Joel 2

1 Blow ye a horn in Zion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land, tremble, —for coming is the day of Yahweh, for it is near!—

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 obscurity and deep gloom, a day of cloud, and thick darkness, as dusk, spread over the mountains, —a people, many and bold, like whom, hath not been from age-past times, and, after whom, shall not be again unto the years of generation after generation.

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 Before him, hath a fire, devoured, and, after him, shall a flame, consume, —As the garden of Eden, is the land before him, but, after him, a desert most desolate, Moreover also, escape, giveth he none.

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 As the appearance of horses, is his appearance, and, as war-horses, so, shall they run:

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, shall they rattle along, like the noise of a flame of fire, devouring dry straw, —like a people bold, arrayed for battle.

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6 Because of him, shall peoples’, be in anguish, —all faces, have withdrawn their colour.

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

7 Like heroes, shall they run, like men of war, shall they mount a wall, —and, every one—along his own road, shall they march along, and shall not change their paths;

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 Nor, against each other, shall they strike, Each—on his own highway, shall they march, —though, in among the weapons, they fall, they shall not stop.

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 Upon the city, shall they leap, on the wall, shall they run, up the houses, shall they climb, —through the windows, shall they enter, like a thief,

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 Before him, hath quaked the earth, have trembled the heavens, —the sun and the moon, have become dark, and, the stars, have withdrawn 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 And, Yahweh, hath uttered his voice, before his host, for great indeed is his camp, for bold is he who executeth his word, —for great is the day of Yahweh, and awful exceedingly, Who then shall 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 Even now, therefore, urgeth Yahweh, Turn ye unto me, with all your heart, —and with fasting and with weeping, and with lamentation;

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

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, turn therefore, unto Yahweh your God, —for, gracious and full of compassion, is he, slow to anger, and abundant in loving- kindness, and will grieve over 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 knoweth, he may turn and grieve, —and leave behind him, a blessing, a meal-offering and a drink-offering, to Yahweh 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 ye a horn, in Zion, —hallow a fast, call a solemn assembly:

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

16 Gather the people, hallow a convocation, collect the elders, gather the children, and the sucklings of the breasts, —let the bridegroom, come forth, from his chamber, and the bride from her bower:

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 Between the porch and the altar, let the priests, weep, the attendants of Yahweh, —and let them say—Look with pity, O Yahweh, upon thy people, and do not deliver thine inheritance to reproach, that the nations, should mock them, Why should they say among 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 among the heathen, Where is their God?

18 And Yahweh became jealous for his land, —and took pity on his people;

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

19 Then answered Yahweh, and said to his people: —Behold me! sending you the corn, and the new wine and the oil, so shall ye be satisfied therewith; and I will not make you, any more, a reproach among 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 among the Gentiles.

20 And, the Northerner, will I remove far from you, and drive him into a land parched and desolate, with, his face, toward the eastern sea, and, his rear, toward the hinder sea, —then shall come up his ill odour, yea his stench, shall ascend, because he hath shown himself great in doing.

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 savor shall come up, and his stink come up, because he has wrought great things.

21 Be not thou afraid, O soil, —exult and rejoice, because Yahweh, hath shown himself great, in doing.

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

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field, for sprouted have the pastures of the wilderness, —for, the tree, hath borne its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine, have yielded their wealth.

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 Ye sons of Zion, then, exult and be glad in Yahweh your God, for he hath given you the seed-rain, in right manner, —Yea he hath caused to descend for you a down-pour, of seed-rain and of the harvest-rain in the first month;

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 So shall the threshing-floors, be filled, with corn, —and the vats, overflow, with new wine and oil.

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

25 Then will I make good to you the years which were eaten by the swarming locust, the grass locust, and the corn locust and the creeping locust, —even my great army, which I sent among 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 And ye shall eat and eat, and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Yahweh your God, who hath dealt with you wondrously, —so shall my people, not be abashed, unto times age-abiding.

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 So shall ye know that, in the midst of Israel, I am, and that, I, Yahweh, am your God, and none else, —and my people, shall not be abashed, unto times age-abiding.

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 And it shall come to pass, afterwards, 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 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 Moreover also, upon the servants and upon the handmaids—in those days, will I pour out my spirit;

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

30 And I will set forth wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, —blood, and fire, and columns of smoke:

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

31 The sun, shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, —before the coming of the great and awful day of Yahweh.

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

32 And it shall come to pass, whosoever, shall call on the name of Yahweh, shall be delivered, —For in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, shall be a delivered remnant, just as Yahweh hath said, and among the survivors, whom Yahweh doth call.

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.