Joel 2
1 Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, And shout ye in My holy hill, Tremble do all inhabitants of the earth, For coming is the day of Jehovah, for [it is] near!
Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming—it's definitely near!
2 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 it there hath not been from of old, And after it there is not again — till the years of generation and generation.
It's a gloomy day of darkness, a day of thick clouds and heavy shadows. Like the dawn spreading over the mountains, an army appears, so large and powerful that there has never ever been anything like it before, nor will there ever be anything like it again.
3 Before it consumed hath fire, And after it burn doth a flame, As the garden of Eden [is] the land before it, And after it a wilderness — a desolation! And also an escape there hath not been to it,
Fire blazes in front of them, behind them flames are burning. In front of them the land looks like the Garden of Eden, behind them is a desert of total desolation: not a single survivor remains.
4 As the appearance of horses [is] its appearance, And as horsemen, so they run.
They have the appearance of horses; they charge like cavalry.
5 As the noise of chariots, on the tops of the mountains they skip, As the noise of a flame of fire devouring stubble, As a mighty people set in array for battle.
Listen to the sound: they are like rumbling chariots leaping over the mountain tops, they are like crackling flames burning stubble, they are like a mighty army marching in formation into battle.
6 From its face pained are peoples, All faces have gathered paleness.
Terror seizes all those in their path; all the people's faces grow pale.
7 As mighty ones they run, As men of war they go up a wall, And each in his own ways they do go, And they embarrass not their paths.
They attack like mighty warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march as one, never breaking ranks.
8 And each his brother they press not, Each in his way they go on, If by the missile they fall, they are not cut off.
They do not jostle one another, they stay on track; and even if some are cut down, they are not stopped.
9 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.
They rush to and fro in the city; they run along the walls; they climb into houses, entering through the windows like thieves.
10 At their face trembled hath the earth, Shaken have the heavens, Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up their shining.
The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark, the stars stop shining.
11 And Jehovah hath given forth His voice before His force, For very great [is] His camp, For mighty [is] the doer of His word, For great [is] the day of Jehovah — very fearful, And who doth bear it?
The Lord shouts his commands at the head of his army. His camp his immense, and those who carry out his orders are powerful. The day of the Lord is totally terrifying—who can stand it?
12 And also now — an affirmation of Jehovah, Turn ye back unto Me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, And with lamentation.
“Yet even now,” says the Lord, “Come back to me while there is still time. Come to me with all your heart, with fasting and prayer.
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn back unto Jehovah your God, For gracious and merciful [is] He, Slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, And He hath repented concerning the evil.
Repent in your minds, and not by tearing your clothes.” Come back to the Lord your God for he is gracious and kind. He is slow to get angry and full of faithful love, and changes his mind about sending punishment.
14 Who knoweth — He doth turn back, Yea — He hath repented, And He hath left behind Him a blessing, A present and libation of Jehovah your God?
Who knows? Maybe he will change his mind, leaving behind a blessing so that you will be able to make grain and wine offerings to the Lord your God.
15 Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, Sanctify a fast — proclaim a restraint.
Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast; call a solemn assembly.
16 Gather the people, sanctify an assembly, Assemble the aged, Gather infants and sucklings of the breasts, Go out let a bridegroom from his inner chamber, And a bride out of her closet.
Gather the people together: the elders, the children, even the babies. Let the bridegroom leave his room; let the bride leave her room.
17 Between the porch and the altar weep let the priests, ministrants of Jehovah, And let them say: 'Have pity, O Jehovah, on Thy people, And give not Thy inheritance to reproach, To the ruling over them of nations, Why do they say among peoples, Where [is] their God?'
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar of the Temple. Let them say, “Lord, please take pity on your people, and do not let your inheritance be disgraced, ruled over by foreign nations, so that the people of these nations could ask, ‘Where is their God?’”
18 And let Jehovah be zealous for His land, And have pity on His people.
Now the Lord is very protective of his land and takes pity on his people.
19 Let Jehovah answer and say to His people, 'Lo, I am sending to you the corn, And the new wine, and the oil, And ye have been satisfied with it, And I make you no more a reproach among nations,
The Lord will reply, saying to his people, “Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, and you will be satisfied. You will no longer be a disgrace among the foreign nations.
20 And the northern I put far off from you, And have driven him unto a land dry and desolate, With his face unto the eastern sea, And his rear unto the western sea, And come up hath his stink, And come up doth his stench, For he hath exerted himself to work.
I will remove from you the army from the north; I will drive them into the desolate wilderness—the front into the eastern sea, and the rear into the western sea. The stench of the dead army will rise up—a real stink—for it has done terrible things.”
21 Do not fear, O land! joy and rejoice, For Jehovah hath exerted Himself to work.
Don't be afraid, people of the land! Be happy and celebrate, for the Lord has done incredible things!
22 Do not fear, O cattle of the field! For sprung forth have pastures of a wilderness, For the tree hath borne its fruit, Fig-tree and vine have given their strength!
Don't be afraid, wild animals! For the pastures of the wilderness are turning green. The trees are fruiting again—the fig trees and the grapevines are producing a good crop.
23 And ye sons of Zion, joy and rejoice, In Jehovah your God, For He hath given to you the Teacher for righteousness, And causeth to come down to you a shower, Sprinkling and gathered — in the beginning.
People of Jerusalem! Celebrate and be happy in the Lord your God because he has given you rain to show his goodness. As before he sends the autumn and the spring rains.
24 And full have been the floors [with] pure corn, And overflown have the presses [with] new wine and oil.
The threshing floors will be full of grain, the vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
25 And I have recompensed to you the years That consume did the locust, the cankerworm, And the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, My great force that I did send against you.
“I will give back to you what you lost over the years to the swarming, hopping, destroying, and cutting locusts, this great army that I sent against you.
26 And ye have eaten, eating and being satisfied, And have praised the name of Jehovah your God, Who hath dealt with you wonderfully, And not ashamed are My people to the age.
You will have plenty to eat, and you will be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God who has done miracles for you. My people will never again be ashamed.
27 And ye have known that in the midst of Israel [am] I, And I [am] Jehovah your God, and there is none else, And not ashamed are My people to the age.
You will know that I am in the midst of my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other. My people will never again be ashamed.
28 And it hath come to pass afterwards, I do pour out My Spirit on all flesh, And prophesied have your sons and your daughters, Your old men do dream dreams, Your young men do see visions.
After this I will pour out my spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will be my prophets, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.
29 And also on the men-servants, and on the maid-servants, In those days I do pour out My Spirit.
In those days I will also pour out my spirit on male slaves and female slaves.
30 And I have given wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, Blood and fire, and columns of smoke.
I will place wonders in the heavens and on earth: blood, and fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The sun is turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, Before the coming of the day of Jehovah, The great and the fearful.
The sun will turn dark, and the moon will turn red like blood at the coming of the great and fearful day of the Lord.”
32 And it hath come to pass, Every one who calleth in the name of Jehovah is delivered, For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there is an escape, As Jehovah hath said, And among the remnants whom Jehovah is calling!
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, rescued from Mount Zion and Jerusalem, as the Lord has said—these are among the survivors the Lord has called.
