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!—

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 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.

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 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 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 As the appearance of horses, is his appearance, and, as war-horses, so, shall 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, shall they rattle along, like the noise of a flame of fire, devouring dry straw, —like a people bold, arrayed for battle.

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6 Because of him, shall peoples’, be in anguish, —all faces, have withdrawn their colour.

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

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;

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 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 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 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,

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 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;

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, 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 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 Even now, therefore, urgeth Yahweh, Turn ye unto me, with all your heart, —and with fasting and with weeping, and with lamentation;

“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, 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 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 may turn and grieve, —and leave behind him, a blessing, a meal-offering and a drink-offering, to Yahweh 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 ye a horn, in Zion, —hallow a fast, call a solemn assembly:

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

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 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 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?

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

And let YHWH be zealous for His land, And have pity on 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.

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

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 sprouted have the pastures of the wilderness, —for, the tree, hath borne its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine, have yielded their wealth.

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 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;

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 So shall the threshing-floors, be filled, with corn, —and the vats, 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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 Moreover also, upon the servants 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 set forth wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, —blood, and fire, and columns 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 turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, —before the coming of the great and awful day of Yahweh.

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 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 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!”