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New Testament
Joel 2
Announce the Day of the Lord
21Blow the ram's horn in Zion.
Sound the alarm on my holy mountain.
Let all who live in the land tremble with fear,
for the Day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
2a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and frightening darkness.
A Description of the Locust Army
a large and mighty people is coming.
There has been nothing like it from ancient times,
nor will there ever be again for generations to come.
3In front of them, fire devours.
Behind them, a flame blazes.
In front of them, the land is like the Garden of Eden.
Behind them, it is a desolate wilderness.
There is no escaping them.
4They look like horses.
They charge like cavalry.
5With a noise like chariots
they bounce over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a powerful army lined up for battle.
6At the sight of them, peoples are in anguish.
7They charge like strong warriors.
They climb over walls like soldiers.
They all march in formation.
They do not turn aside from their path.
8They do not collide with each other.
Each marches straight ahead in his position.
9They rush into the city.
They run along the city wall.
They climb into the houses.
Like thieves they enter through the windows.
10In front of them the earth quakes.
The sky shudders.
The sun and moon become dark,
and the stars stop shining.
Announce the Day of the Lord
11The Lord shouts at the head of his army.
His forces are very numerous,
and those who obey his command are powerful.
The Day of the Lord is great. It is terrifying.
Who can endure it?
Call to Repentance and Closing Prayer
12Even now, declares the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and grief.
13Tear your heart and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy,
and he relents from sending disaster.
14Who knows?
He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
15Blow the ram's horn in Zion.
Set aside a day for fasting.
Call a solemn convocation.
16Gather the people.
Consecrate the assembly.
Bring together the elders.
Gather the children, even 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 temple porch and the altar.
Let them say:
Have compassion on your people, O Lord.
Do not subject the inheritance you have given us to the scorn of the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
“Where is their God?”
A Dialogue Between the Lord and the Prophet
The Lord's Promises
18The Lord is zealous for his land,
and he will take pity on his people.
19The Lord will respond to them:
I am sending you grain, new wine, and fresh oil,
enough to satisfy you fully.
Never again will I subject you to scorn among the nations.
20I will drive the northern invaders far from you,
pushing them into a parched and desolate land.
Then their stench will go up. Their foul smell will go up.
The Prophet's Response
21Do not be afraid, O earth.
Celebrate and be glad.
Yes, the Lord has done great things.
22Do not be afraid, you animals out in the field,
because the grazing lands are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit.
The fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
23Celebrate, you people of Zion!
Rejoice in the Lord your God,
as he did in the beginning.
24The threshing floors will be filled with grain.
The vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
The Lord's Promise
25I will repay you for the years eaten by the swarming locusts,
my great army that I sent among you.
26You will have plenty to eat.
You will 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 put to shame!
27Then you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other.
Never again will my people be put to shame!
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
29Even on the servants, both male and female,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30I will show warning signs in the heavens and on the earth:
blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the great and terrifying day of the Lord.
So on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has promised, among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
Footnotes
- 2:2 Or, reading the consonantal Hebrew text with different vowels, blackness
- 2:6 Or grows pale. The meaning of this line is uncertain.
- 2:8 The meaning of this line is uncertain.
- 2:17 Or notorious so that the nations rule over us
- 2:20 That is, the Dead Sea
- 2:20 That is, the Mediterranean Sea
- 2:20 The subject of this sentence is not specified in the Hebrew text, which simply reads he.
- 2:23 Or he has given you the Teacher of Righteousness. The word used here for autumn rain sounds the same as the word for teacher. The life-giving rain then would be a symbol for the showers of blessing brought by the Messiah.
- 2:23 The autumn rain (the early rain) was essential for the grain's initial growth. The spring rain (the latter rain) was essential for the heads of grain to fill out before the harvest.
- 2:25 The precise distinctions between the four Hebrew terms for locusts are not certain. The terms may refer to types of locusts or to different stages of the locusts' life cycle (though the terms do not occur in the same order in 1:4 and 2:25). Etymologically the four terms seem to refer to swarmers, hoppers, destroyers, and gnawers. In any case, the point of the heaping up of terms is total destruction.
- 2:28 English verses 2:28–32 are verses 3:1–5 in Hebrew.
- 2:32 See Acts 2:17–21.