耶和华审判的日子

你们要在锡安吹响号角,

在我的圣山上发出警讯,
地上的居民都要战抖,
因为耶和华的日子将要来临,
已经近了。
那将是乌云密布、
天昏地暗的日子。
来了一支空前绝后、强盛无比的蝗虫大军,
它们像曙光一样布满山头。

它们的前队如火燎原,
后队如熊熊烈焰。
它们未到以前,
大地美得像伊甸园;
它们过去之后,
大地变成一片荒场。
地上的一切都逃不过这一场浩劫。

它们的形状像马,
快速奔驰如战马,
在山岭上跳跃奔腾,
如隆隆战车,
好像烈火吞噬干草的声音,
又如大军摆开阵式准备打仗。
它们一来,百姓就惊慌失措,
面如死灰。
它们快速奔跑像勇士,
攀登城墙如战士,
有条不紊地前进。
队伍整齐,各行其道,
势如破竹,无坚不摧。
它们冲向城邑,蹿上城墙,
爬进房屋,
如盗贼般破窗而入。

10 所到之处,
天摇地动,
日月昏暗,
星辰无光。
11 耶和华向祂的军队发号施令,
祂的队伍不计其数,
执行祂命令的是一支劲旅。
耶和华的日子伟大而可畏,
谁能承受得住呢?

呼吁人民悔改

12 耶和华说:
“现在,你们要禁食、哭泣、哀号,
全心回转归向我。”
13 你们要撕心般地悔改,
而不是撕裂衣服。
归向你们的上帝耶和华吧,
因为祂有恩典和怜悯,
不轻易发怒,
有无限的慈爱,
不忍心降灾祸。
14 谁知道呢?
或许祂转念心生怜悯,
给你们留下祝福,
使你们可以再次向你们的上帝耶和华献上素祭和奠祭。

15 要在锡安山吹响号角,
宣布禁食的日子,
举行庄严的聚会。
16 要招聚老人,聚集孩童,
包括吃奶的婴儿;
要吩咐新郎出洞房、
新娘出内室;
要召集全体人民,
让他们洁净自己。

17 让事奉耶和华的祭司站在圣殿门廊和祭坛中间,
哭泣恳求说:
“耶和华啊,
求你顾惜你的子民,
不要让外族人侮辱、
讥笑你的产业说,
‘你们的上帝在哪里呢?’”

再赐祝福

18 耶和华为自己的土地发热心,
祂怜悯自己的子民。
19 祂回应他们说:
“我必赐五谷、新酒和油给你们,
使你们饱足,
不再让你们受列国的羞辱。
20 我要赶出从北方来的军队,
把他们驱逐到一个干旱荒芜的地方,
把他们的领头部队赶进死海,
再把他们的殿后部队赶进地中海,
那时他们必臭气冲天、
腥味腾空,
因为耶和华为你们行了大事。”

21 大地啊,不用惧怕,
倒要欢喜快乐;
因为耶和华行了大事。
22 田野的走兽啊,不要惧怕,
因为绿草铺遍了原野,
树木也结满了果子,
无花果树和葡萄树都结实累累。

23 锡安的人民啊,
你们应当欢喜快乐,
从你们的上帝耶和华那里得到喜乐。
因为祂按时[a]降下甘霖,
像从前一样赐给你们秋雨、
春雨。
24 麦场必堆满五谷,
酒槽里的酒和油槽里的油必满溢。

25 “我派蝻虫、蚱蜢、蚂蚱
和蝗虫大军在那些年所吃掉的,
我要补偿你们。
26 你们必吃得饱足,
并赞美你们的上帝耶和华的名,
因祂为你们行了奇事。
我的子民永远不会再蒙羞。
27 这样,你们就知道我在以色列,
知道我是你们的上帝耶和华,
除我以外别无他神。
我的子民永远不会再蒙羞。

28 “以后,我要将我的灵浇灌所有的人。
你们的儿女要说预言,
老人要做异梦,
青年要见异象。
29 在那些日子,
我要将我的灵浇灌我的仆人和婢女。

30 “我要在天上地下行奇事,你们将看见血、火和烟柱。 31 太阳要变得昏暗,月亮要变得血红。在耶和华伟大而可畏的日子来临以前,这些事都会发生。 32 那时候,凡求告耶和华之名的人都必得救,因为在锡安山,在耶路撒冷城,必有逃脱灾难的人,耶和华所呼召的人必幸存下来,正如耶和华所言。”

Footnotes

  1. 2:23 按时”希伯来文是“按公义”。

The Coming Day of the Lord

Blow the trumpet on Zion.
    Shout a warning on my holy mountain.
Let all the people who live in the land shake with fear.
    The Lord’s special day is coming;
    it is near.
It will be a dark, gloomy day.
    It will be a dark and cloudy day.
At sunrise you will see the army spread over the mountains.
    It will be a great and powerful army.
There has never been anything like it before,
    and there will never be anything like it again.
The army will destroy the land like a burning fire.
    In front of them the land will be like the Garden of Eden.
Behind them the land will be like an empty desert.
    Nothing will escape them.
They look like horses.
    They run like war horses.
Listen to them.
It is like the noise of chariots
    riding over the mountains.
It is like the noise of flames
    burning the chaff.
They are a powerful people,
    who are ready for war.
Before this army, people shake with fear.
    Their faces become pale from fear.

The soldiers run fast.
    They climb over the walls.
Each soldier marches straight ahead.
    They don’t move from their path.
They don’t trip each other.
    Each soldier walks in his own path.
If one of the soldiers is hit and falls down,
    the others keep right on marching.
They run to the city.
    They quickly climb over the wall.
They climb into the houses.
    They climb through the windows like thieves.
10 Before them, earth and sky shake.
    The sun and the moon become dark, and the stars stop shining.
11 The Lord calls loudly to his army.
    His camp is very large.
The army obeys his commands.
    His army is very powerful.
The Lord’s special day is a great and terrible day.
    No one can stop it.

The Lord Tells the People to Change

12 This is the Lord’s message:
    “Now come back to me with all your heart.
Cry and mourn, and don’t eat anything!
    Show that you are sad for doing wrong.
13 Tear your hearts,
    not your clothes.[a]
Come back to the Lord your God.
    He is kind and merciful.
He does not become angry quickly.
    He has great love.
Maybe he will change his mind
    about the bad punishment he planned.
14 Who knows, maybe he will change his mind
    and leave behind a blessing for you.
Then you can give grain and drink offerings
    to the Lord your God.

Pray to the Lord

15 Blow the trumpet at Zion.
    Call for a special meeting.
    Call for a special time of fasting.
16 Bring the people together.
    Call for a special meeting.
Bring together the old men,
    the children, and the small babies still at their mothers’ breasts.
Let the bride and her new husband
    come from their bedroom.
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s servants,
    cry between the porch[b] and the altar.
All of them should say this: “Lord, have mercy on your people.
    Don’t let your people be put to shame.
    Don’t let other people tell jokes about your people.
Don’t let the other nations laugh at us and say,
    ‘Where is their God?’”

The Lord Will Restore the Land

18 Then the Lord cared very much about his land.
    He felt sorry for his people.
19 The Lord spoke to his people.
He said, “I will send you grain, wine, and oil.
    You will have plenty.
    I will not shame you among the nations anymore.
20 No, I will force the people from the north[c] to leave your land
    and make them go into a dry, empty land.
Some of them will go to the eastern sea
    and some to the western sea.
They did such terrible things,
    but they will be like a dead and rotting body.
There will be such a terrible smell!”

The Land Will Be Made New Again

21 Land, don’t be afraid.
    Be happy and full of joy.
    The Lord will do great things.
22 Animals of the field, don’t be afraid.
    The desert pastures will grow grass.
The trees will grow fruit.
    The fig trees and the vines will grow plenty of fruit.

23 So be happy, people of Zion.
    Be joyful in the Lord your God.
He is good and will give you rain.
    He will send the early rains and the late rains as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with wheat,
    and the barrels will overflow with wine and olive oil.
25 “I, the Lord, sent my army against you.
    The swarming locusts and the hopping locusts
    and the destroying locusts and the cutting locusts[d] ate everything you had.
But I will pay you back
    for those years of trouble.
26 Then you will have plenty to eat.
    You will be full.
You will praise the name of the Lord your God.
    He has done wonderful things for you.
My people will never again be ashamed.
27 You will know that I am with Israel.
    You will know that I am the Lord your God.
    There is no other God.
My people will never be ashamed again.”

God Will Give His Spirit to All People

28 “After this,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will have dreams,
    and your young men will see visions.
29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
    even on servants, both men and women.
30 I will work wonders in the sky and on the earth.
    There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke.
31 The sun will be changed into darkness,
    and the moon will be as red as blood.
    Then the great and fearful day of the Lord will come!
32 And everyone who trusts in the Lord[e] will be saved.
    There will be survivors on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
    just as the Lord said.
Yes, those left alive will be the ones
    the Lord has called.

Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:13 Tear your hearts, not your clothes People tore their clothes to show sadness. Here, God wants the people to feel sad for the bad things they had done.
  2. Joel 2:17 porch An open area in front of the Temple.
  3. Joel 2:20 north The Babylonian army came from this direction to attack Judah. Armies from countries north and east of Israel often came this way to attack Judah and Israel.
  4. Joel 2:25 swarming locusts … cutting locusts See Joel 1:4.
  5. Joel 2:32 who trusts in the Lord Literally, “who calls on the name of the Lord,” meaning to show faith in him by worshiping him or praying to him for help.