Joel 2:23-32
New International Version
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice(A) in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.(B)
He sends you abundant showers,(C)
both autumn(D) and spring rains,(E) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow(F) with new wine(G) and oil.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts(H) have eaten(I)—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm[a]—
my great army(J) that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,(K)
and you will praise(L) the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders(M) for you;
never again will my people be shamed.(N)
27 Then you will know(O) that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord(P) your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.(Q)
The Day of the Lord
28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit(R) on all people.(S)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(T)
your old men will dream dreams,(U)
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants,(V) both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.(W)
30 I will show wonders in the heavens(X)
and on the earth,(Y)
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness(Z)
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.(AA)
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord(AB) will be saved;(AC)
for on Mount Zion(AD) and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,(AE)
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors(AF)
whom the Lord calls.[b](AG)
Joel 2:23-32
The Message
The Trees Are Bearing Fruit Again
21-24 Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals!
The fields and meadows are greening up.
The trees are bearing fruit again:
a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!
Children of Zion, celebrate!
Be glad in your God.
He’s giving you a teacher
to train you how to live right—
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words
to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain,
casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
* * *
25-27 “I’ll make up for the years of the locust,
the great locust devastation—
Locusts savage, locusts deadly,
fierce locusts, locusts of doom,
That great locust invasion
I sent your way.
You’ll eat your fill of good food.
You’ll be full of praises to your God,
The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder.
Never again will my people be despised.
You’ll know without question
that I’m in the thick of life with Israel,
That I’m your God, yes, your God,
the one and only real God.
Never again will my people be despised.
The Sun Turning Black and the Moon Blood-Red
28-32 “And that’s just the beginning: After that—
“I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters.
Your old men will dream,
your young men will see visions.
I’ll even pour out my Spirit on the servants,
men and women both.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below:
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Judgment Day of God,
the Day tremendous and awesome.
Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!’
gets help.
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be a great rescue—just as God said.
Included in the survivors
are those that God calls.”
Joel 2:23-32
The Voice
23 People of Zion, shout with joy
and happiness in the Eternal, your God;
The drought is over; He has sent the early autumn rain as a sign of His faithfulness.
He has poured down heavy rain, autumn and spring, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be covered in grain;
the vats will spill over with new wine and fresh oil.
25 Eternal One: I will compensate you for the years
that the locusts have eaten—the swarming locusts,
The creeping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts—[a]
My great army that I unleashed against you.
26 In that day, you will eat plenty of food and always have enough,
so you will praise My name,
The Eternal One, your God who is merciful to you.
Never again will My people be shamed among the nations.
27 Return to Me and you will know that I live among My people Israel
and that I, the Eternal One, am your God and there is no other.
Never again will My people be shamed among the nations.
28 Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity;
your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God.
Your elders will dream dreams;
your young warriors will see visions.
29 No one will be left out. In those days I will offer My spirit
to all servants, both male and female.
30 In the heaven above and on the earth below,
I will give signs of My intervention: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
31 The sun will become a void of darkness, and the moon will become blood
just before the great and dreadful day of the Eternal One arrives.
Was the day of the Eternal One wonderful to long for or horrific to dread? For Joel, it is both. Each of the five times this day is mentioned, he expresses a different expectation. In Joel 1:15 the prophet signals distressing locust invasions, in Joel 2:1 the day is filled with human invaders against Jerusalem, and in Joel 2:11 it is a stunning event. But in Joel 2:31 the outlook begins to change. Not only is the earth transformed with the heavenly rains and Spirit of God, but also the celestial bodies cease to carry out their functions of giving light and setting seasons for the earth. Both in verse 31 and in Joel 3:14, the day of the Eternal is positive for Israel but ominous for all other nations. Now the tables have been turned, and Zion is not a mountain devoured by locusts and human armies. It is a wonderful garden where the Eternal One meets constantly with His people, surrounded by abundant and perennial agriculture.
32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Eternal One will be liberated.[b]
Mount Zion and Jerusalem will shelter those who survive exile,
Just as the Eternal says, “Among those who survived, He will call them.”
Notas al pie
- 2:25 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 2:28–32 Acts 2:17–21; Romans 10:13
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.