Joel 2:1-17

Good News Translation

The Locusts as a Warning of the Day of the Lord

2 Blow the trumpet; sound the alarm
    on Zion, God's sacred hill.^[a]
Tremble, people of Judah!
    The day of the Lord is coming soon.
²It will be a dark and gloomy day,
    a black and cloudy day.
The great army of locusts advances
    like darkness spreading over the mountains.
There has never been anything like it,
    and there never will be again.

³Like fire they eat up the plants.
    In front of them the land is like the Garden of Eden,
    but behind them it is a barren desert.
    Nothing escapes them.
⁴^(A)They look like horses;
    they run like war-horses.
⁵As they leap on the tops of the mountains,
    they rattle like chariots;
    they crackle like dry grass on fire.
They are lined up like a great army ready for battle.
⁶As they approach, everyone is terrified;
    every face turns pale.
⁷They attack like warriors;
    they climb the walls like soldiers.
They all keep marching straight ahead
    and do not change direction
⁸    or get in each other's way.
They swarm through defenses,
    and nothing can stop them.
⁹They rush against the city;
    they run over the walls;
    they climb up the houses
    and go in through the windows like thieves.

¹⁰^(B)The earth shakes as they advance;
    the sky trembles.
The sun and the moon grow dark,
    and the stars no longer shine.
¹¹^(C)The Lord thunders commands to his army.
    The troops that obey him
    are many and mighty.
How terrible is the day of the Lord!
    Who will survive it?

A Call to Repentance

¹²“But even now,” says the Lord,
    “repent sincerely and return to me
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.
¹³Let your broken heart show your sorrow;
    tearing your clothes is not enough.”

Come back to the Lord your God.
    He is kind and full of mercy;
    he is patient and keeps his promise;
    he is always ready to forgive and not punish.
¹⁴Perhaps the Lord your God will change his mind
    and bless you with abundant crops.
Then you can offer him grain and wine.

¹⁵Blow the trumpet on Mount Zion;
    give orders for a fast and call an assembly!
¹⁶Gather the people together;
    prepare them for a sacred meeting;
    bring the old people;
    gather the children
    and the babies too.
    Even newly married couples
    must leave their homes and come.
¹⁷^(D)The priests, serving the Lord
    between the altar and the entrance of the Temple,
must weep and pray:
    “Have pity on your people, Lord.
    Do not let other nations despise us and mock us
    by saying, ‘Where is your God?’”