A Call to Repentance

12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
(A)“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So (B)rend your heart, and not (C)your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is (D)gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
14 (E)Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave (F)a blessing behind Him—
(G)A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?

15 (H)Blow the [a]trumpet in Zion,
(I)Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people,
(J)Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
(K)Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep (L)between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, (M)“Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should [b]rule over them.
(N)Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”

The Land Refreshed(O)

18 Then the Lord will (P)be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I will send you (Q)grain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them;
I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

20 “But (R)I will remove far from you (S)the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back (T)toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done [c]monstrous things.”

21 Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the Lord has done [d]marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For (U)the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And (V)rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the [e]former rain faithfully,
And He (W)will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25 “So I will restore to you the years (X)that the swarming [f]locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:15 ram’s horn
  2. Joel 2:17 Or speak a proverb against them
  3. Joel 2:20 Lit. great
  4. Joel 2:21 Lit. great
  5. Joel 2:23 Or teacher of righteousness
  6. Joel 2:25 Exact identity of these locusts unknown

A Call to Repentance

12 That is why the Lord says,
    “Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
    Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
    but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
    He is eager to relent and not punish.
14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve,
    sending you a blessing instead of this curse.
Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine
    to the Lord your God as before.

15 Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem!
    Announce a time of fasting;
call the people together
    for a solemn meeting.
16 Gather all the people—
    the elders, the children, and even the babies.
Call the bridegroom from his quarters
    and the bride from her private room.
17 Let the priests, who minister in the Lord’s presence,
    stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar.
Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord!
    Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery.
Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say,
    ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’”

The Lord’s Promise of Restoration

18 Then the Lord will pity his people
    and jealously guard the honor of his land.
19 The Lord will reply,
“Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil,
    enough to satisfy your needs.
You will no longer be an object of mockery
    among the surrounding nations.
20 I will drive away these armies from the north.
    I will send them into the parched wastelands.
Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea,
    and those at the rear into the Mediterranean.[a]
The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.”

Surely the Lord has done great things!
21     Don’t be afraid, O land.
Be glad now and rejoice,
    for the Lord has done great things.
22 Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field,
    for the wilderness pastures will soon be green.
The trees will again be filled with fruit;
    fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more.
23 Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem!
    Rejoice in the Lord your God!
For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness.
    Once more the autumn rains will come,
    as well as the rains of spring.
24 The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain,
    and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

25 The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost
    to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts,
the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.[b]
    It was I who sent this great destroying army against you.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:20 Hebrew into the eastern sea, . . . into the western sea.
  2. 2:25 The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.

Rend Your Heart

12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return(A) to me with all your heart,(B)
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

13 Rend your heart(C)
    and not your garments.(D)
Return(E) to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,(F)
slow to anger and abounding in love,(G)
    and he relents from sending calamity.(H)
14 Who knows? He may turn(I) and relent(J)
    and leave behind a blessing(K)
grain offerings and drink offerings(L)
    for the Lord your God.

15 Blow the trumpet(M) in Zion,(N)
    declare a holy fast,(O)
    call a sacred assembly.(P)
16 Gather the people,
    consecrate(Q) the assembly;
bring together the elders,(R)
    gather the children,
    those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom(S) leave his room
    and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister(T) before the Lord,
    weep(U) between the portico and the altar.(V)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
    Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,(W)
    a byword(X) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?(Y)’”

The Lord’s Answer

18 Then the Lord was jealous(Z) for his land
    and took pity(AA) on his people.

19 The Lord replied[a] to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine(AB) and olive oil,(AC)
    enough to satisfy you fully;(AD)
never again will I make you
    an object of scorn(AE) to the nations.

20 “I will drive the northern horde(AF) far from you,
    pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
    and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench(AG) will go up;
    its smell will rise.”

Surely he has done great things!
21     Do not be afraid,(AH) land of Judah;
    be glad and rejoice.(AI)
Surely the Lord has done great things!(AJ)
22     Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
    for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.(AK)
The trees are bearing their fruit;
    the fig tree(AL) and the vine(AM) yield their riches.(AN)
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
    rejoice(AO) in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
    because he is faithful.(AP)
He sends you abundant showers,(AQ)
    both autumn(AR) and spring rains,(AS) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
    the vats will overflow(AT) with new wine(AU) and oil.

25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts(AV) have eaten(AW)
    the great locust and the young locust,
    the other locusts and the locust swarm[b]
my great army(AX) that I sent among you.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / 19 The Lord will reply
  2. Joel 2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.