Joel 1-3
New American Standard Bible
The Devastation by Locusts
1 The (A)word of the Lord that came to (B)Joel, the son of Pethuel:
2 (C)Hear this, you (D)elders,
And listen, all inhabitants of the land.
(E)Has anything like this happened in your days,
Or in your fathers’ days?
3 (F)Tell your sons about it,
And have your sons tell their sons,
And their sons the next generation.
4 What the (G)gnawing locust has left, the [a]swarming locust has eaten;
And what the (H)swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the (I)stripping locust has eaten.
5 Awake, (J)you heavy drinkers, and weep;
And wail, all you wine drinkers,
Because of the sweet wine,
For it has been (K)eliminated from your mouth.
6 For a (L)nation has [b]invaded my land,
Mighty and without number;
(M)Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,
And it has the jaws of a lioness.
7 It has (N)made my vine a waste
And my fig tree a stump.
It has stripped them bare and hurled them away;
Their branches have become white.
8 (O)Wail like a virgin (P)clothed with sackcloth
For the groom of her youth.
9 The (Q)grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off
From the house of the Lord.
The (R)priests mourn,
The ministers of the Lord.
10 The field is (S)ruined,
(T)The land mourns;
For the grain is ruined,
The new wine has dried up,
Fresh oil has [c]failed.
11 (U)Be ashamed, you farm workers,
Wail, you vinedressers,
For the wheat and the barley;
Because the (V)harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The (W)vine has dried up
And the fig tree has withered;
The (X)pomegranate, the (Y)palm also, and the (Z)apple tree,
All the trees of the field have dried up.
Indeed, (AA)joy has dried up
From the sons of mankind.
13 (AB)Put on sackcloth
And mourn, you priests;
(AC)Wail, you ministers of the altar!
Come, (AD)spend the night in sackcloth,
You ministers of my God,
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Have been withheld from the house of your God.
Starvation and Drought
14 (AE)Consecrate a fast,
Proclaim a (AF)solemn assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
To the house of the Lord your God,
And (AG)cry out to the Lord.
15 (AH)Woe for the day!
For the (AI)day of the Lord is near,
And it will come as (AJ)destruction from the [d]Almighty.
16 Has (AK)food not been cut off before our eyes, and
Joy and (AL)rejoicing from the house of our God?
17 The [e](AM)seeds have dried up under their shovels;
The storehouses have become desolate,
The grain silos are ruined,
Because the grain has dried up.
18 How (AN)the animals have groaned!
The herds of cattle have wandered aimlessly
Because there is no pasture for them;
Even the flocks of sheep have [f]suffered.
19 (AO)To You, Lord, I cry out;
For (AP)fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the animals of the field [g](AQ)pant for You;
For the (AR)stream beds of water are dried up,
And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
The Terrible Visitation
2 (AS)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the (AT)day of the Lord is coming;
Indeed, it is near,
2 A day of (AU)darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a (AV)great and mighty people;
There has (AW)never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
3 A (AX)fire consumes before them,
And behind them a flame devours.
The land is (AY)like the Garden of Eden before them,
But a (AZ)desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their (BA)appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
5 [h]With a (BB)noise as of chariots
They leap about on the tops of the mountains,
Like the [i]crackling of a (BC)flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people drawn up for battle.
6 Before them the people are in (BD)anguish;
All (BE)faces [j]turn pale.
7 They run like warriors,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And each of them (BF)marches [k]in line,
Nor do they lose their way.
8 They do not crowd each other,
Every warrior of them marches in his path;
When they [l]burst through the [m]defenses,
They do not break ranks.
9 They storm the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the (BG)houses,
They (BH)enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth (BI)quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The (BJ)sun and the moon become dark,
And the stars lose their brightness.
11 The Lord (BK)utters His voice before (BL)His army;
His camp is indeed very great,
For (BM)mighty is one who carries out His word.
The (BN)day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome,
And (BO)who can endure it?
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“(BP)Return to Me with all your heart,
And with (BQ)fasting, weeping, and mourning;
13 And (BR)tear your heart and not merely (BS)your garments.”
Now return to the Lord your God,
For He is (BT)gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in mercy
And (BU)relenting of catastrophe.
14 Who knows, (BV)He might turn and relent,
And leave a (BW)blessing behind Him,
Resulting in (BX)a grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God.
15 (BY)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
(BZ)Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
16 Gather the people, (CA)sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Have the (CB)groom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
Weep (CC)between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “[n](CD)Spare Your people, Lord,
And do not make Your inheritance a (CE)disgrace,
With the nations jeering at them.
Why should those among the peoples say,
‘(CF)Where is their God?’”
Deliverance Promised
18 Then the Lord [o]will be (CG)zealous for His land,
And [p]will have (CH)compassion for His people.
19 The Lord [q]will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I am going to (CI)send you grain, new wine, and oil,
And you will be satisfied in full with [r]them;
And I will (CJ)never again make you a disgrace among the nations.
20 But I will remove the (CK)northern army far from you,
And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land,
Its advance guard into the (CL)eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the (CM)western sea.
And its (CN)stench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up,
Because it has done great things.”
21 (CO)Do not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice,
For the Lord has done (CP)great things.
22 Do not fear, animals of the field,
For the (CQ)pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has produced its fruit,
The fig tree and the vine have yielded [s]in full.
23 So shout for joy, you (CR)sons of Zion,
And (CS)rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has (CT)given you [t]the early rain for your vindication.
And He has brought down for you the rain,
The [u]early and [v](CU)latter rain [w]as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
And the vats will (CV)overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 “Then I will compensate you for the years
That the [x]swarming (CW)locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust—
My great army which I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to (CX)eat and be satisfied,
And you will (CY)praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has (CZ)dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will (DA)never be put to shame.
27 So you will (DB)know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the Lord your God
And there is (DC)no other;
And My people will never be (DD)put to shame.
The Promise of the Spirit
28 “[y](DE)It will come about after this
That I will (DF)pour out My Spirit on all [z](DG)mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will have dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
29 And even on the (DH)male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The Day of the Lord
30 I will [aa](DI)display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The (DJ)sun will be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the (DK)great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
32 And it will come about that (DL)everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
Will [ab]be saved;
For (DM)on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who (DN)escape,
Just as the Lord has said,
Even among the (DO)survivors whom the Lord calls.
The Nations Will Be Judged
3 “[ac]For behold, (DP)in those days and at that time,
When I (DQ)restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will (DR)gather all the nations
And bring them down to the (DS)Valley of [ad]Jehoshaphat.
Then I will (DT)enter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have (DU)scattered among the nations;
And they have (DV)divided up My land.
3 They have also (DW)cast lots for My people,
[ae](DX)Traded a boy for a prostitute,
And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, (DY)Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of (DZ)Philistia? Are you repaying Me with retribution? But if you are showing Me retribution, swiftly and speedily I will (EA)return your retribution on your head! 5 Since you have (EB)taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious [af]treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the (EC)sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the [ag]Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory, 7 behold, I am going to (ED)stir them up from the place where you have sold them, and return your retribution on your head. 8 I will also (EE)sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the (EF)Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for the Lord has spoken.
9 (EG)Proclaim this among the nations:
(EH)Prepare for holy war; (EI)stir up the warriors!
Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!
10 (EJ)Beat your plowshares into swords,
And your pruning hooks into spears;
(EK)Let the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”
11 [ah](EL)Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, Lord, Your (EM)warriors.
12 Let the nations be awakened
And come up to the (EN)Valley of [ai]Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to (EO)judge
All the surrounding nations.
13 (EP)Put in the sickle, for the (EQ)harvest is ripe.
Come, (ER)tread the grapes, for the (ES)wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their (ET)wickedness is great.
14 (EU)Multitudes, multitudes in the (EV)valley of [aj]decision!
For the (EW)day of the Lord is near in the valley of [ak]decision.
15 The (EX)sun and moon have become dark,
And the stars have lost their brightness.
16 The Lord (EY)roars from Zion
And (EZ)utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the (FA)heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a (FB)refuge for His people,
And a (FC)stronghold for the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will (FD)know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling on Zion, My (FE)holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be (FF)holy,
And (FG)strangers will no longer pass through it.
Judah Will Be Blessed
18 And on that day
The (FH)mountains will drip with [al]sweet wine,
And the hills will (FI)flow with milk,
And all the (FJ)brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a (FK)spring will go out from the house of the Lord
And water the Valley of [am]Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a wasteland,
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the (FL)violence [an]done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be (FM)inhabited forever,
And Jerusalem for all generations.
21 And I will (FN)avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
For the Lord dwells in Zion.
Footnotes
- Joel 1:4 Or migratory
- Joel 1:6 Lit gone up against
- Joel 1:10 Lit dried out
- Joel 1:15 Heb Shaddai
- Joel 1:17 Or dried figs
- Joel 1:18 Lit suffered punishment
- Joel 1:20 Or long for
- Joel 2:5 Lit Like the noise of chariots
- Joel 2:5 Lit sound
- Joel 2:6 Or become flushed
- Joel 2:7 Lit in his ways
- Joel 2:8 Lit fall
- Joel 2:8 Lit weapon, prob. javelin
- Joel 2:17 Or Look compassionately on
- Joel 2:18 Or was zealous
- Joel 2:18 Or had compassion
- Joel 2:19 Or answered and said
- Joel 2:19 Lit it
- Joel 2:22 Lit their wealth
- Joel 2:23 I.e., autumn; or possibly the teacher for righteousness
- Joel 2:23 I.e., autumn
- Joel 2:23 I.e., spring
- Joel 2:23 As in ancient versions; MT in the first
- Joel 2:25 Or migratory
- Joel 2:28 Ch 3:1 in Heb
- Joel 2:28 Lit flesh
- Joel 2:30 Lit give
- Joel 2:32 Or flee to safety
- Joel 3:1 Ch 4:1 in Heb
- Joel 3:2 I.e., YHWH judges
- Joel 3:3 Lit Given
- Joel 3:5 Lit goodly things
- Joel 3:6 Lit sons of Javan
- Joel 3:11 Or Come help
- Joel 3:12 I.e., YHWH judges
- Joel 3:14 I.e., God’s verdict
- Joel 3:14 I.e., God’s verdict
- Joel 3:18 Lit freshly pressed-out grape juice
- Joel 3:18 Or acacias
- Joel 3:19 Lit of the sons
Matthew 10
New American Standard Bible
The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service
10 Jesus (A)summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to (B)heal every disease and every sickness.
2 (C)Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, (D)Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother (E)Andrew; and [a](F)James the son of Zebedee, and his brother [b]John; 3 (G)Philip and [c]Bartholomew; (H)Thomas and (I)Matthew the tax collector; [d](J)James the son of Alphaeus, and (K)Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the [e]Zealot, and (L)Judas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed Him.
5 (M)These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road [f]to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of (N)Samaritans; 6 but rather go to (O)the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, [g]preach, saying, ‘(P)The kingdom of heaven [h]has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 (Q)Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a [i]bag for your journey, or even two [j]tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for (R)the worker is deserving of his [k]support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay [l]at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the [m]house, (S)give it your [n]greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, [o]take back your blessing of peace. 14 And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, (T)shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, (U)it will be more tolerable for the land of (V)Sodom and Gomorrah on (W)the day of judgment, than for that city.
A Hard Road Ahead of Them
16 “(X)Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as (Y)wary as serpents, and as (Z)innocent as doves. 17 But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the (AA)courts and flog you (AB)in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 (AC)But when they hand you over, (AD)do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. 20 For (AE)it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking [p]in you.
21 “Now (AF)brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and (AG)children will rise up against parents and [q]cause them to be put to death. 22 And (AH)you will be hated by all because of My name, but (AI)it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
23 “But whenever they (AJ)persecute you in [r]one city, flee to the [s]next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel (AK)until the Son of Man comes.
The Meaning of Discipleship
24 “(AL)A [t]disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. (AM)If they have called the head of the house [u](AN)Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!
26 “So do not (AO)fear them, (AP)for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 (AQ)What I tell you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim (AR)on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather (AS)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [v](AT)hell. 29 (AU)Are two sparrows not sold for an [w]assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But (AV)even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not fear; (AW)you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.
32 “Therefore, (AX)everyone who [x]confesses Me before people, I will also confess [y]him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But (AY)whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “(AZ)Do not think that I came to [z]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to [aa]bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to (BA)turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and (BB)a person’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “(BC)The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And (BD)the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 (BE)The one who has found his [ab]life will lose it, and the one who has lost his [ac]life on My account will find it.
The Reward for Service
40 “(BF)The one who [ad]receives you [ae]receives Me, and (BG)the one who [af]receives Me [ag]receives Him who sent Me. 41 (BH)The one who [ah]receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who [ai]receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And (BI)whoever gives one of these [aj]little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 10:2 Or Jacob
- Matthew 10:2 Gr Joannes, for Heb Johanan
- Matthew 10:3 I.e., son of Talmai (Aram)
- Matthew 10:3 Or Jacob
- Matthew 10:4 Or Cananaean
- Matthew 10:5 Lit of
- Matthew 10:7 Or proclaim
- Matthew 10:7 Or is at hand
- Matthew 10:10 Or knapsack; or beggar’s bag
- Matthew 10:10 A long shirt worn next to the skin
- Matthew 10:10 Lit nourishment
- Matthew 10:11 Lit there until
- Matthew 10:12 Or household
- Matthew 10:12 I.e., the familiar Heb blessing, “Peace be to this house!”
- Matthew 10:13 Lit your peace is to return to you
- Matthew 10:20 Or by you
- Matthew 10:21 Lit put them to death
- Matthew 10:23 Lit this
- Matthew 10:23 Lit other
- Matthew 10:24 Or student
- Matthew 10:25 Two early mss Beezebul; meaning uncertain, perhaps lord prince, referring to Satan
- Matthew 10:28 Gr Gehenna
- Matthew 10:29 A Roman copper coin, worth about 1/16 of a laborer’s daily wage
- Matthew 10:32 Lit will confess in Me
- Matthew 10:32 Lit in him
- Matthew 10:34 Lit cast
- Matthew 10:34 Lit cast
- Matthew 10:39 Or soul
- Matthew 10:39 Or soul
- Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
- Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
- Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
- Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
- Matthew 10:41 Or welcomes
- Matthew 10:41 Or welcomes
- Matthew 10:42 Possibly someone of low social standing
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