Joel 2

1 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;

Blow a horn in Zion, And shout in My holy hill, All inhabitants of the earth tremble, For the Day of YHWH is coming, for [it is] near!

2 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 day of darkness and thick darkness, A day of cloud and thick darkness, As darkness spread on the mountains, A people numerous and mighty, Like there has not been from of old, And after it there is not again—Until the years of generation and generation.

3 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.

Before it fire has consumed, And after it a flame burns, As the Garden of Eden [is] the land before it, And after it a wilderness—a desolation! And also there has not been to it an escape,

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

As the appearance of horses [is] its appearance, And as horsemen, so they run.

5 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.

As the noise of chariots, they skip on the tops of the mountains, As the noise of a flame of fire devouring stubble, As a mighty people set in array for battle.

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

Pained are peoples from its face, All faces have gathered paleness.

7 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.

They run as mighty ones, As men of war they go up a wall, And they each go in his own ways, And they do not change their paths.

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

And each does not press his brother, They each go on in his way, If they fall by the missile, they are not cut off.

9 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.

In the city they run to and fro, On the wall they run, Into houses they go up by the windows, They go in as a thief.

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

At their face the earth has trembled, The heavens have shaken, Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up 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?

And YHWH has given forth His voice before His force, For His camp [is] very great, For mighty [is] the doer of His word, For great [is] the Day of YHWH—very fearful, And who bears it?

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

“And also now,” a declaration of YHWH, “Turn back to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, And with lamentation.”

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.

And tear your heart, and not your garments, And turn back to your God YHWH, For He [is] gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, And relenting from 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?

Who knows—He turns back, Indeed—He has relented, And He has left behind Him a blessing, A present and drink-offering of your God YHWH?

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

Blow a horn in Zion, Sanctify a fast—proclaim a restraint.

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.

Gather the people, sanctify an assembly, Assemble the aged, Gather infants and sucklings of the breasts, Let a bridegroom go out from his inner chamber, And a bride out of 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?

Let the priests weep between the porch and the altar, servants of YHWH, And let them say: “Have pity, O YHWH, on Your people, And do not give Your inheritance to reproach, To the ruling over them of nations, Why do they say among peoples, Where [is] their God?”

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

And let YHWH be zealous for His land, And 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.

Let YHWH answer and say to His people, “Behold, I am sending to you the grain, And the new wine, and the oil, And you have been satisfied with it, And I make you no longer a reproach among 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.

And the northern I put far off from you, And have driven him to a land dry and desolate, With his face toward the Eastern Sea, And his rear to the Western Sea, And his stink has come up, And his stench comes up, For he has exerted himself to work.”

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

Do not fear, O land! Be glad and rejoice, For YHWH has exerted Himself to work.

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.

Do not fear, O livestock of the field! For pastures of a wilderness have sprung up, For the tree has borne its fruit, Fig tree and vine have given their strength!

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].

And you sons of Zion, Be glad and rejoice in your God YHWH, For He has given to you the Teacher for righteousness, And causes a shower to come down to you, Early rain and spring rain [as] in the beginning.

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

And the floors have been full [with] pure grain, And the presses have overflown [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.

“And I have repaid to you the years that the locust consumed, The cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, My great force that I sent against 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.

And you have eaten, eating and being satisfied, And have praised the Name of your God YHWH, Who has dealt with you wonderfully, And My people are not ashamed for all time.

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.

And you have known that I [am] in the midst of Israel, And I [am] your God YHWH, and there is none else, And My people are not ashamed for all time.

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.

And it has come to pass afterward, I pour out My Spirit on all flesh, And your sons and your daughters have prophesied, Your old men dream dreams, Your young men see visions.

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

And also on the menservants and on the maidservants, In those days 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.

And I have given wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood, and fire, and columns of smoke.

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

The sun is turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, Before the coming of the Day of YHWH, The great and the fearful.

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.

And it has come to pass, Everyone who calls on the Name of YHWH is delivered, For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there is an escape, As YHWH has said, And among the remnants whom YHWH is calling!”