Joel 1:15–2:11

The Day of the Lord

¹⁵Woe because of that day! ^g

For the Day of the Lord is near

and will come as devastation from the Almighty. ^h

¹⁶Hasn’t the food been cut off

before our eyes, ⁱ

joy and gladness ^j

from the house of our God?

¹⁷The seeds lie shriveled in their casings. ^kl

The storehouses are in ruin,

and the granaries are broken down,

because the grain has withered away.

¹⁸How the animals groan! ^m

The herds of cattle wander in confusion

since they have no pasture.

Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.

¹⁹I call to You, Lord, ⁿ

for fire has consumed

the pastures of the wilderness, ^o

and flames have devoured

all the trees of the countryside.

²⁰Even the wild animals cry out to ^pYou, ^q

for the river beds are dried up, ^r

and fire has consumed

the pastures of the wilderness.

2Blow the horn in Zion; ^s

sound the alarm on My holy mountain!

Let all the residents of the land tremble,

for the Day of the Lord is coming; ^t

in fact, it is near—

²a day of darkness and gloom, ^u

a day of clouds and dense overcast, ^v

like the dawn spreading over the mountains;

a great and strong people ^wappears,

such as never existed in ages past ^x

and never will again

in all the generations to come. ^y

³A fire destroys ^zin front of them, ^a

and behind them a flame devours.

The land in front of them

is like the Garden of Eden, ^b

but behind them,

it is like a desert wasteland; ^c

there is no escape from them.

⁴Their appearance is like that of horses, ^d

and they gallop like war horses.

⁵They bound on the tops of the mountains.

Their sound is like the sound of chariots, ^e

like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble, ^f

like a mighty army deployed for war.

⁶Nations writhe in horror before them; ^g

all faces turn pale.

⁷They attack as warriors attack;

they scale walls as men of war do.

Each goes on his own path, ^h

and they do not change their course.

⁸They do not push each other;

each man proceeds on his own path.

They dodge the arrows, never stopping.

⁹They storm the city;

they run on the wall;

they climb into the houses; ⁱ

they enter through the windows like thieves. ^j

¹⁰The earth quakes before them; ^k

the sky shakes.

The sun and moon grow dark, ^l

and the stars cease their shining. ^m

¹¹The Lord raises His voice ⁿ

in the presence of His army. ^o

His camp is very large;

Those who carry out His command are powerful. ^p

Indeed, the Day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful ^q—

who can endure it? ^r