Joel 2
1 Blow ye the cornet in Zion, and sound an alarm on my holy mount; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh;
Synge ye with a trumpe in Sion, yelle ye in myn hooli hil. Alle the dwelleris of erthe be disturblid; for the dai of the Lord cometh,
2 It is a day of darkness and of gloom, a day of clouds and of tempestuous obscurity, like the morning-dawn spread out upon the mountains: a people numerous and strong, the like of which hath never been and after it there will be none any more, even to the years of all coming generations.
for the dai of derknessis and of myist is niy, the dai of cloude and of whirlewynde. As the morewtid spred abrood on hillis, a myche puple and strong. Noon was lijk it fro the bigynnyng, and after it schal not be, til in to yeeris of generacioun and of generacioun.
3 Before it devoureth a fire; and behind it singeth a flame: like the garden of 'Eden was the land before it [came], and after it is a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing escapeth from it.
Bifore the face therof schal be fier deuourynge, and after it schal be brennynge flawme; as a gardyn of liking the lond schal be bifor him, and wildirnesse of desert schal be after him, and noon is that schal ascape him.
4 Like the appearance of horses is its appearance; and like horsemen, so do they run.
The lokyng of hem schal be as the lokyng of horsis, and as horse men so thei schulen renne.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains do they leap; they are like the noise of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, as a strong people arrayed for a battle.
As the sown of cartis on the heedis of hillis thei schulen skippe; as the sowne of the flawme of fier deuourynge stobil, as a strong puple maad redi to batel.
6 At its presence the people are much pained: all the faces are covered with blackness.
Puplis schulen be turmentid of the face therof, alle facis schulen be dryuun in to a pot.
7 Like mighty men do they run; like men of war they climb up a wall; and they march every one on his own ways, and they turn not aside on their paths.
As stronge men thei schulen renne, as men werriours thei schulen stie on the wal. Men schulen go in her weies, and thei schulen not bowe awei fro her pathis.
8 And they do not press one another; every one on his beaten track do they go forward: and they pass through between war-like weapons, and change not their purpose.
Ech man schal not make streyt his brother, ech man schal go in his path; but also thei schulen falle doun bi wyndows, and schulen not be hirt.
9 Into the city they hasten forward; on the wall they run; into the houses they climb up; through the windows they make their entrance like a thief.
Thei schulen entre in to the citee, thei schulen renne on the wal; thei schulen stie on housis, thei schulen entre as a niyt theef bi wyndows.
10 Before them trembleth the earth; the heavens quake; the sun and the moon are obscured, and the stars withdraw their brightness.
The erthe tremblide of his face, heuenys weren mouyd, the sunne and the moone weren maad derk, and sterris withdrowen her schynyng.
11 And the Lord uttereth his voice before his army; for very numerous is his camp; for strong is he that executeth his word; for great is the day of the Lord and very terrible; and who is able to endure it?
And the Lord yaf his vois bifor the face of his oost, for hise oostis ben ful manye; for tho ben stronge, and doen the word of hym. For the dai of the Lord is greet, and ful ferdful, and who schal suffre it?
12 But even now also, saith the Lord, return ye fully to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Now therfor seith the Lord, Be ye conuertid to me in al youre herte, in fastyng, and wepyng, and weilyng;
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and return unto the Lord your God; for gracious and merciful is he, long suffering, and of great kindness, and he bethinketh himself of the evil.
and kerue ye youre hertis, and not youre clothis, and be ye conuertid to youre Lord God, for he is benygne, and merciful, pacient, and of myche merci, and abidynge, ether foryyuynge, on malice.
14 He that is conscious [of guilt], let him return and repent: when [the plague] may leave behind it a blessing; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God.
Who woot, if God be conuertid, and foryyue, and leeue blessyng aftir hym? sacrifice and moist sacrifice to oure Lord God.
15 Blow the cornet in Zion, sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly;
Synge ye with a trumpe in Sion, halewe ye fastyng, clepe ye cumpany; gadere ye togidere the puple, halewe ye the chirche,
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
gadere ye togidere elde men, gadere ye togidere litle children, and soukynge the brestis; a spouse go out of his bed, and a spousesse of hir chaumbre.
17 Between the porch and the altar let the priests weep, the ministers of the Lord, and let them say, Spare, O Lord, thy people, and give not up thy heritage to reproach, for nations to make a by-word of them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Prestis, the mynystris of the Lord, schulen wepe bitwixe the porche and the auter, and schulen seie, Lord! spare thou, spare thi puple, and yyue thou not thin eritage in to schenschipe, that naciouns be lordis of hem. Whi seien thei among puplis, Where is the God of hem?
18 And the Lord was zealous for his land, and he had pity for his people.
The Lord louyde gelousli his lond, and sparide his puple.
19 And the Lord answered and said unto his people, “Behold, I will send you the corn, and the young wine, and the oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will not give you up any more to be a reproach among the nations:
And the Lord answeride, and seide to his puple, Lo! Y schal sende to you wheete, and wyn, and oile, and ye schulen be fillid with tho; and Y schal no more yyue you schenschipe among hethene men.
20 And the host of the north will I remove far away from you, and I will drive it off into a land barren and desolate, with its advance toward the eastern sea, and its rereward toward the western sea; and its stench shall ascend, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things.”
And Y schal make hym that is at the north fer fro you; and Y schal cast hym out in to a lond with out weie, and desert; his face ayens the eest see, and the laste part therof at the last see; and the stynk therof schal stie, and the root therof schal stie, for he dide proudli.
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice; for the Lord hath done great things.
Erthe, nyle thou drede, make thou ful out ioye, and be glad; for the Lord magnefiede that he schulde do.
22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness have become green; for the tree beareth its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine yield their strength.
Beestis of the cuntrei, nyle ye drede, for the faire thingis of desert buriowneden; for the tre brouyte his fruyt, the fige tre and vyner yauen her vertu.
23 And ye children of Zion, be glad, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he hath given you the first rain in beneficence, and he hath caused to come down for you the rain, the first rain, and the latter rain in the first [month].
And the sones of Sion, make ye ful out ioie, and be ye glad in youre Lord God, for he yaf to you a techere of riytfulnesse, and he schal make morewtid reyn and euentid reyn to come doun to you, as in the bigynnyng.
24 And the threshing-floors are full of corn, and the vats overflow with young wine and oil.
And cornflooris schulen be fillid of wheete, and pressours schulen flowe with wyn, and oile.
25 And I will repay to you the years [in] which the locust hath eaten [all], with the cankerworm, and the cricket, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I had sent against you.
And Y schal yelde to you the yeris whiche the locuste, bruke, and rust, and wort worm, my greet strengthe, eet, which Y sente in to you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall not be made ashamed unto eternity.
And ye schulen ete etyng, and ye schulen be fillid; and ye schulen herie the name of youre Lord God, that made merueils with you; and my puple schal not be schent with outen ende.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else; and my people shall not be made ashamed unto eternity.
And ye schulen wite, that Y am in the myddis of Israel; and Y am youre Lord God, and `noon is more; and my puple schal not be schent with outen ende.
28 And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit over all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams: your young men shall see visions:
And it schal be, aftir these thingis Y schal schede out my spirit on ech man, and youre sones and youre douytris schulen profesie; youre elde men schulen dreme dremes, and youre yonge men schulen se visiouns.
29 And also over the men-servants and over the maid-servants in those days will I pour out my spirit.
But also Y schal schede out my spirit on my seruauntis, and handmaydis, in tho daies;
30 And I will display wonderful tokens in the heavens and on the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
and Y schal yyue grete wondris in heuene, and in erthe, blood, and fier, and the heete of smoke.
31 The sun shall be changed into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the day of the Lord, the great and the terrible.
The sunne schal be turned in to derknessis, and the moone in to blood, bifor that the greet dai and orrible of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall escape; for on mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and among the remnant whom the Lord calleth.
And it schal be, ech that clepith to helpe the name of the Lord, schal be saaf; for whi saluacioun schal be in the hil of Sion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord seide, and in the residue men, whiche the Lord clepith.
