Joel 2-3

New International Version

An Army of Locusts

2 Blow the trumpet^(A) in Zion;^(B)
sound the alarm on my holy hill.^(C)

Let all who live in the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord^(D) is coming.
It is close at hand^(E)—
²    a day of darkness^(F) and gloom,^(G)
    a day of clouds^(H) and blackness.^(I)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
    a large and mighty army^(J) comes,
such as never was in ancient times^(K)
    nor ever will be in ages to come.

³Before them fire^(L) devours,
    behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,^(M)
    behind them, a desert waste^(N)—
    nothing escapes them.
⁴They have the appearance of horses;^(O)
    they gallop along like cavalry.
⁵With a noise like that of chariots^(P)
    they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire^(Q) consuming stubble,
    like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

⁶At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;^(R)
    every face turns pale.^(S)
⁷They charge like warriors;^(T)
    they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,^(U)
    not swerving^(V) 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;^(W)
    like thieves they enter through the windows.^(X)

¹⁰Before them the earth shakes,^(Y)
    the heavens tremble,^(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,^(AA)
    and the stars no longer shine.^(AB)
¹¹The Lord^(AC) thunders^(AD)
    at the head of his army;^(AE)
his forces are beyond number,
    and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;^(AF)
    it is dreadful.
    Who can endure it?^(AG)

Rend Your Heart

¹²“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return^(AH) to me with all your heart,^(AI)
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

¹³Rend your heart^(AJ)
    and not your garments.^(AK)
Return^(AL) to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,^(AM)
slow to anger and abounding in love,^(AN)
    and he relents from sending calamity.^(AO)
¹⁴Who knows? He may turn^(AP) and relent^(AQ)
    and leave behind a blessing^(AR)—
grain offerings and drink offerings^(AS)
    for the Lord your God.

¹⁵Blow the trumpet^(AT) in Zion,^(AU)
    declare a holy fast,^(AV)
    call a sacred assembly.^(AW)
¹⁶Gather the people,
    consecrate^(AX) the assembly;
bring together the elders,^(AY)
    gather the children,
    those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom^(AZ) leave his room
    and the bride her chamber.
¹⁷Let the priests, who minister^(BA) before the Lord,
    weep^(BB) between the portico and the altar.^(BC)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
    Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,^(BD)
    a byword^(BE) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?^(BF)’”

The Lord’s Answer

¹⁸Then the Lord was jealous^(BG) for his land
and took pity^(BH) on his people.

¹⁹The Lord replied^[a] to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine^(BI) and olive oil,^(BJ)
enough to satisfy you fully;^(BK)
never again will I make you
an object of scorn^(BL) to the nations.

²⁰“I will drive the northern horde^(BM) 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^(BN) will go up;
    its smell will rise.”

Surely he has done great things!
²¹    Do not be afraid,^(BO) land of Judah;
    be glad and rejoice.^(BP)
Surely the Lord has done great things!^(BQ)
²²    Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
    for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.^(BR)
The trees are bearing their fruit;
    the fig tree^(BS) and the vine^(BT) yield their riches.^(BU)
²³Be glad, people of Zion,
    rejoice^(BV) in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
    because he is faithful.^(BW)
He sends you abundant showers,^(BX)
    both autumn^(BY) and spring rains,^(BZ) as before.
²⁴The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
    the vats will overflow^(CA) with new wine^(CB) and oil.

²⁵“I will repay you for the years the locusts^(CC) have eaten^(CD)—
    the great locust and the young locust,
    the other locusts and the locust swarm^[b]—
my great army^(CE) that I sent among you.
²⁶You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,^(CF)
    and you will praise^(CG) the name of the Lord your God,
    who has worked wonders^(CH) for you;
never again will my people be shamed.^(CI)
²⁷Then you will know^(CJ) that I am in Israel,
    that I am the Lord^(CK) your God,
    and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.^(CL)

The Day of the Lord

²⁸“And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit^(CM) on all people.^(CN)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,^(CO)
    your old men will dream dreams,^(CP)
    your young men will see visions.
²⁹Even on my servants,^(CQ) both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.^(CR)
³⁰I will show wonders in the heavens^(CS)
    and on the earth,^(CT)
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
³¹The sun will be turned to darkness^(CU)
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.^(CV)
³²And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord^(CW) will be saved;^(CX)
for on Mount Zion^(CY) and in Jerusalem
    there will be deliverance,^(CZ)
    as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors^(DA)
    whom the Lord calls.^[c]^(DB)

The Nations Judged

3 ^[d]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes^(DC) of Judah^(DD) and Jerusalem,
²I will gather^(DE) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.^[e]^(DF)
There I will put them on trial^(DG)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered^(DH) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.
³They cast lots^(DI) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine^(DJ) to drink.

⁴“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon^(DK) and all you regions of Philistia?^(DL) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.^(DM) ⁵For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.^[f]^(DN) ⁶You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,^(DO) that you might send them far from their homeland.

⁷“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,^(DP) and I will return^(DQ) on your own heads what you have done. ⁸I will sell your sons^(DR) and daughters to the people of Judah,^(DS) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,^(DT) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.^(DU)

⁹Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!^(DV)
Rouse the warriors!^(DW)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks^(DX) into spears.^(DY)
Let the weakling^(DZ) say,
    “I am strong!”^(EA)
¹¹Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble^(EB) there.

Bring down your warriors,^(EC) Lord!

¹²“Let the nations be roused;
    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,^(ED)
for there I will sit
    to judge^(EE) all the nations on every side.
¹³Swing the sickle,^(EF)
    for the harvest^(EG) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,^(EH)
    for the winepress^(EI) is full
    and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

¹⁴Multitudes,^(EJ) multitudes
    in the valley^(EK) of decision!
For the day of the Lord^(EL) is near
    in the valley of decision.^(EM)
¹⁵The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.^(EN)
¹⁶The Lord will roar^(EO) from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem;^(EP)
    the earth and the heavens will tremble.^(EQ)
But the Lord will be a refuge^(ER) for his people,
    a stronghold^(ES) for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

¹⁷“Then you will know^(ET) that I, the Lord your God,^(EU)
dwell in Zion,^(EV) my holy hill.^(EW)
Jerusalem will be holy;^(EX)
never again will foreigners invade her.^(EY)

¹⁸“In that day the mountains will drip new wine,^(EZ)
    and the hills will flow with milk;^(FA)
    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.^(FB)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house^(FC)
    and will water the valley of acacias.^[g]^(FD)
¹⁹But Egypt^(FE) will be desolate,
    Edom^(FF) a desert waste,
because of violence^(FG) done to the people of Judah,
    in whose land they shed innocent blood.
²⁰Judah will be inhabited forever^(FH)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
²¹Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?^(FI)
    No, I will not.^(FJ)”

The Lord dwells in Zion!^(FK)

Footnotes

Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / ¹⁹The Lord will reply
Joel 2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
Joel 2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.
Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
Joel 3:5 Or palaces
Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim

Amos 1-2

New International Version

1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa^(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,^(B) when Uzziah^(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam^(D) son of Jehoash^[a] was king of Israel.^(E)

²He said:

“The Lord roars^(F) from Zion
and thunders^(G) from Jerusalem;^(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel^(I) withers.”^(J)

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

³This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Damascus,^(K)
    even for four, I will not relent.^(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
    with sledges having iron teeth,
⁴I will send fire^(M) on the house of Hazael^(N)
    that will consume the fortresses^(O) of Ben-Hadad.^(P)
⁵I will break down the gate^(Q) of Damascus;
    I will destroy the king who is in^[b] the Valley of Aven^[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.^(R)
    The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,^(S)”
says the Lord.^(T)

⁶This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Gaza,^(U)
    even for four, I will not relent.^(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
    and sold them to Edom,^(W)
⁷I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.
⁸I will destroy the king^[d] of Ashdod^(X)
    and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand^(Y) against Ekron,
    till the last of the Philistines^(Z) are dead,”^(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.^(AB)

⁹This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Tyre,^(AC)
    even for four, I will not relent.^(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
    disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,^(AE)
¹⁰I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
    that will consume her fortresses.^(AF)”

¹¹This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Edom,^(AG)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword^(AH)
    and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
    and his fury flamed unchecked,^(AI)
¹²I will send fire on Teman^(AJ)
    that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.^(AK)”

¹³This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Ammon,^(AL)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women^(AM) of Gilead
    in order to extend his borders,
¹⁴I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah^(AN)
    that will consume^(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries^(AP) on the day of battle,
    amid violent winds^(AQ) on a stormy day.
¹⁵Her king^[e] will go into exile,
    he and his officials together,^(AR)”
says the Lord.^(AS)

2 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Moab,^(AT)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes^(AU)
    the bones of Edom’s king,
²I will send fire on Moab
    that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.^[f]^(AV)
Moab will go down in great tumult
    amid war cries^(AW) and the blast of the trumpet.^(AX)
³I will destroy her ruler^(AY)
    and kill all her officials with him,”^(AZ)
says the Lord.^(BA)

⁴This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Judah,^(BB)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law^(BC) of the Lord
    and have not kept his decrees,^(BD)
because they have been led astray^(BE) by false gods,^[g]^(BF)
    the gods^[h] their ancestors followed,^(BG)
⁵I will send fire^(BH) on Judah
    that will consume the fortresses^(BI) of Jerusalem.^(BJ)”

Judgment on Israel

⁶This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Israel,
    even for four, I will not relent.^(BK)
They sell the innocent for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals.^(BL)
⁷They trample on the heads of the poor
    as on the dust of the ground
    and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
    and so profane my holy name.^(BM)
⁸They lie down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge.^(BN)
In the house of their god
    they drink wine^(BO) taken as fines.^(BP)

⁹“Yet I destroyed the Amorites^(BQ) before them,
    though they were tall^(BR) as the cedars
    and strong as the oaks.^(BS)
I destroyed their fruit above
    and their roots^(BT) below.
¹⁰I brought you up out of Egypt^(BU)
    and led^(BV) you forty years in the wilderness^(BW)
    to give you the land of the Amorites.^(BX)

¹¹“I also raised up prophets^(BY) from among your children
and Nazirites^(BZ) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
¹²“But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.^(CA)

¹³“Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.^(CB)
¹⁴The swift will not escape,^(CC)
    the strong^(CD) will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.^(CE)
¹⁵The archer^(CF) will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman^(CG) will not save his life.^(CH)
¹⁶Even the bravest warriors^(CI)
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.