Joel 2
2
1Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the Lord#2:1. The day of the Lord is the time of God's judgment. is coming—it's definitely near! 2It's a gloomy day of darkness, a day of thick clouds and heavy shadows. Like the dawn spreading over the mountains, an army appears,#2:2. While the initial focus in Joel is on a devastating plague of locusts, what follows in chapter 2 morphs into a picture of an invading human army. so large and powerful that there has never ever been anything like it before, nor will there ever be anything like it again. 3Fire blazes in front of them, behind them flames are burning. In front of them the land looks like the Garden of Eden, behind them is a desert of total desolation: not a single survivor remains. 4They have the appearance of horses; they charge like cavalry. 5Listen to the sound: they are like rumbling chariots leaping over the mountain tops, they are like crackling flames burning stubble, they are like a mighty army marching in formation into battle. 6Terror seizes all those in their path; all the people's faces grow pale. 7They attack like mighty warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march as one, never breaking ranks. 8They do not jostle one another, they stay on track; and even if some are cut down, they are not stopped. 9They rush to and fro in the city; they run along the walls;#2:9. The fact that they can do this shows that the city's defenders are dead. they climb into houses, entering through the windows like thieves.
10The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark, the stars stop shining. 11The Lord shouts his commands at the head of his army. His camp is immense, and those who carry out his orders are powerful. The day of the Lord is totally terrifying—who can stand it?
12“Yet even now,” says the Lord, “Come back to me while there is still time. Come to me with all your heart, with fasting and prayer. 13Repent in your minds, and not by tearing your clothes.”#2:13. Tearing one's clothes was a sign of intense emotion, grief, and repentance. Come back to the Lord your God for he is gracious and kind. He is slow to get angry and full of faithful love, and changes his mind about sending punishment. 14Who knows? Maybe he will change his mind, leaving behind a blessing so that you will be able to make grain and wine offerings to the Lord your God.
15Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast; call a solemn assembly. 16Gather the people together: the elders, the children, even the babies. Let the bridegroom leave his room; let the bride leave her room. 17Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar of the Temple.#2:17. “Of the Temple”: implied. Let them say, “Lord, please take pity on your people, and do not let your inheritance be disgraced, ruled over by foreign nations, so that the people of these nations could ask, ‘Where is their God?’”
18Now the Lord is very protective#2:18. Or “jealous.” of his land and takes pity on his people. 19The Lord will reply, saying to his people, “Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, and you will be satisfied. You will no longer be a disgrace among the foreign nations.
20I will remove from you the army from the north; I will drive them into the desolate wilderness—the front into the eastern sea, and the rear into the western sea. The stench of the dead army#2:20. “Of the dead army”: implied. will rise up—a real stink—for it has done terrible things.”
21Don't be afraid, people of the land! Be happy and celebrate, for the Lord has done incredible things! 22Don't be afraid, wild animals! For the pastures of the wilderness are turning green. The trees are fruiting again—the fig trees and the grapevines are producing a good crop.
23People of Jerusalem! Celebrate and be happy in the Lord your God because he has given you rain to show his goodness. As before he sends the autumn and the spring rains. 24The threshing floors will be full of grain, the vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil. 25“I will give back to you what you lost over the years to the swarming, hopping, destroying, and cutting locusts, this great army that I sent against you. 26You will have plenty to eat, and you will be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God who has done miracles for you. My people will never again be ashamed. 27You will know that I am in the midst of my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other. My people will never again be ashamed.
28After this I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will be my prophets, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29In those days I will also pour out my Spirit on male slaves and female slaves. 30I will place wonders in the heavens and on earth: blood, and fire, and columns of smoke. 31The sun will turn dark, and the moon will turn red like blood at the coming of the great and fearful day of the Lord.” 32Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, rescued from Mount Zion and Jerusalem, as the Lord has said—these are among the survivors the Lord has called.
Currently Selected:
Joel 2: FBV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
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.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.