Joel

¹ And make a loud shout on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of Yahweh is coming; Surely it is near,

² A day of clouds and dense gloom. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a numerous and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it For the years from generation to generation.

³ And behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them But a desolate wilderness behind them, And nothing at all escapes them.

⁴ And like war horses, so they run.

⁵ They leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire consumes the stubble, Like a mighty people arranged for battle.

⁶ All faces turn pale.

⁷ They climb up the wall like men of war; And they each march in line, And they do not deviate from their paths.

⁸ They march everyone in his path; When they fall against the defending weapons, They do not break ranks.

⁹ They run on the wall; They climb up into the houses; They enter through the windows like a thief.

¹⁰ The heavens quake; The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness.

¹¹ Surely His camp is very numerous, For mighty is he who does His word. The day of Yahweh is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?

¹² “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh, “Return to Me with all your heart And with fasting, weeping, and wailing;

¹³ Now return to Yahweh your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, And relenting concerning evil.

¹⁴ And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering For Yahweh your God?

¹⁵ Set apart a fast as holy, call for a solemn assembly,

¹⁶ Assemble the elders, Gather the infants and the nursing babies. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber.

¹⁷ Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, “Pity Your people, O Yahweh, And do not make Your inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’”

¹⁸ Then Yahweh will be zealous for His land And will spare His people.

¹⁹ “Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine, and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.

²⁰ And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will rise up, and its foul smell will rise up, For it has done great things.”

²¹ For Yahweh has done great things.

²² For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, For the tree has borne its fruit; The fig tree and the vine have yielded their full force.

²³ And be glad in Yahweh your God, For He has given you the early rain in righteousness. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and late rains as before.

²⁴ And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.

²⁵ That the swarming locust has consumed, The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust, My great military force which I sent among you.

²⁶ And praise the name of Yahweh your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame.

²⁷ And that I am Yahweh your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame.

²⁸ “And it will be afterwards That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams; Your young men will see visions.

²⁹ I will in those days pour out My Spirit.

³⁰ And I will put wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

³¹ And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of Yahweh comes.

³² Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As Yahweh has said, Even among the survivors whom Yahweh calls.