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
International Standard Version
The Warning of God
2 “Sound the ram’s horn in Zion!
Sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Tremble, all of you[a] inhabitants of the land,
because the Day of the Lord is coming.
Oh, how near it is!
2 A day of doom and gloom,
a day of clouds and shadows[b]
like the dawn spreads out to cover the mountains—
a people strong and robust.
Never has there been anything like it,
neither will anything follow to compare with[c] it,
even through the lifetime of generation upon generation.”[d]
Joel’s Description of the Approaching Army
3 “A fire blazes in their presence,
and behind them a conflagration rages.
Before they come, the land is like the garden in Eden;
after they leave, there is only a barren wasteland.
Indeed, nothing escapes them.
4 As to their form, they’re like horses;
and like chariot horses, how they can[e] run!
5 They leap like the rumbling of chariots echoing from mountain tops,
like the roar of wild fire that devours the chaff,
as an army[f] firmly established in battle array.
6 The people are terrified in their presence;
every face grows pale.[g]
7 They run like elite soldiers,
climbing ramparts like men trained for war.
Each man advances in proper order,
never breaking rank.
8 Neither does a man crowd his fellow soldier;[h]
each one marches in his own path.
When they fall by the sword
they are not injured.
9 They swarm through the city,
running upon its ramparts.
Climbing atop the houses,
they enter through windows like a thief.”
Great is the Day of the Lord
10 “The land quivers in their presence;
even the heavens shake.
The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will stop shining.
11 The Lord will shout in the presence of his forces,
because his encampment is very great;
for powerful is he who carries out his message.
Truly the Day of the Lord is great, and very terrifying.
Who will be able to survive[i] it?”
Repentance and Restoration
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Turn back to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, tears, and mourning.
13 Tear your hearts, not your garments;[j]
and turn back to the Lord your God.
For he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to become angry,
overflowing in gracious love,
and grieves about this evil.
14 Who knows? He will turn back and relent, will he not,
leaving behind a blessing,
even a grain offering and drink offering for the Lord your God?”
A Public Call to a Solemn Assembly
15 “Sound the ram’s horn in Zion!
Dedicate a fast and call for a solemn assembly!
16 Gather the people!
Dedicate the congregation!
Bring in the elders.
Gather the youngsters
and even the nursing infants.
Call the bridegroom from his wedding preparations,[k]
and the bride from her dressing room.
17 As they serve[l] between the porch and the altar,
let the priests and ministers of the Lord weep and pray:
‘Spare your people, Lord,
and do not make your heritage a disgrace
so that nations ridicule them.
Why should they say among the people,
“Where is their God?”’”
Response to the People’s Repentance
18 Then the Lord will show great concern for his land,
and will have compassion on his people.
19 The Lord will say to his people,
“Look! I will send you grain, new wine, and oil,
and you will be content with them.
I will no longer cause you to be a disgrace among the nations.”
Destruction of the Invaders
20 “I will remove the northerners[m] from you,
driving them[n] to a barren and desolate land—
the front toward the Dead Sea[o]
and the back toward the Mediterranean.[p]
Their stench will rise,
and their stinking odor will ascend,
because they have done great things.”
The Lord’s Restoration of the Land
21 “Stop being afraid, land!
Rejoice and be glad,
because the Lord will do great things.
22 Stop being afraid, beasts of the field,
because the desert pastures will bloom,
the trees will bear their fruit,
and the fig tree and vine will deliver their wealth.
23 And so be glad, children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God,
because he has given you the right amount of early rain,
and he will cause the rain to fall for you,
both the early rain and the later rain as before.
24 The threshing floors will be smothered in grain,
and the vats will overflow with wine and oil.
25 “Then I will restore to you the years that the locust swarm devoured,
as did the young locust, the other locusts, and the ravaging locust,
that great army of mine that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, and will be fully satisfied.
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has performed wonders specifically for you.
And my people will never be ashamed.
27 As a result, you will know that I am in the midst of Israel;
that I myself am the Lord your God—
and there is none other!
And my people will never be ashamed.”
The Day of the Lord
28 [q]“Then it will come about at a later time
that I will pour out my Spirit on every person.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your elderly people will dream dreams,
and your young people will see visions.
29 Also at that time I will pour out my Spirit
upon men and women servants.
30 I will display warnings in the heavens,
and on the earth blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The sun will be given over to darkness,
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the great and terrifying Day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be delivered.
For as the Lord has said,
‘In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape,
the survivors whom the Lord is calling.’”
Footnotes
- Joel 2:1 The Heb. lacks of you
- Joel 2:2 Cf. Zeph 1:15b
- Joel 2:2 The Heb. lacks to compare with
- Joel 2:2 Lit. the years of generation and generation
- Joel 2:4 The Heb. lacks can
- Joel 2:5 Lit. people
- Joel 2:6 Lit. gathers blackness; cf. Nah 2:10b
- Joel 2:8 Lit. his brother
- Joel 2:11 Or comprehend
- Joel 2:13 An allusion to Heb. custom of tearing the outer clothing in response to mourning
- Joel 2:16 Lit. Bring out the bridegroom from his wedding chamber
- Joel 2:17 The Heb. lacks As they serve
- Joel 2:20 Lit. the North; i.e. the army that comes from the North
- Joel 2:20 Lit. him; i.e. the northern army symbolized as an individual
- Joel 2:20 Lit. the eastern sea
- Joel 2:20 Lit. the western sea
- Joel 2:28 This verse is 3:1 in MT, v. 29 is 3:2, and so through the end of the chapter.
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