约珥书 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
耶和华审判的日子
2 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。
2 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。
3 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。
4 它们的形状像马，
快速奔驰如战马，
5 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。
6 它们一来，百姓就惊慌失措，
面如死灰。
7 它们快速奔跑像勇士，
攀登城墙如战士，
有条不紊地前进。
8 队伍整齐，各行其道，
势如破竹，无坚不摧。
9 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
- 2:23 “按时”希伯来文是“按公义”。
Joel 2
New King James Version
The Day of the Lord
2 Blow (A)the [a]trumpet in Zion,
And (B)sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For (C)the day of the Lord is coming,
For it is at hand:
2 (D)A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
(E)A people come, great and strong,
(F)The like of whom has never been;
Nor will there ever be any such after them,
Even for many successive generations.
3 A fire devours before them,
And behind them a flame burns;
The land is like (G)the Garden of Eden before them,
(H)And behind them a desolate wilderness;
Surely nothing shall escape them.
4 (I)Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like [b]swift steeds, so they run.
5 (J)With a noise like chariots
Over mountaintops they leap,
Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble,
Like a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before them the people writhe in pain;
(K)All faces [c]are drained of color.
7 They run like mighty men,
They climb the wall like men of war;
Every one marches in formation,
And they do not break (L)ranks.
8 They do not push one another;
Every one marches in his own [d]column.
Though they lunge between the weapons,
They are not [e]cut down.
9 They run to and fro in the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They (M)enter at the windows (N)like a thief.
10 (O)The earth quakes before them,
The heavens tremble;
(P)The sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars diminish their brightness.
11 (Q)The Lord gives voice before His army,
For His camp is very great;
(R)For strong is the One who executes His word.
For the (S)day of the Lord is great and very terrible;
(T)Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
(U)“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So (V)rend your heart, and not (W)your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is (X)gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
14 (Y)Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave (Z)a blessing behind Him—
(AA)A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?
15 (AB)Blow the [f]trumpet in Zion,
(AC)Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people,
(AD)Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
(AE)Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep (AF)between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, (AG)“Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should [g]rule over them.
(AH)Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
The Land Refreshed(AI)
18 Then the Lord will (AJ)be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I will send you (AK)grain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them;
I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But (AL)I will remove far from you (AM)the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back (AN)toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done [h]monstrous things.”
21 Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the Lord has done [i]marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For (AO)the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And (AP)rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the [j]former rain faithfully,
And He (AQ)will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “So I will restore to you the years (AR)that the swarming [k]locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
26 You shall (AS)eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to (AT)shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am (AU)in the midst of Israel:
(AV)I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.
God’s Spirit Poured Out
28 “And(AW) it shall come to pass afterward
That (AX)I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
(AY)Your sons and your (AZ)daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My (BA)menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 “And (BB)I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 (BC)The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
(BD)Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
32 And it shall come to pass
That (BE)whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be [l]saved.
For (BF)in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be [m]deliverance,
As the Lord has said,
Among (BG)the remnant whom the Lord calls.
Footnotes
- Joel 2:1 ram’s horn
- Joel 2:4 Or horsemen
- Joel 2:6 LXX, Tg., Vg. gather blackness
- Joel 2:8 Lit. highway
- Joel 2:8 Halted by losses
- Joel 2:15 ram’s horn
- Joel 2:17 Or speak a proverb against them
- Joel 2:20 Lit. great
- Joel 2:21 Lit. great
- Joel 2:23 Or teacher of righteousness
- Joel 2:25 Exact identity of these locusts unknown
- Joel 2:32 Or delivered
- Joel 2:32 Or salvation
Joel 2
King James Version
2 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And 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?
12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let 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?
18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.
22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
Joel 2
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 2
The Day of the Lord Is Coming[a]
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain.
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
2 A day of darkness and gloom is near,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like the dawn spreading over the mountains,
a vast and powerful army approaches.
Their like has never been seen,
nor will it ever be seen again
in the ages to come.
3 Their vanguard is a devouring fire,
while behind them is a consuming flame.
Ahead of them the land is like the Garden of Eden,
but behind them lies a desert waste,
and from that army there is no escape.
4 They have the appearance of horses;
like cavalry they charge.
5 They leap over the mountaintops
with a deafening din like that of chariots,
like the crackling of a blazing fire
devouring stubble,
like a mighty army
drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them
people shrink back in anguish,
their faces without color.
7 Like warriors they press forward;
like soldiers they scale the walls.
They advance, marching straight ahead,
without swerving from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;
each marches straight ahead.
They surge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
9 They burst ahead to assault the city,
leaping onto the walls.
They climb into the houses,
entering like thieves through the windows.
10 As they move forward,
the earth quakes before them
and the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withhold their light.
11 The Lord’s voice thunders
at the head of his army.
Mighty and numerous are his forces,
and they enforce his orders.
Great is the day of the Lord
and exceedingly terrible;
who can endure it?
Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Garments[b]
12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.
13 Rend your hearts and not your garments,
and turn back to the Lord, your God.
For he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and always prepared to relent from punishing.
14 Perhaps he will turn back and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
cereal offerings and libations
to be presented to the Lord, your God.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion!
Proclaim a fast!
Announce a solemn assembly!
16 Gather the people together;
summon the community;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Call forth the bridegroom from his bedroom
and the bride from her wedding chamber.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord,
stand weeping, between the temple porch and the altar,
as they say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not allow your heritage[c] to be mocked
and subjected to the contempt of the nations.
Why should the peoples say
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Thereupon, the Lord was stirred to feel concern for his land, and he took pity on his people. 19 In response to their request, the Lord said to his people:
I will send you
grain and wine and oil,
and you will have all you need.
Never again will I expose you
to the contempt of the nations.
20 I shall drive the northern army far from you
and banish them to an arid and desolate land,
with their vanguard toward the eastern sea,[e]
and their rearguard toward the western sea.
They will give off a stench,
and a foul stench will rise up.
21 Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things.
22 Be not afraid, you beasts of the field,
for the open pastures are green once again.
The trees will bear fruit;
the fig tree and the vine will yield a full harvest.
23 O children of Zion, be glad,
and rejoice in the Lord, your God.
For he has given you food in good measure
by sending you rain,
the autumn and spring rains as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
and the vats will overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopping, the destroying, and the cutting locust,
my great army which I sent against you.
26 You will eat until you are satisfied,
and you will praise the name of the Lord, your God,
for he has dealt wondrously with you,
and my people will never again be put to shame.
27 And you shall know
that I am in the midst of Israel.
I am the Lord, your God, and there is no other;
my people shall never again be put to shame.
Footnotes
- Joel 2:1 The day of the Lord refers to the judgment. The text is from those who express fear before the greatness of the God who comes. The cloud of insects that is advancing like an invading army in battle array destroys everything in its path, and nothing can stop it. It announces the judgment of God.
- Joel 2:12 The moment has come to cry out to God; however, the collective liturgy must not be an external rite but rather must signify a collective movement of conversion. The Lord regards the inner part of humans rather than their outward appearances.
- Joel 2:17 Your heritage: can refer to the people of Israel or to the land of Palestine.
- Joel 2:17 In events that take place, the people of the Old Testament recognize the wrath of God; but it is not the last word.
- Joel 2:20 It was from the north that invading armies usually entered Palestine. The eastern sea and the western sea are, respectively, the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
