Joel 2

An Army of Locusts

Blow the trumpet^a in Zion;^b

sound the alarm on my holy hill.^c

Let all who live in the land tremble,

for the day of the Lord^d is coming.

It is close at hand^e—

a day of darkness^f and gloom,^gh

a day of cloudsⁱ and blackness.^j

Like dawn spreading across the mountains

a large and mighty army^k comes,

such as never was of old^l

nor ever will be in ages to come.

Before them fire^m devours,

behind them a flame blazes.

Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,ⁿ

behind them, a desert waste^o—

nothing escapes them.

They have the appearance of horses;^p

they gallop along like cavalry.

With a noise like that of chariots^q

they leap over the mountaintops,

like a crackling fire^r consuming stubble,

like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;^s

every face turns pale.^t

They charge like warriors;^u

they scale walls like soldiers.

They all march in line,^v

not swerving^w from their course.

They do not jostle each other;

each marches straight ahead.

They plunge through defenses

without breaking ranks.

They rush upon the city;

they run along the wall.

They climb into the houses;^x

like thieves they enter through the windows.^y

Before them the earth shakes,^z

the heavens tremble,^a

the sun and moon are darkened,^b

and the stars no longer shine.^c

The Lord^d thunders^e

at the head of his army;^f

his forces are beyond number,

and mighty is the army that obeys his command.

The day of the Lord is great;^g

it is dreadful.

Who can endure it?^h

Rend Your Heart

“Even now,” declares the Lord,

“return^a to me with all your heart,^b

with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend your heart^c

and not your garments.^d

Return^e to the Lord your God,

for he is gracious and compassionate,^f

slow to anger and abounding in love,^g

and he relents from sending calamity.^h

Who knows? He may turnⁱ and relent^j

and leave behind a blessing^k—

grain offerings and drink offerings^l

for the Lord your God.

Blow the trumpet^m in Zion,ⁿ

declare a holy fast,^o

call a sacred assembly.^p

Gather the people,

consecrate^q the assembly;

bring together the elders,^r

gather the children,

those nursing at the breast.

Let the bridegroom^s leave his room

and the bride her chamber.

Let the priests, who minister^t before the Lord,

weep^u between the portico and the altar.^v

Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.

Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,^w

a byword^x among the nations.

Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?^y’ ”

The Lord’s Answer

Then the Lord was jealous^a for his land

and took pity^b on his people.

The Lord replied to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine^c and olive oil,^d

enough to satisfy you fully;^e

never again will I make you

an object of scorn^f to the nations.

“I will drive the northern horde^g far from you,

pushing it into a parched and barren land;

its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea

and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.

And its stench^h will go up;

its smell will rise.”

Surely he has done great things!

Do not be afraid,ⁱ land of Judah;

be glad and rejoice.^j

Surely the Lord has done great things!^k

Do not be afraid, you wild animals,

for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.^l

The trees are bearing their fruit;

the fig tree^m and the vineⁿ yield their riches.^o

Be glad, people of Zion,

rejoice^p in the Lord your God,

for he has given you

the autumn rains in righteousness.^q

He sends you abundant showers,^r

both autumn^s and spring rains,^t as before.

The threshing floors will be filled with grain;

the vats will overflow^u with new wine^v and oil.

“I will repay you for the years the locusts^w have eaten^x—

the great locust and the young locust,

the other locusts and the locust swarm—

my great army^y that I sent among you.

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,^z

and you will praise^a the name of the Lord your God,

who has worked wonders^b for you;

never again will my people be shamed.^c

Then you will know^d that I am in Israel,

that I am the Lord^e your God,

and that there is no other;

never again will my people be shamed.^f

The Day of the Lord

^*“And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit^a on all people.^b

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,^c

your old men will dream dreams,^d

your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants,^e both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.^f

I will show wonders in the heavens^g

and on the earth,^h

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darknessⁱ

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.^j

And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord^k will be saved;^l

for on Mount Zion^m and in Jerusalem

there will be deliverance,ⁿ

as the Lord has said,

even among the survivors^o

whom the Lord calls.^p