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Joel 1-3
New International Version
Joel 1-3
New International Version
1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Joel(B) son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts
2 Hear this,(C) you elders;(D)
listen, all who live in the land.(E)
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?(F)
3 Tell it to your children,(G)
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.(H)
4 What the locust(I) swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left(J)
other locusts[a] have eaten.(K)
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;(L)
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched(M) from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;(N)
it has the teeth(O) of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste(P) my vines
and ruined my fig trees.(Q)
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth(R)
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings(S)
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,(T)
those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;(U)
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine(V) is dried up,
the olive oil fails.(W)
11 Despair, you farmers,(X)
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,(Y)
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.(Z)
12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;(AA)
the pomegranate,(AB) the palm and the apple[b] tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.(AC)
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
A Call to Lamentation
13 Put on sackcloth,(AD) you priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister(AE) before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings(AF)
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;(AG)
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land(AH)
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out(AI) to the Lord.(AJ)
15 Alas for that(AK) day!
For the day of the Lord(AL) is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[c](AM)
16 Has not the food been cut off(AN)
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness(AO)
from the house of our God?(AP)
17 The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods.[d](AQ)
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;(AR)
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.(AS)
19 To you, Lord, I call,(AT)
for fire(AU) has devoured the pastures(AV) in the wilderness
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you;(AW)
the streams of water have dried up(AX)
and fire has devoured the pastures(AY) in the wilderness.
An Army of Locusts
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord(BC) is coming.
It is close at hand(BD)—
2 a day of darkness(BE) and gloom,(BF)
a day of clouds(BG) and blackness.(BH)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army(BI) comes,
such as never was in ancient times(BJ)
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3 Before them fire(BK) devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,(BL)
behind them, a desert waste(BM)—
nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses;(BN)
they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots(BO)
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire(BP) consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;(BQ)
every face turns pale.(BR)
7 They charge like warriors;(BS)
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,(BT)
not swerving(BU) from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;(BV)
like thieves they enter through the windows.(BW)
10 Before them the earth shakes,(BX)
the heavens tremble,(BY)
the sun and moon are darkened,(BZ)
and the stars no longer shine.(CA)
11 The Lord(CB) thunders(CC)
at the head of his army;(CD)
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;(CE)
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?(CF)
Rend Your Heart
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return(CG) to me with all your heart,(CH)
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart(CI)
and not your garments.(CJ)
Return(CK) to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,(CL)
slow to anger and abounding in love,(CM)
and he relents from sending calamity.(CN)
14 Who knows? He may turn(CO) and relent(CP)
and leave behind a blessing(CQ)—
grain offerings and drink offerings(CR)
for the Lord your God.
15 Blow the trumpet(CS) in Zion,(CT)
declare a holy fast,(CU)
call a sacred assembly.(CV)
16 Gather the people,
consecrate(CW) the assembly;
bring together the elders,(CX)
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom(CY) leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister(CZ) before the Lord,
weep(DA) between the portico and the altar.(DB)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,(DC)
a byword(DD) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?(DE)’”
The Lord’s Answer
19 The Lord replied[e] to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine(DH) and olive oil,(DI)
enough to satisfy you fully;(DJ)
never again will I make you
an object of scorn(DK) to the nations.
20 “I will drive the northern horde(DL) 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(DM) will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things!
21 Do not be afraid,(DN) land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.(DO)
Surely the Lord has done great things!(DP)
22 Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.(DQ)
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree(DR) and the vine(DS) yield their riches.(DT)
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice(DU) in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.(DV)
He sends you abundant showers,(DW)
both autumn(DX) and spring rains,(DY) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow(DZ) with new wine(EA) and oil.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts(EB) have eaten(EC)—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm[f]—
my great army(ED) that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,(EE)
and you will praise(EF) the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders(EG) for you;
never again will my people be shamed.(EH)
27 Then you will know(EI) that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord(EJ) your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.(EK)
The Day of the Lord
28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit(EL) on all people.(EM)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(EN)
your old men will dream dreams,(EO)
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants,(EP) both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.(EQ)
30 I will show wonders in the heavens(ER)
and on the earth,(ES)
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness(ET)
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.(EU)
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord(EV) will be saved;(EW)
for on Mount Zion(EX) and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,(EY)
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors(EZ)
whom the Lord calls.[g](FA)
The Nations Judged
3 [h]“In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes(FB) of Judah(FC) and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather(FD) all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[i](FE)
There I will put them on trial(FF)
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(FG) my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots(FH) for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine(FI) to drink.
4 “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(FJ) and all you regions of Philistia?(FK) 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.(FL) 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[j](FM) 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(FN) 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,(FO) and I will return(FP) on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons(FQ) and daughters to the people of Judah,(FR) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(FS) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.(FT)
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!(FU)
Rouse the warriors!(FV)
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks(FW) into spears.(FX)
Let the weakling(FY) say,
“I am strong!”(FZ)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble(GA) there.
Bring down your warriors,(GB) Lord!
12 “Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(GC)
for there I will sit
to judge(GD) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(GE)
for the harvest(GF) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(GG)
for the winepress(GH) is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”
14 Multitudes,(GI) multitudes
in the valley(GJ) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(GK) is near
in the valley of decision.(GL)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.(GM)
16 The Lord will roar(GN) from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;(GO)
the earth and the heavens will tremble.(GP)
But the Lord will be a refuge(GQ) for his people,
a stronghold(GR) for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s People
17 “Then you will know(GS) that I, the Lord your God,(GT)
dwell in Zion,(GU) my holy hill.(GV)
Jerusalem will be holy;(GW)
never again will foreigners invade her.(GX)
18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(GY)
and the hills will flow with milk;(GZ)
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(HA)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house(HB)
and will water the valley of acacias.[k](HC)
19 But Egypt(HD) will be desolate,
Edom(HE) a desert waste,
because of violence(HF) done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(HG)
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(HH)
No, I will not.(HI)”
The Lord dwells in Zion!(HJ)
Footnotes
- Joel 1:4 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
- Joel 1:12 Or possibly apricot
- Joel 1:15 Hebrew Shaddai
- Joel 1:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / 19 The 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
Joel 1-3
King James Version
Joel 1-3
King James Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
9 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn.
10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,
15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
19 O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
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.
3 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;
5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.
7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.
Joel 1-3
New King James Version
Joel 1-3
New King James Version
The Locust Plague in Judah
1 The word of the Lord that came to (A)Joel the son of Pethuel.
The Land Laid Waste(B)
2 Hear this, you elders,
And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!
(C)Has anything like this happened in your days,
Or even in the days of your fathers?
3 (D)Tell your children about it,
Let your children tell their children,
And their children another generation.
4 (E)What the chewing [a]locust left, the (F)swarming locust has eaten;
What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;
And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.
5 Awake, you (G)drunkards, and weep;
And wail, all you drinkers of wine,
Because of the new wine,
(H)For it has been cut off from your mouth.
6 For (I)a nation has come up against My land,
Strong, and without number;
(J)His teeth are the teeth of a lion,
And he has the fangs of a [b]fierce lion.
7 He has (K)laid waste My vine,
And [c]ruined My fig tree;
He has stripped it bare and thrown it away;
Its branches are made white.
8 (L)Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth
For (M)the husband of her youth.
9 (N)The grain offering and the drink offering
Have been cut off from the house of the Lord;
The priests (O)mourn, who minister to the Lord.
10 The field is wasted,
(P)The land mourns;
For the grain is ruined,
(Q)The new wine is dried up,
The oil fails.
11 (R)Be ashamed, you farmers,
Wail, you vinedressers,
For the wheat and the barley;
Because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 (S)The vine has dried up,
And the fig tree has withered;
The pomegranate tree,
The palm tree also,
And the apple tree—
All the trees of the field are withered;
Surely (T)joy has withered away from the sons of men.
Mourning for the Land
13 (U)Gird yourselves and lament, you priests;
Wail, you who minister before the altar;
Come, lie all night in sackcloth,
You who minister to my God;
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Are withheld from the house of your God.
14 (V)Consecrate a fast,
Call (W)a sacred assembly;
Gather the elders
And (X)all the inhabitants of the land
Into the house of the Lord your God,
And cry out to the Lord.
15 (Y)Alas for the day!
For (Z)the day of the Lord is at hand;
It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.
16 Is not the food (AA)cut off before our eyes,
(AB)Joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seed shrivels under the clods,
Storehouses are in shambles;
Barns are broken down,
For the grain has withered.
18 How (AC)the animals groan!
The herds of cattle are restless,
Because they have no pasture;
Even the flocks of sheep [d]suffer punishment.
19 O Lord, (AD)to You I cry out;
For (AE)fire has devoured the [e]open pastures,
And a flame has burned all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field also (AF)cry out to You,
For (AG)the water brooks are dried up,
And fire has devoured the [f]open pastures.
The Day of the Lord
2 Blow (AH)the [g]trumpet in Zion,
And (AI)sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For (AJ)the day of the Lord is coming,
For it is at hand:
2 (AK)A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
(AL)A people come, great and strong,
(AM)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 (AN)the Garden of Eden before them,
(AO)And behind them a desolate wilderness;
Surely nothing shall escape them.
4 (AP)Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like [h]swift steeds, so they run.
5 (AQ)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;
(AR)All faces [i]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 (AS)ranks.
8 They do not push one another;
Every one marches in his own [j]column.
Though they lunge between the weapons,
They are not [k]cut down.
9 They run to and fro in the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They (AT)enter at the windows (AU)like a thief.
10 (AV)The earth quakes before them,
The heavens tremble;
(AW)The sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars diminish their brightness.
11 (AX)The Lord gives voice before His army,
For His camp is very great;
(AY)For strong is the One who executes His word.
For the (AZ)day of the Lord is great and very terrible;
(BA)Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
(BB)“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So (BC)rend your heart, and not (BD)your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is (BE)gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
14 (BF)Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave (BG)a blessing behind Him—
(BH)A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?
15 (BI)Blow the [l]trumpet in Zion,
(BJ)Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people,
(BK)Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
(BL)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 (BM)between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, (BN)“Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should [m]rule over them.
(BO)Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
The Land Refreshed(BP)
18 Then the Lord will (BQ)be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I will send you (BR)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 (BS)I will remove far from you (BT)the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back (BU)toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done [n]monstrous things.”
21 Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the Lord has done [o]marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For (BV)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 (BW)rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the [p]former rain faithfully,
And He (BX)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 (BY)that the swarming [q]locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
26 You shall (BZ)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 (CA)shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am (CB)in the midst of Israel:
(CC)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(CD) it shall come to pass afterward
That (CE)I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
(CF)Your sons and your (CG)daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My (CH)menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 “And (CI)I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 (CJ)The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
(CK)Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
32 And it shall come to pass
That (CL)whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be [r]saved.
For (CM)in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be [s]deliverance,
As the Lord has said,
Among (CN)the remnant whom the Lord calls.
God Judges the Nations
3 “For behold, (CO)in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 (CP)I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I (CQ)will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.
3 They have (CR)cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
4 “Indeed, what have you to do with Me,
(CS)O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?
Will you [t]retaliate against Me?
But if you [u]retaliate against Me,
Swiftly and speedily I will return your [v]retaliation upon your own head;
5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold,
And have carried into your temples My [w]prized possessions.
6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem
You have sold to the Greeks,
That you may remove them far from their borders.
7 “Behold, (CT)I will raise them
Out of the place to which you have sold them,
And will return your [x]retaliation upon your own head.
8 I will sell your sons and your daughters
Into the hand of the people of Judah,
And they will sell them to the (CU)Sabeans,[y]
To a people (CV)far off;
For the Lord has spoken.”
9 (CW)Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for war!
Wake up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
10 (CX)Beat your plowshares into swords
And your [z]pruning hooks into spears;
(CY)Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
11 Assemble and come, all you nations,
And gather together all around.
Cause (CZ)Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.
12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there I will sit to (DA)judge all the surrounding nations.
13 (DB)Put in the sickle, for (DC)the harvest is ripe.
Come, go down;
For the (DD)winepress is full,
The vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great.”
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For (DE)the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
And the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion,
And utter His voice from Jerusalem;
The heavens and earth will shake;
(DF)But the Lord will be a shelter for His people,
And the strength of the children of Israel.
17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling in Zion My (DG)holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem shall be holy,
And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”
God Blesses His People
18 And it will come to pass in that day
That the mountains shall drip with new wine,
The hills shall flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water;
A (DH)fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord
And water the Valley of [aa]Acacias.
19 “Egypt shall be a desolation,
And Edom a desolate wilderness,
Because of violence against the people of Judah,
For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall abide forever,
And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will (DI)acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted;
For the Lord dwells in Zion.”
Footnotes
- Joel 1:4 Exact identity of these locusts unknown
- Joel 1:6 Or lioness
- Joel 1:7 Or splintered
- Joel 1:18 LXX, Vg. are made desolate
- Joel 1:19 Lit. pastures of the wilderness
- Joel 1:20 Lit. pastures of the wilderness
- 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 3:4 Or render Me repayment
- Joel 3:4 Or repay Me
- Joel 3:4 Or repayment
- Joel 3:5 Lit. precious good things
- Joel 3:7 Or repayment
- Joel 3:8 Lit. Shebaites, Is. 60:6; Ezek. 27:22
- Joel 3:10 pruning knives
- Joel 3:18 Heb. Shittim
Revelation 5
New International Version
Revelation 5
New International Version
The Scroll and the Lamb
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne(A) a scroll with writing on both sides(B) and sealed(C) with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel(D) proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion(E) of the tribe of Judah,(F) the Root of David,(G) has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb,(H) looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures(I) and the elders.(J) The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,(K) which are the seven spirits[a](L) of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.(M) 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures(N) and the twenty-four elders(O) fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp(P) and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers(Q) of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:(R)
“You are worthy(S) to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood(T) you purchased(U) for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.(V)
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests(W) to serve our God,
and they will reign[b] on the earth.”(X)
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.(Y) They encircled the throne and the living creatures(Z) and the elders.(AA) 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb,(AB) who was slain,(AC)
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”(AD)
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth(AE) and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne(AF) and to the Lamb(AG)
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”(AH)
14 The four living creatures(AI) said, “Amen,”(AJ) and the elders(AK) fell down and worshiped.(AL)
Footnotes
- Revelation 5:6 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
- Revelation 5:10 Some manuscripts they reign
Revelation 5
King James Version
Revelation 5
King James Version
5 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Revelation 5
New King James Version
Revelation 5
New King James Version
The Lamb Takes the Scroll
5 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne (A)a scroll written inside and on the back, (B)sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, (C)“Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open [a]and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, (D)the Lion of the tribe of (E)Judah, (F)the Root of David, has (G)prevailed to open the scroll (H)and [b]to loose its seven seals.”
6 And I looked, [c]and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood (I)a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and (J)seven eyes, which are (K)the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand (L)of Him who sat on the throne.
Worthy Is the Lamb
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, (M)the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the (N)prayers of the saints. 9 And (O)they sang a new song, saying:
(P)“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And (Q)have redeemed us to God (R)by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made [d]us (S)kings[e] and (T)priests to our God;
And [f]we shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And (U)every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
(V)“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him (W)who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and [g]ever!”
14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the [h]twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped [i]Him who lives forever and ever.
Footnotes
- Revelation 5:4 NU, M omit and read
- Revelation 5:5 NU, M omit to loose
- Revelation 5:6 NU, M I saw in the midst . . . a Lamb standing
- Revelation 5:10 NU, M them
- Revelation 5:10 NU a kingdom
- Revelation 5:10 NU, M they
- Revelation 5:13 M adds Amen
- Revelation 5:14 NU, M omit twenty-four
- Revelation 5:14 NU, M omit Him who lives forever and ever
New International Version (NIV) 
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.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.