Joel

2 Blow ye a horn in Zion, Sound an alarm in my holy mountain, Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,—For coming is the day of Yahweh, For it is near!—

2 A day of obscurity and deep gloom, A day of cloud and thick darkness, As dusk spread over the mountains,—A people, many and bold, Like whom hath not been from age-past times, And after whom shall not be again unto the years of generation after generation.

3 Before him hath a fire devoured, And after him shall a flame consume,—As the garden of Eden is the land before him But after him a desert most desolate, Moreover also escape giveth he none.

4 As the appearance of horses is his appearance, And as war-horses so shall they run:

5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains shall they rattle along, Like the noise of a flame of fire devouring dry straw,—Like a people bold, arrayed for battle.

6 Because of him shall peoples be in anguish,—All faces have withdrawn their colour.

7 Like heroes shall they run, Like men of war shall they mount a wall,—And every one—along his own road shall they march along, And shall not change their paths;

8 Nor against each other shall they strike, Each—on his own highway shall they march,—Though in among the weapons they fall they shall not stop.

9 Upon the city shall they leap, On the wall shall they run, Up the houses shall they climb,—Through the windows shall they enter like a thief.

10 Before him hath quaked the earth, have trembled the heavens,—The sun and the moon have become dark, And the stars have withdrawn their shining;

11 And Yahweh hath uttered his voice before his host, For great indeed is his camp, For bold is he who executeth his word,—For great is the day of Yahweh and awful exceedingly, Who then shall endure it?

12 Even now therefore, Urgeth Yahweh, Turn ye unto me with all your heart,—And with fasting and with weeping and with lamentation;

13 And rend your heart and not your garments, Turn therefore unto Yahweh your God,—For gracious and full of compassion is he, Slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, And will grieve over Calamity.

14 Who knoweth, he may turn and grieve,—And leave behind him a blessing, A meal-offering and a drink-offering to Yahweh your God?

15 Blow ye a horn in Zion,—Hallow a fast, Call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the people, Hallow a convocation, Collect the elders, Gather the children and the sucklings of the breasts,—Let the bridegroom come forth from his chamber, And the bride from her bower:

17 Between the porch and the altar let the priests weep, the attendants of Yahweh,—And let them say—Look with pity, O Yahweh, upon thy people And do not deliver thine inheritance to reproach That the nations should mock them, Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

18 And Yahweh became jealous for his land,—And took pity on his people;

19 Then answered Yahweh and said to his people:—Behold me! sending you the corn and the new wine and the oil, So shall ye be satisfied therewith; And I will not make you any more a reproach among the nations.

20 And the Northerner will I remove far from you And drive him into a land parched and desolate, With his face toward the eastern sea, And his rear toward the hinder sea,—Then shall come up his ill odour, Yea his stench shall ascend Because he hath shewn himself great in doing.

21 Be not thou afraid, O soil,—Exult and rejoice, Because Yahweh hath shewn himself great in doing.

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field, For sprouted have the pastures of the wilderness,—For the tree hath borne its fruit, The fig-tree and the vine have yielded their wealth.

23 Ye sons of Zion then exult and be glad in Yahweh your God, For he hath given you the seed-rain in right manner,—Yea he hath caused to descend for you a down-pour of seed-rain and of the harvest-rain in the first month;

24 So shall the threshing-floors be filled with corn,—And the vats overflow with new wine and oil.

25 Then will I make good to you the years which were eaten by the swarming locust, the grass locust and the corn locust and the creeping locust,—even my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat and eat and be satisfied, And shall praise the name of Yahweh your God, Who hath dealt with you wondrously,—So shall my people not be abashed unto times age-abiding.

27 So shall ye know that in the midst of Israel I am, And that I Yahweh am your God and none else,—And my people shall not be abashed unto times age-abiding.

28 And it shall come to pass afterwards I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,—Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions;

29 Moreover also upon the servants and upon the handmaids—in those days will I pour out my spirit;

30 And I will set forth wonders in the heavens and in the earth,—Blood and fire, and columns of smoke:

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,—Before the coming of the great and awful day of Yahweh.

32 And it shall come to pass Whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered,—For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be a delivered remnant Just as Yahweh hath said, And among the survivors whom Yahweh doth call.