2 ^(A)Blow a trumpet in ^(B)Zion;
    sound an alarm on ^(C)my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
    for ^(D)the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
^2 (E)a day of darkness and gloom,
    ^(F)a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
    ^(G)a great and powerful people;
^(H)their like has never been before,
    nor will be again after them
    through the years of all generations.
^3 (I)Fire devours before them,
    and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like ^(J)the garden of Eden before them,
    but ^(K)behind them a desolate wilderness,
    and nothing escapes them.
^4 (L)Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
    and like war horses they run.
^5 (M)As with the rumbling of chariots,
    they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of ^(N)a flame of fire
    devouring the stubble,
^(O)like a powerful army
    drawn up for battle.
⁶ Before them peoples are in anguish;
    ^(P)all faces grow pale.
⁷ Like warriors they charge;
    like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
    they do not swerve from their paths.
⁸ They do not jostle one another;
    ^(Q)each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
    and are not halted.
^9 (R)They leap upon the city,
    they run upon the walls,
^(S)they climb up into the houses,
    ^(T)they enter through the windows ^(U)like a thief.
^10 (V)The earth quakes before them;
    the heavens tremble.
^(W)The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.
^11 (X)The Lord utters his voice
    before ^(Y)his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
    ^(Z)he who executes his word is powerful.
^(AA)For the day of the Lord is ^(AB)great and very awesome;
    ^(AC)who can endure it?

¹² “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
    ^(AD)“return to me with all your heart,
^(AE)with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
¹³     and ^(AF)rend your hearts and not ^(AG)your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    ^(AH)for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    ^(AI)and he relents over disaster.
^14 (AJ)Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
    and ^(AK)leave a blessing behind him,
^(AL)a grain offering and a drink offering
    for the Lord your God?
^15 (AM)Blow the trumpet in Zion;
    ^(AN)consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
¹⁶     gather the people.
^(AO)Consecrate the congregation;
    assemble the elders;
^(AP)gather the children,
    even nursing infants.
^(AQ)Let the bridegroom leave his room,
    and the bride her chamber.
^17 (AR)Between the ^(AS)vestibule and the ^(AT)altar
    ^(AU)let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
    and make not your heritage a reproach,
    a byword among the nations.^[a]
(AV)Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?’”

^18 (AW)Then the Lord became jealous for his land
    ^(AX)and had pity on his people.
¹⁹ The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, ^(AY)I am sending to you
    grain, wine, and oil,
    ^(AZ)and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
    a reproach among the nations.
²⁰ “I will remove the northerner far from you,
    and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard^[b] into ^(BA)the eastern sea,
    and his rearguard^[c] into ^(BB)the western sea;
^(BC)the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
    for he has done great things.
²¹ “Fear not, O land;
    be glad and rejoice,
    for ^(BD)the Lord has done great things!
²² Fear not, ^(BE)you beasts of the field,
    for ^(BF)the pastures of the wilderness are green;
^(BG)the tree bears its fruit;
    the fig tree and ^(BH)vine give their full yield.
^23 (BI)“Be glad, O children of Zion,
    and ^(BJ)rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given ^(BK)the early rain for your vindication;
    he has poured down for you abundant rain,
    ^(BL)the early and ^(BM)the latter rain, as before.
²⁴ “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
    the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
²⁵ I will restore to you the years
    that ^(BN)the swarming locust has eaten,
^(BO)the hopper, ^(BP)the destroyer, and ^(BQ)the cutter,
    ^(BR)my great army, which I sent among you.
^26 (BS)“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
    and praise the name of the Lord your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people ^(BT)shall never again be put to shame.
^27 (BU)You shall know that I am ^(BV)in the midst of Israel,
    and that ^(BW)I am the Lord your God ^(BX)and there is none else.
And my people ^(BY)shall never again be put to shame.

^{28 [d] (BZ)}“And it shall come to pass afterwards,
    that ^(CA)I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
^(CB)your sons and ^(CC)your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
^29 (CD)Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.