Joel 2:1-21
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 2
1Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the Lord is coming; Indeed, it is near, 2A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations. 3A fire consumes before them, And behind them a flame devours. The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them, And nothing at all escapes them. 4Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run. 5 With a noise as of chariots They leap about on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, Like a mighty people drawn up for battle. 6Before them the people are in anguish; All faces turn pale. 7They run like warriors, They climb the wall like soldiers; And each of them marches in line, Nor do they lose their way. 8They do not crowd each other, Every warrior of them marches in his path; When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks. 9They storm the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter through the windows like a thief. 10Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon become dark, And the stars lose their brightness. 11The Lord utters His voice before His army; His camp is indeed very great, For mighty is one who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it? 12'Yet even now,' declares the Lord, 'Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning; 13And tear your heart and not merely your garments.' Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in mercy And relenting of catastrophe. 14Who knows, He might turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him, Resulting in a grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God. 15Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, 16Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Have the groom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. 17Let the priests, the Lord’S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, 'Spare Your people, Lord, And do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, With the nations jeering at them. Why should those among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’?' 18Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, And will have compassion for His people. 19The Lord will answer and say to His people, 'Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine, and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a disgrace among the nations. 20But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land, Its advance guard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up, Because it has done great things.' 21Do not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice, For the Lord has done great things.King James Version
11And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
12Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
17Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
Christian Standard Bible
2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.
3A fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame blazes. The land in front of them is like the garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland; there is no escape from them.
4Their appearance is like that of horses, and they gallop like war horses.
5They bound on the tops of the mountains. Their sound is like the sound of chariots, like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for war.
6Nations writhe in horror before them; all faces turn pale.
7They attack as warriors attack; they scale walls as men of war do. Each goes on his own path, and they do not change their course.
8They do not push each other; each proceeds on his own path. They dodge the arrows, never stopping.
9They storm the city; they run on the wall; they climb into the houses; they enter through the windows like thieves.
10The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.
11The Lord makes his voice heard in the presence of his army. His camp is very large; those who carry out his command are powerful. Indeed, the day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful — who can endure it?
12Even now— this is the Lord’s declaration— turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.
14Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him, so you can offer grain and wine to the Lord your God.
15Blow the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly.
16Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the infants, even babies nursing at the breast. Let the groom leave his bedroom, and the bride her honeymoon chamber.
17Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say: "Have pity on your people, Lord, and do not make your inheritance a disgrace, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’"
20I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done astonishing things.
21Don’t be afraid, land; rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done astonishing things.
New Living Translation
Chapter 2
1Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem ! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us. 2It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears. Nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again.
3Fire burns in front of them, and flames follow after them. Ahead of them the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes.
4They look like horses; they charge forward like warhorses.
5Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops. Listen to the noise they make — like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of fire sweeping across a field of stubble, or like a mighty army moving into battle.
6Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with terror.
7The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank.
8They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right position. They break through defenses without missing a step.
9They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows.
10The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.
12That is why the Lord says, 'Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.' Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
14Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before.
15Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting.
16Gather all the people — the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room.
17Let the priests, who minister in the Lord’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, 'Spare your people, Lord! Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’'
18Then the Lord will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land.
19The Lord will reply, 'Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations.
20I will drive away these armies from the north. I will send them into the parched wastelands. Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea, and those at the rear into the Mediterranean. The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.' Surely the Lord has done great things!
21Don’t be afraid, O land. Be glad now and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things.
English Standard Version
Chapter 2
1 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. 3 Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. 5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. 7Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. 8They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. 9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 11 The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it? 12"Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’" 18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. 19The Lord answered and said to his people, "Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. 20"I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. 21"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!New International Version
2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come.
3Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— nothing escapes them.
4They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.
5With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.
7They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course.
8They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks.
9They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.
10Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
11The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
12"Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."
13Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
14Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
15Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
16Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
17Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ "
18Then the Lord was jealous for his land and took pity on his people.
20"I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise." Surely he has done great things!
21Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things!
New King James Version
