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18 Then Yahweh was jealous for his land,
    And had pity on his people.
19 Yahweh answered his people,
    “Behold,[a] I will send you grain, new wine, and oil,
    and you will be satisfied with them;
    and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.
20 But I will remove the northern army far away from you,
    and will drive it into a barren and desolate land,
    its front into the eastern sea,
    and its back into the western sea;
    and its stench will come up,
    and its bad smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things.
21 Land, don’t be afraid.
    Be glad and rejoice, for Yahweh has done great things.
22 Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field;
    for the pastures of the wilderness spring up,
    for the tree bears its fruit.
    The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

23 “Be glad then, you children of Zion,
    and rejoice in Yahweh, your God;
    for he gives you the early rain in just measure,
    and he causes the rain to come down for you,
    the early rain and the latter rain,
    as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of wheat,
    and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
    the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar,
    my great army, which I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied,
    and will praise the name of Yahweh, your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you;
    and my people will never again be disappointed.
27 You will know that I am among Israel,
    and that I am Yahweh, your God, and there is no one else;
    and my people will never again be disappointed.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:19 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

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[a] from you,
    driving them[b] to a barren and desolate land—
the front toward the Dead Sea[c]
    and the back toward the Mediterranean.[d]
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.”

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:20 Lit. the North; i.e. the army that comes from the North
  2. Joel 2:20 Lit. him; i.e. the northern army symbolized as an individual
  3. Joel 2:20 Lit. the eastern sea
  4. Joel 2:20 Lit. the western sea