Joel 2
2
An army of locusts
1Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand –
2a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste –
nothing escapes them.
4They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.
5With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.
7They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.
8They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defences
without breaking ranks.
9They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.
10Before them the earth shakes,
the heavens tremble,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
11The Lord thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?
Rend your heart
12‘Even now,’ declares the Lord,
‘return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.’
13Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
14Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing –
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.
15Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
16Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
“Where is their God?” ’
The Lord’s answer
18Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
19The Lord replied#2:18,19 Or Lord will be jealous… / and take pity… / 19 The Lord will reply to them:
‘I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.
20‘I will drive the northern horde 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 will go up;
its smell will rise.’
Surely he has done great things!
21Do not be afraid, land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the Lord has done great things!
22Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig-tree and the vine yield their riches.
23Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24The threshing-floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25‘I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten –
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm#2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain. –
my great army that I sent among you.
26You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
27Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.
The day of the Lord
28‘And afterwards,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.#2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.
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Joel 2: NIVUK
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
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Joel 2
2
Locusts and an Enemy Army
1Sound the trumpet on Zion,
the Lord's sacred hill.
Warn everyone to tremble!
The judgment day of the Lord
is coming soon.
2It will be dark and gloomy
with storm clouds overhead.
Troops will cover the mountains
like thunderclouds.
No army this powerful
has ever been gathered before
or will be gathered again.
3Fiery flames surround them;
no one escapes.
Before they invaded,
the land was like Eden;
now only a desert remains.
4 #
Rev 9.7-9. They look like horses
and charge like cavalry.
5They roar over mountains
like noisy chariots,
or a mighty army
ready for battle.
They are a forest fire
that feasts on straw.
6The very sight of them
is frightening.#2.6 The very … frightening: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7They climb over walls
like warriors;
they march in columns
and never turn aside.#2.7 and never turn aside: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8They charge straight ahead,
without pushing each other;
even arrows and spears
cannot make them retreat.
9They swarm over city walls
and enter our homes;
they crawl in through windows,
just like thieves.
10 #
Rev 8.12. They make the earth tremble
and the heavens shake;
the sun and moon turn dark,
and stars stop shining.
11 #
Rev 6.17. The Lord God leads this army
of countless troops,
and they obey his commands.
The day of his judgment
is so terrible
that no one can stand it.
The Lord's Invitation
12The Lord said:
It isn't too late.
You can still return to me
with all your heart.
Start crying and mourning!
Go without eating.
13Don't rip your clothes
to show your sorrow.
Instead, turn back to me
with broken hearts.
I am merciful, kind, and caring.
I don't easily lose my temper,
and I don't like to punish.
14I am the Lord your God.
Perhaps I will change my mind
and treat you with mercy.
Then you will be blessed
with enough grain and wine
for offering sacrifices to me.
15Sound the trumpet on Zion!
Call the people together.
Show your sorrow
by going without food.
16 #
3 Macc 1.19. Make sure that everyone
is fit to worship me.#2.16 fit to worship me: This required going through certain kinds of ceremonies.
Bring adults, children, babies,
and even bring newlyweds
from their festivities.
17 #
1 Macc 7.36-38. Tell my servants, the priests,
to cry inside the temple
and to offer this prayer
near the altar:#2.17 inside … altar: The Hebrew text has “between the porch and the altar,” which is the place where the priests usually prayed for the people.
“Save your people, Lord God!
Don't let foreign nations
make jokes about us.
Don't let them laugh and ask,
‘Where is your God?’ ”
The Lord Will Bless the Land
18The Lord was deeply concerned
about his land
and had pity on his people.
19In answer to their prayers
he said,
“I will give you enough grain,
wine, and olive oil
to satisfy your needs.
No longer will I let you
be insulted by the nations.
20An army attacked from the north,
but I will chase it
into a scorching desert.
There it will rot and stink
from the Dead Sea
to the Mediterranean.”
The Lord works wonders
21and does great things.
So tell the soil to celebrate
22and wild animals
to stop being afraid.
Grasslands are green again;
fruit trees and fig trees
are loaded with fruit.
Grapevines are covered
with grapes.
23People of Zion,#2.23 Zion: Jerusalem.
celebrate in honor
of the Lord your God!
He is generous and has sent
the autumn and spring rains
in the proper seasons.#2.23 in … seasons: Or “as he used to do.”
24Grain will cover
your threshing places;
jars will overflow
with wine and olive oil.
The Lord Will Rescue His People
25I, the Lord your God,
will make up for the losses
caused by those swarms
and swarms of locusts#2.25 swarms … locusts: See the note at 1.4.
I sent to attack you.
26My people, you will eat
until you are satisfied.
Then you will praise me
for the wonderful things
I have done.
Never again will you
be put to shame.
27Israel, you will know
that I stand at your side.
I am the Lord your God—
there are no other gods.
Never again will you
be put to shame.
The Lord Will Work Wonders
The Lord said:
28 #
Ac 2.17-21. Later, I will give my Spirit
to everyone.
Your sons and daughters
will prophesy.
Your old men
will have dreams,
and your young men
will see visions.
29In those days I will even give
my Spirit to my servants,
both men and women.
30I will work wonders
in the sky above
and on the earth below.
There will be blood and fire
and clouds of smoke.
31 #
Mt 24.29; Mk 13.24,25; Lk 21.25; Rev 6.12,13. The sun will turn dark,
and the moon
will be as red as blood
before that great
and terrible day
when I appear.
32 #
Ro 10.13. Then I, the Lord will save everyone who faithfully worships me. I have promised there will be survivors on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and among them will be my chosen ones.
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