Joel 2

1 Blow the shofar in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD comes, for it is close at hand:

Sound the trumpet in Sion, make a proclamation in my holy mountain, and let all the inhabitants of the land be confounded: for the day of the Lord is near;

2 A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn spreading on the mountains, a great and strong people; there has never been the like, neither will there be any more after them, even to the years of many generations.

for a day of darkness and gloominess is near, a day of cloud and mist: a numerous and strong people shall be spread upon the mountains as the morning; there has not been from the beginning one like it, and after it there shall not be again even to the years of many generations.

3 A fire devours before them, and behind them, a flame burns. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them, a desolate wilderness. Yes, and no one has escaped them.

Before them is a consuming fire, and behind them is a flame kindled: the land before them is as a paradise of delight, and behind them a desolate plain: and there shall none of them escape.

4 Their appearance is as the appearance of horses, and they run as horsemen.

Their appearance is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they pursue.

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

As the sound of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, and as the sound of a flame of fire devouring stubble, and as a numerous and strong people setting themselves in array for battle.

6 At their presence the peoples are in anguish. All faces have grown pale.

Before them shall the people be crushed: every face [shall be] as the blackness of a cauldron.

7 They run like mighty men. They climb the wall like warriors. They each march in his line, and they don’t swerve off course.

As warriors shall they run, and as men of war shall they mount on the walls; and each shall move in his [right] path, and they shall not turn aside from their tracks:

8 One doesn’t jostle another. They each march in their own path. They burst through the defences and don’t break ranks.

and not one shall stand aloof from his brother: they shall go on weighed down with their arms, and they fall upon their weapons, yet shall they in no wise be destroyed.

9 They rush on the city. They run on the wall. They climb up into the houses. They enter in at the windows like thieves.

They shall seize upon the city, and run upon the walls, and go up upon the houses, and enter in through the windows as thieves.

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

Before them the earth shall be confounded, and the sky shall be shaken: the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their light.

11 The LORD thunders his voice before his army, for his forces are very great; for he is strong who obeys his command; for the day of the LORD is great and very awesome, and who can endure it?

And the Lord shall utter his voice before his host: for his camp is very great: for the execution of his words is mighty: for the day of the Lord is great, very glorious, and who shall be able to [resist] it?

12 “Yet even now,” says the LORD, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”

Now therefore, says the Lord your God, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with lamentation:

13 Tear your heart and not your garments, and turn to the LORD, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.

and rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for he is merciful and compassionate, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy, and repents of evils.

14 Who knows? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering and a drink offering to the LORD, your God.

Who knows if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord your God?

15 Blow the shofar in Zion! Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly.

Sound the trumpet in Sion, sanctify a fast, proclaim a [solemn] service:

16 Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her chamber.

gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the infants at the breast: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare your people, LORD, and don’t give your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say amongst the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Between the porch and the altar let the priests that minister to the Lord weep, and say, Spare your people, O Lord, and give not your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them, lest they should say amongst the heathen, Where is their God?

18 Then the LORD was jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

But the Lord was jealous of his land, and spared his people.

19 The LORD answered his people, “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied with them; and I will no more make you a reproach amongst the nations.

And the Lord answered and said to his people, Behold, I [will] send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied with them: and I will no longer make you a reproach amongst the Gentiles.

20 But I will remove the northern army far away from you, and will drive it into a barren and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its back into the western sea; and its stench will come up, and its bad smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things.

And I will chase away from you the northern [adversary], and will drive him away into a dry land, and I will sink his face in the former sea, and his back parts in the latter sea, and his ill savour shall come up, and his stink come up, because he has wrought great things.

21 Land, don’t be afraid. Be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things.

Be of good courage, O land; rejoice and be glad: for the Lord has done great things.

22 Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness spring up, for the tree bears its fruit. The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

Be of good courage, you beasts of the plain, for the plains of the wilderness have budded, for the trees have borne their fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded their strength.

23 “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD, your God; for he gives you the early rain in just measure, and he causes the rain to come down for you, the early rain and the latter rain, as before.

Rejoice then and be glad, you children of Sion, in the Lord your God: for he has given you food fully, and he will rain on you the early and the latter rain, as before.

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

And the floors shall be filled with corn, and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I sent amongst you.

And I will recompense you for the years which the locust, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, and the cankerworm have eaten, [even] my great army, which I sent against you.

26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and will praise the name of the LORD, your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people will never again be disappointed.

And you shall eat abundantly, and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of the Lord your God [for the things] which he has wrought wonderfully with you: and my people shall not be ashamed for ever.

27 You will know that I am amongst Israel, and that I am the LORD, your God, and there is no one else; and my people will never again be disappointed.

And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and [that] I am the Lord your God, and [that] there is none else beside me; and my people shall no more be ashamed for ever.

28 “It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.

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

29 And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.

And on my servants and on [my] handmaids in those days will I pour out of my Spirit.

30 I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.

And I will show wonders in heaven, and upon the earth, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke.

31 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord come.

32 It will happen that whoever will call on the LORD’s name shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and amongst the remnant, those whom the LORD calls.

And it shall come to pass [that] whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved: for in mount Sion and in Jerusalem shall the saved one be as the Lord has said, and they that have glad tidings preached to them, whom the Lord has called.