Joel 2:1–21

Blow 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

God’s Call for Repentance

¹²Even now—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

turn to Me with all your heart, ^s

with fasting, weeping, and mourning. ^t

¹³Tear your hearts, ^u

not just your clothes, ^v

and return to the Lord your God.

For He is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger, rich in faithful love,

and He relents from sending disaster. ^w

¹⁴Who knows? He may turn and relent ^x

and leave a blessing behind Him, ^y

so you can offer grain and wine

to the Lord your God. ^z

¹⁵Blow the horn in Zion! ^a

Announce a sacred fast; ^b

proclaim an assembly.

¹⁶Gather the people;

sanctify the congregation; ^c

assemble the aged; ^de

gather the children,

even those nursing at the breast.

Let the groom leave his bedroom, ^f

and the bride her honeymoon chamber.

¹⁷Let the priests, ^gthe Lord’s ministers,

weep between the portico and the altar. ^h

Let them say:

“Have pity on Your people, Lord, ⁱ

and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, ^j

an object of scorn among the nations.

Why should it be said among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’ ” ^k

God’s Response to His People

¹⁸Then the Lord became jealous for His land ^land spared His people. ^m19The Lord answered His people:

Look, I am about to send you

grain, new wine, and olive oil. ⁿ

You will be satiated with them,

and I will no longer make you

a disgrace among the nations. ^o

²⁰I will drive the northerner far from you ^p

and banish him to a dry and desolate land,

his front ranks into the Dead Sea, ^q

and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. ^r

His stench will rise;

yes, his rotten smell will rise, ^s

for he has done catastrophic things.

²¹Don’t be afraid, land; ^t

rejoice and be glad,

for the Lord has done great things. ^u