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Joel 2-3
New King James Version
Joel 2-3
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.
God Judges the Nations
3 “For behold, (BH)in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 (BI)I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I (BJ)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 (BK)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,
(BL)O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?
Will you [n]retaliate against Me?
But if you [o]retaliate against Me,
Swiftly and speedily I will return your [p]retaliation upon your own head;
5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold,
And have carried into your temples My [q]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, (BM)I will raise them
Out of the place to which you have sold them,
And will return your [r]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 (BN)Sabeans,[s]
To a people (BO)far off;
For the Lord has spoken.”
9 (BP)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 (BQ)Beat your plowshares into swords
And your [t]pruning hooks into spears;
(BR)Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
11 Assemble and come, all you nations,
And gather together all around.
Cause (BS)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 (BT)judge all the surrounding nations.
13 (BU)Put in the sickle, for (BV)the harvest is ripe.
Come, go down;
For the (BW)winepress is full,
The vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great.”
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For (BX)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;
(BY)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 (BZ)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 (CA)fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord
And water the Valley of [u]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 (CB)acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted;
For the Lord dwells in Zion.”
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 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
Joel 2-3
New International Version
Joel 2-3
New International Version
An Army of Locusts
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.
3 Before 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.
4 They have the appearance of horses;(O)
they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With 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.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;(R)
every face turns pale.(S)
7 They charge like warriors;(T)
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,(U)
not swerving(V) 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;(W)
like thieves they enter through the windows.(X)
10 Before them the earth shakes,(Y)
the heavens tremble,(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,(AA)
and the stars no longer shine.(AB)
11 The 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.”
13 Rend 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)
14 Who 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.
15 Blow the trumpet(AT) in Zion,(AU)
declare a holy fast,(AV)
call a sacred assembly.(AW)
16 Gather 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.
17 Let 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
19 The 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)
23 Be 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.
24 The 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.
26 You 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)
27 Then 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.
29 Even on my servants,(CQ) both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.(CR)
30 I will show wonders in the heavens(CS)
and on the earth,(CT)
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The 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)
32 And 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,
2 I 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.
3 They 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) 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[f](DN) 6 You 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. 8 I 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)
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!(DV)
Rouse the warriors!(DW)
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks(DX) into spears.(DY)
Let the weakling(DZ) say,
“I am strong!”(EA)
11 Come 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.
13 Swing 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!”
14 Multitudes,(EJ) multitudes
in the valley(EK) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(EL) is near
in the valley of decision.(EM)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.(EN)
16 The 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)
19 But 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.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(FH)
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall 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 … / 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
Hebrews 12:14-29
New King James Version
Hebrews 12:14-29
New King James Version
14 (A)Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, (B)without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone (C)fall short of the grace of God; lest any (D)root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any (E)fornicator or [a]profane person like Esau, (F)who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was (G)rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
The Glorious Company
18 For you have not come [b]to (H)the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and [c]darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it (I)begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: (J)“And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned [d]or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, (K)“I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the [e]general assembly and church of (L)the firstborn (M)who are registered in heaven, to God (N)the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men (O)made perfect, 24 to Jesus (P)the Mediator of the new covenant, and to (Q)the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things (R)than that of Abel.
Hear the Heavenly Voice
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For (S)if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, (T)“Yet once more I [f]shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the (U)removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we [g]may (V)serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For (W)our God is a consuming fire.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Hebrews 12:16 godless
- Hebrews 12:18 NU to that which
- Hebrews 12:18 NU gloom
- Hebrews 12:20 NU, M omit the rest of v. 20.
- Hebrews 12:23 festal gathering
- Hebrews 12:26 NU will shake
- Hebrews 12:28 M omits may
Hebrews 12:14-29
New International Version
Hebrews 12:14-29
New International Version
Warning and Encouragement
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone(A) and to be holy;(B) without holiness no one will see the Lord.(C) 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God(D) and that no bitter root(E) grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral,(F) or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.(G) 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears,(H) he could not change what he had done.
The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;(I) 19 to a trumpet blast(J) or to such a voice speaking words(K) that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,(L) 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[a](M) 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[b](N)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion,(O) to the city(P) of the living God,(Q) the heavenly Jerusalem.(R) You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn,(S) whose names are written in heaven.(T) You have come to God, the Judge of all,(U) to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,(V) 24 to Jesus the mediator(W) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood(X) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.(Y)
25 See to it that you do not refuse(Z) him who speaks.(AA) If they did not escape when they refused him who warned(AB) them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?(AC) 26 At that time his voice shook the earth,(AD) but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[c](AE) 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken(AF)—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,(AG) let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,(AH) 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”[d](AI)
Footnotes
- Hebrews 12:20 Exodus 19:12,13
- Hebrews 12:21 See Deut. 9:19.
- Hebrews 12:26 Haggai 2:6
- Hebrews 12:29 Deut. 4:24
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.