Joel 2
Christian Standard Bible
2 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion;(A)
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the residents of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming;(B)
in fact, it is near—
2 a day of darkness and gloom,(C)
a day of clouds and total darkness,(D)
like the dawn spreading over the mountains;
a great and strong people(E) appears,
such as never existed in ages past(F)
and never will again
in all the generations to come.(G)
3 A fire devours in front of them,(H)
and behind them a flame blazes.
The land in front of them
is like the garden of Eden,(I)
but behind them,
it is like a desert wasteland;(J)
there is no escape from them.
4 Their appearance is like that of horses,(K)
and they gallop like war horses.
5 They bound on the tops of the mountains.
Their sound is like the sound of chariots,(L)
like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble,(M)
like a mighty army deployed for war.
6 Nations writhe in horror before them;(N)
all faces turn pale.
7 They attack as warriors attack;
they scale walls as men of war do.
Each goes on his own path,(O)
and they do not change their course.
8 They do not push each other;
each proceeds on his own path.
They dodge the arrows, never stopping.
9 They storm the city;
they run on the wall;
they climb into the houses;(P)
they enter through the windows like thieves.(Q)
10 The earth quakes before them;(R)
the sky shakes.
The sun and moon grow dark,(S)
and the stars cease their shining.(T)
11 The Lord makes his voice heard(U)
in the presence of his army.(V)
His camp is very large;
those who carry out his command are powerful.(W)
Indeed, the day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful(X)—
who can endure it?(Y)
God’s Call for Repentance
12 Even now—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
turn to me with all your heart,(Z)
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.(AA)
13 Tear your hearts,(AB)
not just your clothes,(AC)
and return to the Lord your God.
For he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in faithful love,
and he relents from sending disaster.(AD)
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent(AE)
and leave a blessing behind him,(AF)
so you can offer a grain offering and a drink offering
to the Lord your God.(AG)
15 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion!(AH)
Announce a sacred fast;(AI)
proclaim a solemn assembly.
16 Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;(AJ)
assemble the aged;[a](AK)
gather the infants,
even babies nursing at the breast.
Let the groom leave his bedroom,(AL)
and the bride her honeymoon chamber.
17 Let the priests,(AM) the Lord’s ministers,
weep between the portico and the altar.(AN)
Let them say,
“Have pity on your people, Lord,(AO)
and do not make your inheritance a disgrace,(AP)
an object of scorn among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’” (AQ)
God’s Response to His People
18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land(AR) and spared his people.(AS) 19 The Lord answered his people:
Look, I am about to send you
grain, new wine, and fresh oil.(AT)
You will be satiated with them,
and I will no longer make you
a disgrace among the nations.(AU)
20 I will drive the northerner far from you(AV)
and banish him to a dry and desolate land,
his front ranks into the Dead Sea,(AW)
and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea.(AX)
His stench will rise;
yes, his rotten smell will rise,(AY)
for he has done astonishing things.
21 Don’t be afraid, land;(AZ)
rejoice and be glad,
for the Lord has done astonishing things.(BA)
22 Don’t be afraid, wild animals,
for the wilderness pastures have turned green,(BB)
the trees bear their fruit,
and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.
23 Children of Zion,(BC) rejoice and be glad
in the Lord your God,(BD)
because he gives you the autumn rain[b]
for your vindication.[c](BE)
He sends showers for you,
both autumn and spring rain(BF) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,(BG)
and the vats will overflow
with new wine and fresh oil.
25 I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust ate,(BH)
the young locust, the destroying locust,
and the devouring locust—
my great army that I sent against you.
26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.(BI)
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,(BJ)
who has dealt wondrously with you.(BK)
My people will never again be put to shame.(BL)
27 You will know that I am present in Israel(BM)
and that I am the Lord your God,
and there is no other.(BN)
My people will never again be put to shame.(BO)
God’s Promise of His Spirit
28 After this(BP)
I will pour out my Spirit(BQ) on all humanity;(BR)
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your old men will have dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 I will even pour out my Spirit
on the male and female slaves in those days.(BS)
30 I will display wonders
in the heavens and on the earth:(BT)
blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood(BU)
before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.(BV)
32 Then everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved,(BW)
for there will be an escape
for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
as the Lord promised,(BX)
among the survivors the Lord calls.
Joel 2
Common English Bible
Announcement of alarm and peril
2 Blow the horn in Zion;
give a shout on my holy mountain!
Let all the people of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is near—
2 a day of darkness and no light,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread out upon the mountains,
a great and powerful army[a] comes,
unlike any that has ever come before them,
or will come after them in centuries ahead.
3 In front of them a fire consumes;
and behind them a flame burns.
Land ahead of them is like Eden’s garden,
but they leave behind them a barren wasteland;
nothing escapes them.
4 They resemble horses,
and like warhorses they charge,
5 like the rumbling of chariots.
They leap on the mountaintops—
like the crackling of a fire’s flame,
devouring the stubble;
like a powerful army
ready for battle.
6 In their presence, peoples shake with fear;
all faces turn red with worry.
7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they climb the wall.
Each keeps to their own path;
they didn’t change their course.
8 They don’t crowd each other;
each keeps to their own path.
Even if they fall among the weapons,
they won’t stop.
9 They rush upon the city;
they run upon the walls.
They climb into the houses;
they enter through the windows like thieves.
10 The earth quakes before them;
the heavens shake.
The sun and the moon are darkened;
the stars have stopped shining,
11 because the Lord utters his voice
at the head of his army.
How numerous are his troops!
Mighty are those who obey his word.
The day of the Lord is great;
it stirs up great fear—who can endure it?
Change your hearts
12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your hearts,
with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow;
13 tear your hearts
and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
very patient, full of faithful love,
and ready to forgive.
14 Who knows whether he will have a change of heart
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
15 Blow the horn in Zion;
demand a fast;
request a special assembly.
16 Gather the people;
prepare a holy meeting;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the groom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep.
Let them say, “Have mercy, Lord, on your people,
and don’t make your inheritance a disgrace,
an example of failure among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Words of compassion and promise
18 Then the Lord became passionate about this land,[b] and had pity on his people.
19 The Lord responded to the people:
See, I am sending you
the corn, new wine, and fresh oil,
and you will be fully satisfied by it;
and I will no longer make you
a disgrace among the nations.
20 I will remove the northern army far from you
and drive it into a dried-up and desolate land,
its front into the eastern sea,
and its rear into the western sea.
Its stench will rise up;
its stink will come to the surface.
The Lord is about to do great things!
21 Don’t fear, fertile land;
rejoice and be glad,
for the Lord is about to do great things!
22 Don’t be afraid, animals of the field,
for the meadows of the wilderness will turn green;
the tree will bear its fruit;
the fig tree and grapevine will give their full yield.
23 Children of Zion,
rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God,
because he will give you the early rain as a sign of righteousness;
he will pour down abundant rain for you,
the early and the late rain, as before.[c]
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil.
25 I will repay you for the years
that the cutting locust,
the swarming locust, the hopping locust, and the devouring locust have eaten—
my great army, which I sent against you.
26 You will eat abundantly and be satisfied,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has done wonders for you;
and my people will never again be put to shame.
27 You will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God—no other exists;
never again will my people be put to shame.
28 After that I will pour out my spirit upon everyone;
your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 In those days, I will also pour out my
spirit on the male and female slaves.
30 I will give signs in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 32 But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be security, as the Lord has promised; and in Jerusalem, the Lord will summon those who survive.
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Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible