Joel 2:30–31

2:30 I will produce portents both in the sky81 and on the earth—

blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

2:31 The sunlight will be turned to darkness

and the moon to the color of blood,82

before the day of the Lord comes—

that great and terrible day!

81	tn Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
82	tn Heb “to blood,” but no doubt this is intended to indicate by metonymy the color of blood rather than the substance itself. The blood red color suggests a visual impression here—something that could be caused by fires, volcanic dust, sandstorms, or other atmospheric phenomena.