and nothing survives.
4 They have the appearance of horses; they charge like cavalry.
[The locusts] resemble horses, and they run like [SIM] war horses.
5 Listen to the sound: they are like rumbling chariots leaping over the mountain tops, they are like crackling flames burning stubble, they are like a mighty army marching in formation into battle.
Leaping over the mountaintops, they make a noise like rumbling chariots, like [SIM] a mighty army that is preparing for a battle, or like [SIM] the roar of a fire that burns up stubble [in a field].
6 Terror seizes all those in their path; all the people's faces grow pale.
When people see them coming, they become very pale and frightened.
7 They attack like mighty warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march as one, never breaking ranks.
[The locusts] climb over walls like soldiers do; they march along in columns and never turn aside [from their columns].
8 They do not jostle one another, they stay on track; and even if some are cut down, they are not stopped.
They rush straight ahead without pushing each other. [Even though people throw] spears and javelins at them, that will not cause them to stop.
9 They rush to and fro in the city; they run along the walls; they climb into houses, entering through the windows like thieves.
They swarm over the city walls and enter our houses; they enter through our windows like [SIM] thieves do.
10 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark, the stars stop shining.
[It is as though] they cause the earth to shake and the sky to tremble. The sun and the moon become dark and the stars do not shine [because there are so many locusts in the sky].
11 The Lord shouts his commands at the head of his army. His camp his immense, and those who carry out his orders are powerful. The day of the Lord is totally terrifying—who can stand it?
Yahweh leads this army [of countless locusts], and they obey his commands. This time when he is judging and punishing us is very terrible, [with the result that it seems that] no one [RHQ] can survive it.
12 “Yet even now,” says the Lord, “Come back to me while there is still time. Come to me with all your heart, with fasting and prayer.
But Yahweh says, “In spite of [these disasters that you have experienced], you can return to me with all your inner beings. Weep, and mourn, and (fast/abstain from eating food) [to show that you are sorry for having abandoned me].
13 Repent in your minds, and not by tearing your clothes.” Come back to the Lord your God for he is gracious and kind. He is slow to get angry and full of faithful love, and changes his mind about sending punishment.
Do not tear your clothes [to show that you are sorry]; instead, show [MET] that you are sorry.” Yahweh is merciful and kind; he does not quickly become angry; he faithfully loves [people]. He does not quickly become angry; instead, he greatly and faithfully loves [you], and he does not like to punish you.
14 Who knows? Maybe he will change his mind, leaving behind a blessing so that you will be able to make grain and wine offerings to the Lord your God.
No one knows [RHQ] if he will change his mind [about punishing you] and if instead he will act mercifully [toward you]. If he does that, he will bless you [by giving you plenty of grain and wine] in order that you can offer [some of] those things as sacrifices to him.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast; call a solemn assembly.
Blow the trumpets on Zion [Hill]! Gather the people together! Show by fasting that you are sorry [for the sins that you have committed].
16 Gather the people together: the elders, the children, even the babies. Let the bridegroom leave his room; let the bride leave her room.
Perform the rituals to cause yourselves to be acceptable to Yahweh. Gather everyone together— the old people and the children, even the babies, and summon brides and bridegrooms from their rooms.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar of the Temple. Let them say, “Lord, please take pity on your people, and do not let your inheritance be disgraced, ruled over by foreign nations, so that the people of these nations could ask, ‘Where is their God?’”
Tell the priests who serve Yahweh to cry between the altar and the entrance to the temple and to pray [this]: “Yahweh, rescue/save [us] your people; do not allow people from other nations to despise us; do not allow them to ridicule us and say, ‘Why has [RHQ] their God [abandoned them]?’”
18 Now the Lord is very protective of his land and takes pity on his people.
But Yahweh [showed that he] was concerned about his people and that he would act mercifully toward them.
19 The Lord will reply, saying to his people, “Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, and you will be satisfied. You will no longer be a disgrace among the foreign nations.
When the people prayed, Yahweh answered and said, “I will give you [plenty of] grain and wine and [olive] oil, and you will be satisfied. And I will no longer allow other nations to insult you.
20 I will remove from you the army from the north; I will drive them into the desolate wilderness—the front into the eastern sea, and the rear into the western sea. The stench of the dead army will rise up—a real stink—for it has done terrible things.”
Another army [of locusts will come] from the north [to attack you], but I will force them to continue [past Jerusalem] into the desert. Some will go into the Dead Sea in the east and some will go into the [Mediterranean] Sea in the west. [There] they will [all die, and their bodies] will stink.” Yahweh does great things!
21 Don't be afraid, people of the land! Be happy and celebrate, for the Lord has done incredible things!
He does wonderful things! So even the ground should rejoice!
22 Don't be afraid, wild animals! For the pastures of the wilderness are turning green. The trees are fruiting again—the fig trees and the grapevines are producing a good crop.
And the wild animals should not be afraid, because the meadows will soon become green again; the fig trees and [other] trees will be full of fruit, and the grapevines will be covered with grapes.
23 People of Jerusalem! Celebrate and be happy in the Lord your God because he has given you rain to show his goodness. As before he sends the autumn and the spring rains.
You people of Jerusalem, rejoice about what Yahweh, your God, [will be doing for you]. He will send abundant rain at the (right time/time when it is needed)— (in the spring/early in the year) and (in the autumn/late in the year) like he did previously.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, the vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
The ground where you thresh the grain will be covered with grain, and your vats where you store grape juice and [olive] oil will be full.
25 “I will give back to you what you lost over the years to the swarming, hopping, destroying, and cutting locusts, this great army that I sent against you.
[Yahweh said, ] “I will repay you for everything that was destroyed by those great swarms of locusts that I sent to attack you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, and you will be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God who has done miracles for you. My people will never again be ashamed.
You, my people, will eat until your stomachs are full. Then you will praise me [MTY], Yahweh, your God, for the wonderful things that I have done for you. And never again will you be disgraced.
27 You will know that I am in the midst of my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other. My people will never again be ashamed.
When that happens, you will know that I am [always] among you, and that I am Yahweh, your God, and that there is no other [God]. Never again will you be disgraced.”
28 After this I will pour out my spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will be my prophets, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.
“Some time later, I will give my Spirit to many [HYP] people. Your sons and daughters will proclaim messages that come directly from me. Your old men will have dreams [that come from me], and your young men will have visions [that come from me].
29 In those days I will also pour out my spirit on male slaves and female slaves.
At that time, I will give my Spirit even to servants, both men and women.
30 I will place wonders in the heavens and on earth: blood, and fire, and columns of smoke.
I will do unusual/amazing things on the earth and in the sky. [On the earth] [CHI], there will be much blood [shed] and [there will be very large] fires and smoke that resembles huge clouds.
31 The sun will turn dark, and the moon will turn red like blood at the coming of the great and fearful day of the Lord.”
[In the sky, ] the sun will become dark and the moon will become [as red as] [MET] blood. [Those things will happen] before that great and terrible day when [I], Yahweh, appear.
32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, rescued from Mount Zion and Jerusalem, as the Lord has said—these are among the survivors the Lord has called.
But at that time [I] will save everyone who worships me. I promise that some people in Jerusalem [DOU] will escape [those disasters]; those whom I have chosen will survive.”
