Joel 2
Lexham English Bible
The Day of Yahweh is Near
2 Blow the trumpet[a] in Zion,
and sound the alarm on my holy mountain![b]
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of Yahweh is coming
—it is indeed near.
2 A day of darkness and gloom,
a day of cloud and thick darkness,
like the dawn spreads on the mountains,
a great and strong army!
There has been nothing like it from old,
and after it nothing will be again for generations to come.[c]
3 Before them[d] a fire devours,
and behind them a flame burns.
Like the garden of Eden is the land before them,[e]
and after them it is like a desolate desert,
and nothing can escape them.
4 Like the appearance of horses is their appearance,
and like horsemen they run;
5 like the sound of chariots on the tops of the mountains, they leap about;
like the sound of a flame of fire
devouring stubble;
like a strong army arranged
in rows for battle.
6 From before them[f] nations writhe,
all faces turn pale.[g]
7 They run like mighty warriors,[h]
they scale the wall like men of war;
each goes on its own way,
and they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;[i]
each goes on its own trail;
and through the falling weapons,[j]
they are not halted.
9 In the city they rush forth;
on the walls[k] they run.
Into the houses they climb up;
through the windows
they enter like a thief.
10 Before them[l] the earth quakes;
the heavens tremble;
the sun and the moon grow dark,
and the stars have withheld[m] their splendor
11 And Yahweh utters[n] his voice before his army,
because his encampment is very large;
strong is the one who carries out his decree,
for great is the day of Yahweh
and exceedingly fearful.
Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
12 “And even now,” declares[o] Yahweh,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and wailing.”
13 Rend your hearts[p] and not your garments,
and return to Yahweh your God,
because he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger[q] and great in loyal love,
and relenting from harm.
14 Who knows whether he will turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
an offering and a libation,
for Yahweh your God?
15 Blow the trumpet[r] in Zion,
sanctify a fast, call an assembly;
16 gather the people, consecrate the assembly;
assemble the elders, gather the children,
even those who are breast-feeding;
let the bridegroom come out from his private room,
and the bride from her canopy.
17 Between the colonnade and the altar,
let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep.
And let them say, “Take pity, Yahweh, on your people.
Do not make your inheritance a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the nations,
‘Where is their God?’”
The Response and Promise of Yahweh
18 Then Yahweh became jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
19 And Yahweh answered and said to his people,
“Look at me, I am sending to you
grain, new wine, and olive oil,
and you will be satisfied by it.
I will not give you over any more
as a disgrace among the nations.
20 The northerners[s]
I will remove from you;
I will drive them to a desert
and desolate land,
its[t] front to the eastern sea,
and its rear into the western sea;
its stench and odor will rise up
because he[u] has done great things.
21 Do not fear, O land,
rejoice and be glad,
because Yahweh has done great things.
22 Do not fear, wild animals of the field,
because the pastures of the desert have put forth new green shoots,
because the tree has produced its fruit,
the fig tree and the vine
have yielded their produce.
23 Be glad, O children of Zion,
be glad and rejoice in Yahweh your God,
because he has given for you
the autumn rains for your righteousness,[v]
and he has poured down[w] for you rainwater,
the autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full with grain,
and the vats will overflow
with new wine and olive oil.
25 I will repay you the years
that the locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my mighty troops that I sent against you.
26 And you will eat abundantly and be satisfied,
and praise the name of Yahweh your God,
who has dealt with you wondrously.[x]
My people will never be ashamed.[y]
27 And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and I am Yahweh,
your God, and there is no other.
My people will never be ashamed again.[z]
Yahweh’s Spirit Poured Out
28 [aa] And it will happen afterward thus:
I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
and your elders will dream dreams;
your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on the male slaves and on the female slaves,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 And I will set[ab] wonders in the heavens, and on earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be changed to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. 32 And it will happen—everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be rescued, because on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape,[ac] as Yahweh said, and among the survivors whom Yahweh is calling.
Footnotes
- Joel 2:1 Hebrew “shofar”
- Joel 2:1 Literally “mountain of my holiness”
- Joel 2:2 Literally “until years of generations”
- Joel 2:3 Literally “before the presence of it”
- Joel 2:3 Literally “before the presence of it”
- Joel 2:6 Or “From in front of it,” or “From the presence of it”
- Joel 2:6 Literally “gather paleness”
- Joel 2:7 That is, the “great and strong army” (see 2:2)
- Joel 2:8 Literally “each man his brother”
- Joel 2:8 Hebrew “weapon”
- Joel 2:9 Hebrew “wall”
- Joel 2:10 Literally “Before the presence of it”
- Joel 2:10 Literally “gathered”
- Joel 2:11 Literally “gives”
- Joel 2:12 Literally “a declaration of”
- Joel 2:13 Hebrew “heart”
- Joel 2:13 Or “patient”; literally “long of anger”
- Joel 2:15 Hebrew “Shofar”
- Joel 2:20 Or “The northern army”
- Joel 2:20 That is, the northern army
- Joel 2:20 That is, Yahweh (see v. 21)
- Joel 2:23 Or “vindication”
- Joel 2:23 Literally “brought down”
- Joel 2:26 Literally “to do a wonder”
- Joel 2:26 Literally “will forever not be ashamed”
- Joel 2:27 Literally “will forever no longer be ashamed”
- Joel 2:28 Joel 2:28–32 in the English Bible is 3:1–5 in the Hebrew Bible
- Joel 2:30 Literally “give”
- Joel 2:32 Literally, “an escape”
Joel 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
2 Blow the 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 dense overcast,(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 destroys[a] in front of them,(H)
and behind them a flame devours.
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 man 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 raises His voice(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, rich 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 grain and wine
to the Lord your God.(AG)
15 Blow the horn in Zion!(AH)
Announce a sacred fast;(AI)
proclaim an assembly.
16 Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;(AJ)
assemble the aged;[b](AK)
gather the children,
even those 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 olive 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 catastrophic things.
21 Don’t be afraid, land;(AZ)
rejoice and be glad,
for the Lord has done great 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
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 olive 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 [d] 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 awe-inspiring Day of the Lord comes.(BV)
32 Then everyone who calls
on the name of Yahweh 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.
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