Joel 1:15–2:11

¹⁵Alas for the day! ⁱfor the day of the Lord is at hand,

And as a ^jdestruction from ^kthe Almighty shall it come.

^16fIs not the meat cut off before our eyes,

Yea, ^ljoy and gladness ^ffrom the house of our God?

^17llThe ^†seed is rotten under their clods,

The garners are laid desolate, ^mthe barns are broken down;

For the corn is ^ywithered.

¹⁸ⁿHow do the beasts groan!

The herds of cattle ⁿⁿare perplexed,

Because they have no pasture;

Yea, the flocks of sheep ^oare made desolate.

¹⁹O Lord, ^pto thee will I cry:

For ^qthe fire hath devoured ^rthe ^||pastures of the wilderness,

And ^sthe flame hath burned all the trees of the field.

²⁰ⁿThe beasts of the field ^tcry also unto thee:

For ^uthe rivers of waters ^vare dried up,

And ^qthe fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

2^aBlow ye the ^||trumpet ^bin Zion, and ^asound an alarm in ^bmy holy mountain:

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble:

^cFor the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

^2cdeA day of darkness and ^deof gloominess,

^dfA day of clouds and ^dfof thick darkness,

As ^gthe morning spread upon the mountains:

^hA great people and a strong;

ⁱThere hath not been ever the like,

Neither shall be any more after it,

Even to the years ^†of many generations.

^3jA fire devoureth before them;

And behind them ^ja flame burneth:

The land is as ^kthe garden of Eden before them,

And ^kkbehind them ^la desolate wilderness;

Yea, and ^llnothing shall escape them.

^4mThe appearance of them is as the appearance of horses;

And as horsemen, so shall they run.

⁵ⁿLike the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they ⁿⁿleap,

Like the noise of a flame of ^ofire that devoureth the stubble,

^hAs a strong people set in battle array.

⁶Before their face the people shall be much pained:

^pAll faces ^qshall gather ^†blackness.

⁷They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war;

And they shall march every one on his ways,

And they shall not break their ranks:

⁸Neither shall one ^rthrust another;

They shall walk every one in his path:

And when they fall upon the ^||sword, they shall not ^sbe wounded.

^9tThey shall ^urun to and fro in the city;

They shall ^urun upon the wall,

They shall climb up upon the houses;

^vThey shall enter in at the windows ^vvlike a thief.

^10wThe earth shall quake before them;

^wThe heavens shall tremble:

^xyThe sun and the moon shall be dark,

^xAnd the stars shall withdraw their shining:

¹¹And ^xxthe Lord shall utter his voice before ^yhis army:

For ^hhis ^zcamp is very great:

^aFor he is strong that executeth his word:

For ^bcthe day of the Lord is great and very ^cterrible;

And ^dwho can abide it?