Joel 2:16–18
16 Gather the people, qsanctify the congregation, assemble the elders,
rGather the children, and those that suck the breasts:
sLet the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her tcloset.
17 Let uthe priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep vbetween wthe porch and xthe altar,
And let them say, ySpare thy people, O Lord,
And give not thine heritage to reproach,
That the heathen should ||rule over them:
zWherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18 Then will the Lord abe jealous for his land,
And bpity his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — The New International Version (NIV)
16 Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — English Standard Version (ESV)
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
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.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — New Living Translation (NLT)
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?’ ”
18 Then the Lord will pity his people
and jealously guard the honor of his land.
Joel 2:16–18 — The New King James Version (NKJV)
16 Gather the people,
Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
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 between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
Joel 2:16–18 — New Century Version (NCV)
16 Bring the people together
and make the meeting holy for the Lord.
Bring together the elders,
as well as the children,
and even babies that still feed at their mothers’ breasts.
The bridegroom should come from his room,
the bride from her bedroom.
17 The priests, the Lord’s servants, should cry
between the altar and the entrance to the Temple.
They should say, “Lord, have mercy on your people.
Don’t let them be put to shame;
don’t let other nations make fun of them.
Don’t let people in other nations ask,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord became concerned about his land
and felt sorry for his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — American Standard Version (ASV)
16 gather the people, sanctify the assembly, assemble the old men, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Jehovah, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?
18 Then was Jehovah jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)
16 gather the people, hallow the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride from her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare, O Jehovah, thy people, and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that they should be a byword of the nations. Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?
18 Then Jehovah will be jealous for his land, and will have pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
16 Gather the people.
Prepare them for a holy meeting.
Assemble the leaders.
Gather the children, even the nursing infants.
Grooms leave their rooms.
Brides leave their chambers.
17 The priests who serve the Lord cry
between the altar and the entrance to the temple.
They say,
“Spare your people, O Lord.
Don’t let the people who belong to you become a disgrace.
Don’t let the nations ridicule them.
Why should people ask, ‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord became concerned about his land,
and he had pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
16 Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even those nursing at the breast.
Let the groom leave his bedroom,
and the bride her honeymoon chamber.
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say:
“Have pity on Your people, Lord,
and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace,
an object of scorn among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord became jealous for His land and spared His people.
Joel 2:16–18 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
16 gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)
16 gather the people, consecrate the assembly;
assemble the elders, gather the children,
even those who are breast-feeding;
let the bridegroom come out from his private room,
and the bride from her canopy.
17 Between the colonnade and the altar,
let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep.
And let them say, “Take pity, Yahweh, on your people.
Do not make your inheritance a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the nations,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then Yahweh became jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)
16 Bring them together.
Set all of them apart to me.
Bring together the elders.
Gather the children and the babies
who are still nursing.
Let the groom leave his bedroom.
Let the bride leave their marriage bed.
17 Let the priests who serve the Lord sob.
Let them cry between the temple porch and the altar.
Let them say, “Lord, spare your people.
Don’t let others make fun of them.
Don’t let the nations laugh at them.
Don’t let them tease your people and say,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord will show concern for his land.
He will take pity on his people.
Joel 2:16–18 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
Weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not make Your inheritance a reproach,
A byword among the nations.
Why should they among the peoples say,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land
And will have pity on His people.