Joel 2

The Day of the Lord

1 *ver. 15;Isa. 58:1;Hos. 5:8;Amos 3:6Blow a trumpet in *See ch. 3:17Zion;

sound an alarm on *See ch. 3:17my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

for *See ch. 1:15the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,

2 *Amos 5:18,20;Zeph. 1:15a day of darkness and gloom,

*Amos 5:18,20;Zeph. 1:15a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains

*ch. 1:6;[ver. 11, 25] a great and powerful people;

*[ch. 1:2]their like has never been before,

nor will be again after them

through the years of all generations.

3 *ch. 1:19,20Fire devours before them,

and behind them a flame burns.

The land is like *Gen. 2:8,9;See Isa. 51:3the garden of Eden before them,

but *Zech. 7:14behind them a desolate wilderness,

and nothing escapes them.

4 *Rev. 9:7Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,

and like war horses they run.

5 *Rev. 9:9;[Nah. 3:2] As with the rumbling of chariots,

they leap on the tops of the mountains,

like the crackling of *Isa. 5:24;47:14;Obad. 18;Nah. 1:10a flame of fire

devouring the stubble,

*[See ver. 2above]like a powerful army

drawn up for battle.

6 Before them peoples are in anguish;

*Nah. 2:10all faces grow pale.

7 Like warriors they charge;

like soldiers they scale the wall.

They march each on his way;

they do not swerve from their paths.

8 They do not jostle one another;

*Prov. 30:27each marches in his path;

they burst through the weapons

and are not halted.

9 *Isa. 33:4They leap upon the city,

they run upon the walls,

*[Jer. 9:21] they climb up into the houses,

*[Jer. 9:21] they enter through the windows *[John 10:1]like a thief.

10 *ch. 3:16;[Ps. 18:7;Amos 8:8] The earth quakes before them;

the heavens tremble.

*ch. 3:15;Isa. 13:10;Ezek. 32:7;Matt. 24:29;[Rev. 9:2]The sun and the moon are darkened,

and the stars withdraw their shining.

11 *ch. 3:16;[1 Thess. 4:16] The Lord utters his voice

before *ver. 25his army,

for his camp is exceedingly great;

*Rev. 18:8he who executes his word is powerful.

*See ch. 1:15For the day of the Lord is *ver. 31great and very awesome;

*Mal. 3:2;[Num. 24:23]who can endure it?

Return to the Lord

12 "Yet even now," declares the Lord,

*Deut. 4:30;1 Sam. 7:3;Jer. 4:1;Hos. 12:6"return to me with all your heart,

*[1 Sam. 7:6]with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13 and *[Ps. 34:18] rend your hearts and not *See Gen. 37:29your garments."

Return to the Lord your God,

*Ex. 34:6;Ps. 86:5,15;Jonah 4:2for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

*[Num. 23:19;Ezek. 24:14]and he relents over disaster.

14 *Jonah 3:9Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,

and *Hag. 2:19;Mal. 3:10leave a blessing behind him,

*ch. 1:9,13a grain offering and a drink offering

for the Lord your God?

15 *See ver. 1Blow the trumpet in Zion;

*See ch. 1:14consecrate a fast;

call a solemn assembly;

16 gather the people.

*See Josh. 3:5Consecrate the congregation;

assemble the elders;

*[2 Chr. 20:13] gather the children,

even nursing infants.

*[Deut. 24:5;Eccles. 3:5;Zech. 12:12-14;1 Cor. 7:5]Let the bridegroom leave his room,

and the bride her chamber.

17 *Ezek. 8:16Between the *1 Kgs. 6:3;2 Chr. 3:4vestibule and the *2 Chr. 4:1altar

*See ch. 1:9let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep

and say, "Spare your people, O Lord,

and make not your heritage a reproach,

a byword among the nations.*2:17 Or reproach, that the nations should rule over them

*Ps. 42:3;79:10;115:2Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’"

The Lord Had Pity

18 *Zech. 1:14;8:2Then the Lord became jealous for his land

*[Ps. 103:13]and had pity on his people.

19 The Lord answered and said to his people,

"Behold, *[ch. 1:10;Ps. 4:7]; See Mal. 3:10-12I am sending to you

grain, wine, and oil,

*[ch. 1:10;Ps. 4:7]; See Mal. 3:10-12and you will be satisfied;

and I will no more make you

a reproach among the nations.

20 "I will remove the northerner far from you,

and drive him into a parched and desolate land,

his vanguard*2:20 Hebrew face into *Ezek. 47:18;Zech. 14:8the eastern sea,

and his rear guard*2:20 Hebrew his end into *Zech. 14:8the western sea;

*Isa. 34:3;[Amos 4:10]the stench and foul smell of him will rise,

for he has done great things.

21 "Fear not, O land;

be glad and rejoice,

for *Ps. 126:2,3the Lord has done great things!

22 Fear not, *See ch. 1:18you beasts of the field,

for *[ch. 1:19] the pastures of the wilderness are green;

*[Zech. 8:12]the tree bears its fruit;

the fig tree and *[Zech. 8:12]vine give their full yield.

23 *Ps. 100:1,2;Hab. 3:18;Zech. 10:7"Be glad, O children of Zion,

and *Ps. 100:1,2;Hab. 3:18;Zech. 10:7rejoice in the Lord your God,

for he has given *Deut. 11:14;Jer. 5:24the early rain for your vindication;

he has poured down for you abundant rain,

*Deut. 11:14;Jer. 5:24the early and *Hos. 6:3the latter rain, as before.

24 "The threshing floors shall be full of grain;

the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 I will restore*2:25 Or pay back to you the years

that *ch. 1:4the swarming locust has eaten,

*ch. 1:4the hopper, *ch. 1:4the destroyer, and *ch. 1:4the cutter,

*ver. 11my great army, which I sent among you.

26 *Lev. 25:19"You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

and praise the name of the Lord your God,

who has dealt wondrously with you.

And my people *[Isa. 49:23]shall never again be put to shame.

27 *ch. 3:17You shall know that I am *Hos. 11:9;See Ezek. 37:26in the midst of Israel,

and that *See Ex. 20:2I am the Lord your God *[Isa. 44:8] and there is none else.

And my people *[See ver. 26above]shall never again be put to shame.

The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit

28 * 2:28 Ch 3:1 in Hebrew *ver. 28-32,cited Acts 2:17-21"And it shall come to pass afterward,

that *Isa. 32:15;Ezek. 39:29;Zech. 12:10;John 7:39I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

*[Acts 2:39] your sons and *[Acts 21:9]your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men shall see visions.

29 *[1 Cor. 12:13]Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

30 "And I will show *[Matt. 24:30;Luke 21:11]wonders in the heavens and *[Matt. 24:30;Luke 21:11]on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 *See ver. 10The sun shall be turned to darkness, *Rev. 6:12and the moon to blood, *Mal. 4:5before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that *Cited Rom. 10:13everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. *Isa. 46:13;59:20;Obad. 17For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among *Jer. 31:7;Mic. 4:7;Zech. 8:12the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.