Joel 2:29-3:21

New International Version

²⁹Even on my servants,^(A) both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.^(B)
³⁰I will show wonders in the heavens^(C)
    and on the earth,^(D)
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
³¹The sun will be turned to darkness^(E)
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.^(F)
³²And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord^(G) will be saved;^(H)
for on Mount Zion^(I) and in Jerusalem
    there will be deliverance,^(J)
    as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors^(K)
    whom the Lord calls.^[a]^(L)

The Nations Judged

3 ^[b]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes^(M) of Judah^(N) and Jerusalem,
²I will gather^(O) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.^[c]^(P)
There I will put them on trial^(Q)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered^(R) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.
³They cast lots^(S) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine^(T) to drink.

⁴“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon^(U) and all you regions of Philistia?^(V) 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.^(W) ⁵For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.^[d]^(X) ⁶You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,^(Y) 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,^(Z) and I will return^(AA) on your own heads what you have done. ⁸I will sell your sons^(AB) and daughters to the people of Judah,^(AC) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,^(AD) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.^(AE)

⁹Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!^(AF)
Rouse the warriors!^(AG)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks^(AH) into spears.^(AI)
Let the weakling^(AJ) say,
    “I am strong!”^(AK)
¹¹Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble^(AL) there.

Bring down your warriors,^(AM) Lord!

¹²“Let the nations be roused;
    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,^(AN)
for there I will sit
    to judge^(AO) all the nations on every side.
¹³Swing the sickle,^(AP)
    for the harvest^(AQ) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,^(AR)
    for the winepress^(AS) is full
    and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

¹⁴Multitudes,^(AT) multitudes
    in the valley^(AU) of decision!
For the day of the Lord^(AV) is near
    in the valley of decision.^(AW)
¹⁵The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.^(AX)
¹⁶The Lord will roar^(AY) from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem;^(AZ)
    the earth and the heavens will tremble.^(BA)
But the Lord will be a refuge^(BB) for his people,
    a stronghold^(BC) for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

¹⁷“Then you will know^(BD) that I, the Lord your God,^(BE)
dwell in Zion,^(BF) my holy hill.^(BG)
Jerusalem will be holy;^(BH)
never again will foreigners invade her.^(BI)

¹⁸“In that day the mountains will drip new wine,^(BJ)
    and the hills will flow with milk;^(BK)
    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.^(BL)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house^(BM)
    and will water the valley of acacias.^[e]^(BN)
¹⁹But Egypt^(BO) will be desolate,
    Edom^(BP) a desert waste,
because of violence^(BQ) done to the people of Judah,
    in whose land they shed innocent blood.
²⁰Judah will be inhabited forever^(BR)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
²¹Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?^(BS)
    No, I will not.^(BT)”

The Lord dwells in Zion!^(BU)

Footnotes

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

Zephaniah 1

New International Version

1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah^(A) son of Amon^(B) king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

²“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”^(C)
declares the Lord.
³“I will sweep away both man and beast;^(D)
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky^(E)
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”^[a]

“When I destroy all mankind
    on the face of the earth,”^(F)
declares the Lord,^(G)
⁴“I will stretch out my hand^(H) against Judah
    and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,^(I)
    the very names of the idolatrous priests^(J)—
⁵those who bow down on the roofs
    to worship the starry host,^(K)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
    and who also swear by Molek,^[b]^(L)
⁶those who turn back from following^(M) the Lord
    and neither seek^(N) the Lord nor inquire^(O) of him.”

⁷Be silent^(P) before the Sovereign Lord,
for the day of the Lord^(Q) is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;^(R)
he has consecrated those he has invited.

⁸“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
    I will punish^(S) the officials
    and the king’s sons^(T)
and all those clad
    in foreign clothes.
⁹On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,^[c]^(U)
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit.^(V)

¹⁰“On that day,^(W)”
    declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,^(X)
    wailing^(Y) from the New Quarter,
    and a loud crash from the hills.
¹¹Wail,^(Z) you who live in the market district^[d];
    all your merchants will be wiped out,
    all who trade with^[e] silver will be destroyed.^(AA)
¹²At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,^(AB)
    who are like wine left on its dregs,^(AC)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,^(AD)
    either good or bad.’^(AE)
¹³Their wealth will be plundered,^(AF)
    their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
    they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they will not drink the wine.”^(AG)

¹⁴The great day of the Lord^(AH) is near^(AI)—
    near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
¹⁵That day will be a day of wrath—
    a day of distress and anguish,
        a day of trouble and ruin,
    a day of darkness^(AJ) and gloom,
        a day of clouds and blackness^(AK)—
¹⁶    a day of trumpet and battle cry^(AL)
against the fortified cities
    and against the corner towers.^(AM)

¹⁷“I will bring such distress^(AN) on all people
    that they will grope about like those who are blind,^(AO)
    because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out^(AP) like dust
    and their entrails like dung.^(AQ)
¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”^(AR)

In the fire of his jealousy^(AS)
the whole earth will be consumed,^(AT)
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live on the earth.^(AU)

Footnotes

Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
Zephaniah 1:11 Or the Mortar
Zephaniah 1:11 Or in

Daniel 12

New International Version

The End Times

12 “At that time Michael,^(A) the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress^(B) such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book^(C)—will be delivered.^(D) ²Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:^(E) some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.^(F) ³Those who are wise^[a]^(G) will shine^(H) like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness,^(I) like the stars for ever and ever.^(J) ⁴But you, Daniel, roll up and seal^(K) the words of the scroll until the time of the end.^(L) Many will go here and there^(M) to increase knowledge.”

⁵Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.^(N) ⁶One of them said to the man clothed in linen,^(O) who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”^(P)

⁷The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand^(Q) and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever,^(R) saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.^[b]^(S) When the power of the holy people^(T) has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.^(U)”

⁸I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”

⁹He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed^(V) until the time of the end.^(W) ¹⁰Many will be purified, made spotless and refined,^(X) but the wicked will continue to be wicked.^(Y) None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.^(Z)

¹¹“From the time that the daily sacrifice^(AA) is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation^(AB) is set up, there will be 1,290 days.^(AC) ¹²Blessed is the one who waits^(AD) for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.^(AE)

¹³“As for you, go your way till the end.^(AF) You will rest,^(AG) and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.^(AH)”