Joel 2
Expanded Bible
2 Blow the trumpet in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
·shout a warning [sound the alarm; or raise the battle cry] on my holy mountain.
Let all the people who live in the land shake with fear,
because the ·Lord’s day of judging [L day of the Lord; 1:15] is coming;
it is near.
The Coming Day of Judgment
2 It will be a ·dark, gloomy day [day/time of darkness and gloom],
cloudy and black.
Like ·the light at sunrise [spreading dawn; or spreading darkness],
a great and powerful army will spread over the mountains.
There has never been anything like it before,
and there will never be anything like it ·again [L for generations to come].
3 In front of them a fire ·destroys [devours];
in back of them a flame burns.
The land in front of them is like the garden of Eden [Gen. 2:8–14];
the land behind them is like an ·empty desert [desolate wilderness].
Nothing will escape from them.
4 ·They look [Their appearance is] like horses,
and they ·run [charge] like ·war horses [or cavalry].
5 It is like the noise of chariots
·rumbling [or leaping] over the tops of the mountains,
like the noise of a roaring fire
·burning dry stalks [devouring stubble].
They are like a ·powerful army [mighty nation] lined up for battle.
6 ·When they see them [Before them], ·nations [people] shake with fear,
and everyone’s face becomes pale.
7 They charge like soldiers;
they ·climb over [scale] the wall like warriors.
They all march ·straight ahead [in formation]
and do not ·move off their path [swerve from their course; break ranks].
8 They do not ·run into [jostle; push] each other,
because each walks ·in line [straight ahead; in his column].
They ·break through all efforts to stop them [burst through defences; or fall upon the sword; L fall upon weapons]
and ·keep coming [do not halt/break ranks].
9 They ·run [rush; swarm] into the city.
They run at the wall
and climb into the houses,
entering through windows like thieves.
10 Before them the earth shakes
and sky trembles.
The sun and the moon become dark,
and the stars ·stop shining [L withhold their brightness; 3:15].
11 The Lord ·shouts out orders [cries out; thunders]
·to [or at the head of] his army.
His ·army [encampment] is very large!
Those who ·obey him [execute his word] are very strong!
The ·Lord’s day of judging [L day of the Lord; 1:15]
is an ·overwhelming [awesome; great] and terrible day.
·No one can stand up against it! [L Who can endure it?]
Change Your Hearts
12 The Lord says, “Even now, come back to me with all your heart.
Fast, ·cry [weep], and ·be sad [mourn].”
13 ·Tearing your clothes is not enough to show you are sad;
let your heart be broken [L Tear/Rend your hearts and not your garments; C true repentance, not just a show of grief].
Come back to the Lord your God,
because he is ·kind [gracious; merciful] and ·shows mercy [compassionate].
·He doesn’t become angry quickly […slow to anger],
and he has great ·love [loyalty; mercy; lovingkindness].
He ·can change his mind about [relents from] doing harm.
14 Who knows? Maybe he will ·turn back to you [grant a reprieve; L turn and relent]
and leave behind a blessing for you.
·Grain [L Gift; Tribute; Lev. 2:1] and drink offerings ·belong to [or for] the Lord your God.
15 Blow the trumpet in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 2:1];
·call for [declare; appoint; consecrate] a ·day when everyone fasts [fast; 1:14].
·Tell everyone to stop work [L Call a sacred assembly]!
16 ·Bring the people together [Assemble/Gather the people]
and ·make the meeting holy for the Lord [consecrate/sanctify the congregation/assembly].
Bring together the elders,
as well as the children,
and even babies that still feed at their mothers’ breasts.
·The bridegroom should [L Let the bridegroom] come from his room [C indicating urgency; newly married men were exempt from military service; Deut. 20:7; 24:5],
the bride from her ·bedroom [chamber].
17 ·The [L Let the] priests, ·the Lord’s servants [who minister before the Lord], should ·cry [weep]
between the altar and the ·entrance to the Temple [portico; vestibule].
·They should [L Let them] say, “Lord, ·have mercy on [spare] your people.
Don’t let ·them [L your inheritance/possession] be ·put to shame [mocked; a reproach];
don’t let other nations make ·fun of them [them a byword].
·Don’t let [L Why should the] people in other nations ask,
‘Where is their God?’”
The Lord Restores the Land
18 Then the Lord became ·concerned about [jealous/zealous for] his land
and ·felt sorry [had compassion] for his people.
19 He ·said to [answered] them:
“[L Look; T Behold] I will send you grain, new wine, and olive oil,
so that you will ·have plenty [be satisfied].
No more will I ·shame you [make you a reproach/object of scorn]
among the nations.
20 I will ·force the army from the north to leave your land [L drive the northern one far from you]
and go into a dry, ·empty [desolate] land.
·Their soldiers [L Those] in front will be forced into the ·Dead [L Eastern] Sea,
and those in the rear into the ·Mediterranean [L Western] Sea.
·Their bodies will rot and stink [His stench and foul smell will rise].
The Lord has surely done ·a wonderful thing [great things]!”
21 Land, don’t be afraid;
be ·happy [glad] and ·full of joy [rejoice],
because the Lord has done ·a wonderful thing [great things].
22 ·Wild animals [L Beasts of the field], don’t be afraid,
because the ·open [wilderness] pastures ·have grown grass [L are sprouting green].
The trees ·have given [bear] fruit;
the fig trees and the grapevines ·have grown much fruit [provide riches].
23 So be happy, ·people of Jerusalem [L sons/children of Zion; 2:1];
·be joyful [rejoice] in the Lord your God.
Because he ·does what is right,
he has brought you rain [or has vindicated you by giving you rain];
he has sent the ·fall [L early] rain
and the ·spring [L late] rain for you, as before.
24 And the threshing floors will be full of grain;
the ·barrels [vats] will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
The Lord Speaks
25 “Though I sent my great army against you—
those ·swarming [or great] locusts and ·hopping [or crawling; or young] locusts,
the ·destroying [consuming] locusts and the ·cutting [chewing; or swarming] locusts that ate your crops [see 1:4]—
I will ·pay you back
for [or restore to you] those ·years of trouble [L years].
26 Then you will have plenty to eat
and be ·full [satisfied].
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has ·done miracles [or acted wondrously/marvelously] for you.
My people will never again be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am ·among [in the midst of] the people of Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and there is no ·other God [L other].
My people will never be shamed again.
28 “After this,
I will pour out my Spirit on all ·kinds of people [humanity; flesh; Acts 2:17–21; Is. 32:15; Ezek. 39:29; Zech. 12:10].
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 ·At that time [L In those days] I will pour out my Spirit
·also [even] on male ·slaves [servants] and female ·slaves [servants].
30 I will show ·miracles [wonders; portents]
in the ·sky [heavens] and on the earth:
blood, fire, and ·thick [columns/billows of] smoke.
31 The sun will ·become dark [turn to darkness],
the moon ·red as blood [L to blood; Rev. 6:12],
before the ·overwhelming [great] and ·terrible [awesome] day of the Lord comes.
32 ·Then [L And it will happen that] ·anyone [all] who calls on the [L name of the] Lord
will be ·saved [rescued],
because on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be people who will ·be saved [escape; be delivered],
just as the Lord has said.
·Those left alive after the day of punishment [The remnant/survivors]
are the people whom the Lord called.
Joel 2
New American Standard Bible 1995
The Terrible Visitation
2 (A)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the (B)day of the Lord is coming;
Surely it is near,
2 A day of (C)darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a (D)great and mighty people;
There has (E)never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
3 A (F)fire consumes before them
And behind them a flame burns.
The land is (G)like the garden of Eden before them
But a (H)desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their (I)appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
5 [a]With a (J)noise as of chariots
They leap on the tops of the mountains,
Like the [b]crackling of a (K)flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people arranged for battle.
6 Before them the people are in (L)anguish;
All (M)faces [c]turn pale.
7 They run like mighty men,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And they each (N)march [d]in line,
Nor do they deviate from their paths.
8 They do not crowd each other,
They march everyone in his path;
When they [e]burst through the [f]defenses,
They do not break ranks.
9 They rush on the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the (O)houses,
They (P)enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth (Q)quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The (R)sun and the moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.
11 The Lord (S)utters His voice before (T)His army;
Surely His camp is very great,
For (U)strong is he who carries out His word.
The (V)day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome,
And (W)who can endure it?
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“(X)Return to Me with all your heart,
And with (Y)fasting, weeping and mourning;
13 And (Z)rend your heart and not (AA)your garments.”
Now return to the Lord your God,
For He is (AB)gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And (AC)relenting of evil.
14 Who knows (AD)whether He will not turn and relent
And leave a (AE)blessing behind Him,
Even (AF)a grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?
15 (AG)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
(AH)Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
16 Gather the people, (AI)sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the (AJ)bridegroom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
Weep (AK)between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “(AL)Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not make Your inheritance a (AM)reproach,
A byword among the nations.
Why should they among the peoples say,
‘(AN)Where is their God?’”
Deliverance Promised
18 Then the Lord [g]will be (AO)zealous for His land
And [h]will have (AP)pity on His people.
19 The Lord [i]will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I am going to (AQ)send you grain, new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied in full with [j]them;
And I will (AR)never again make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But I will remove the (AS)northern army far from you,
And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,
And its vanguard into the (AT)eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the (AU)western sea.
And its (AV)stench will arise and its foul smell will come up,
For it has done great things.”
21 (AW)Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,
For the Lord has done (AX)great things.
22 Do not fear, beasts of the field,
For the (AY)pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has borne its fruit,
The fig tree and the vine have yielded [k]in full.
23 So rejoice, O (AZ)sons of Zion,
And (BA)be glad in the Lord your God;
For He has (BB)given you [l]the early rain for your vindication.
And He has poured down for you the rain,
The [m]early and [n](BC)latter rain [o]as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
And the vats will (BD)overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 “Then I will make up to you for the years
That the swarming (BE)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 (BF)eat and be satisfied
And (BG)praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has (BH)dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will (BI)never be put to shame.
27 “Thus you will (BJ)know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the Lord your God,
And there is (BK)no other;
And My people will never be (BL)put to shame.
The Promise of the Spirit
28 “[p](BM)It will come about after this
That I will (BN)pour out My Spirit on all [q](BO)mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
29 “Even on the (BP)male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The Day of the Lord
30 “I will (BQ)display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire and columns of smoke.
31 “The (BR)sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood
Before the (BS)great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
32 “And it will come about that (BT)whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Will be delivered;
For (BU)on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who (BV)escape,
As the Lord has said,
Even among the (BW)survivors whom the Lord calls.
Footnotes
- Joel 2:5 Lit Like the noise of chariots
- Joel 2:5 Lit noise
- Joel 2:6 Or become flushed
- Joel 2:7 Lit in his ways
- Joel 2:8 Lit fall
- Joel 2:8 Lit weapon, probably javelin
- Joel 2:18 Or was zealous
- Joel 2:18 Or had pity
- 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 So with ancient versions; Heb in the first
- Joel 2:28 Ch 3:1 in Heb
- Joel 2:28 Lit flesh
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
