Joel 2

1Blow ye the trumpet in Sion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: because the day of the Lord cometh, because it is nigh at hand,

2A day of darkness, and of gloominess, a day of clouds and whirlwinds: a numerous and strong people as the morning spread upon the mountains: the like to it hath not been from the beginning, nor shall be after it even to the years of generation and generation.

3Before the face thereof a devouring fire, and behind it a burning flame: the land is like a garden of pleasure before it, and behind it a desolate wilderness, neither is there any one that can escape it.

4The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses, and they shall run like horsemen.

5They shall leap like the noise of chariots upon the tops of mountains, like the noise of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, as a strong people prepared to battle.

6At their presence the people shall be in grievous pains: all faces shall be made like a kettle.

7They shall run like valiant men: like men of war they shall scale the wall: the men shall march every one on his way, and they shall not turn aside from their ranks.

8No one shall press upon his brother: they shall walk every one in his path: yea, and they shall fall through the windows, and shall take no harm.

9They shall enter into the city: they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up the houses, they shall come in at the windows as a thief.

10At their presence the earth hath trembled, the heavens are moved: the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining.

11And the Lord hath uttered his voice before the face of his army: for his armies are exceeding great, for they are strong and execute his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible: and who can stand it?

12Now therefore saith the Lord: Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning.

13And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil.

14Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God?

15Blow the trumpet in Sion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly,

16Gather together the people, sanctify the church, assemble the ancients, gather together the little ones, and them that suck at the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth from his bed, and the bride out of her bride chamber.

17Between the porch and the altar the priests the Lord’s ministers shall weep, and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people: and give not thy inheritance to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations: Where is their God?

18The Lord hath been zealous for his land, and hath spared his people.

19And the Lord answered and said to his people: Behold I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be filled with them: and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

20And I will remove far off from you the northern enemy: and I will drive him into a land unpassable, and desert, with his face towards the east sea, and his hinder part towards the utmost sea: and his stench shall ascend, and his rottenness shall go up, because he hath done proudly.

21Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice: for the Lord hath done great things.

22Fear not, ye beasts of the fields: for the beautiful places of the wilderness are sprung, for the tree hath brought forth its fruit, the fig tree, and the vine have yielded their strength.

23And you, O children of Sion, rejoice, and be joyful in the Lord your God: because he hath given you a teacher of justice, and he will make the early and the latter rain to come down to you as in the beginning.

24And the floors shall be filled with wheat, and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil.

25And I will restore to you the ears which the locust, and the bruchus, and the mildew, and the palmerworm have eaten; my great host which I sent upon you.

26And you shall eat in plenty, and shall be filled: and you shall praise the name of the Lord your God, who hath done wonders with you, and my people shall not be confounded for ever.

27And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: and I am the Lord your God, and there is none besides: and my people shall not be confounded for ever.

28And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

29Moreover upon my servants and handmaids in those days I will pour forth my spirit.

30And I will shew wonders in heaven; and in earth, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke.

31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood: before the great and dreadful day of the Lord doth come.

32And it shall come to pass, that every one that shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved: for in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem shall be salvation, as the Lord hath said, and in the residue whom the Lord shall call.

1[Canite tuba in Sion, ululate in monte sancto meo, conturbentur omnes habitatores terræ: quia venit dies Domini, quia prope est.

2Dies tenebrarum et caliginis, dies nubis et turbinis; quasi mane expansum super montes populus multus et fortis: similis ei non fuit a principio, et post eum non erit usque in annos generationis et generationis.

3Ante faciem ejus ignis vorans, et post eum exurens flamma. Quasi hortus voluptatis terra coram eo, et post eum solitudo deserti, neque est qui effugiat eum.

4Quasi aspectus equorum, aspectus eorum; et quasi equites, sic current.

5Sicut sonitus quadrigarum super capita montium exilient, sicut sonitus flammæ ignis devorantis stipulam, velut populus fortis præparatus ad prælium.

6A facie ejus cruciabuntur populi; omnes vultus redigentur in ollam.

7Sicut fortes current; quasi viri bellatores ascendent murum: viri in viis suis gradientur, et non declinabunt a semitis suis.

8Unusquisque fratrem suum non coarctabit, singuli in calle suo ambulabunt; sed et per fenestras cadent, et non demolientur.

9Urbem ingredientur, in muro current, domos conscendent, per fenestras intrabunt quasi fur.

10A facie ejus contremuit terra, moti sunt cæli, sol et luna obtenebrati sunt, et stellæ retraxerunt splendorem suum.

11Et Dominus dedit vocem suam ante faciem exercitus sui, quia multa sunt nimis castra ejus, quia fortia et facientia verbum ejus: magnus enim dies Domini, et terribilis valde, et quis sustinebit eum?

12Nunc ergo, dicit Dominus, convertimini ad me in toto corde vestro, in jejunio, et in fletu, et in planctu.

13Et scindite corda vestra, et non vestimenta vestra; et convertimini ad Dominum Deum vestrum, quia benignus et misericors est, patiens et multæ misericordiæ, et præstabilis super malitia.

14Quis scit si convertatur, et ignoscat, et relinquat post se benedictionem, sacrificium et libamen Domino Deo vestro?

15Canite tuba in Sion, sanctificate jejunium, vocate cœtum:

16congregate populum, sanctificate ecclesiam, coadunate senes, congregate parvulos, et sugentes ubera; egrediatur sponsus de cubili suo, et sponsa de thalamo suo.

17Inter vestibulum et altare plorabunt sacerdotes, ministri Domini, et dicent: Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo; et ne des hæreditatem tuam in opprobrium, ut dominentur eis nationes. Quare dicunt in populis: Ubi est Deus eorum?]

18[Zelatus est Dominus terram suam, et pepercit populo suo.

19Et respondit Dominus, et dixit populo suo: Ecce ego mittam vobis frumentum, et vinum, et oleum, et replebimini eis; et non dabo vos ultra opprobrium in gentibus.

20Et eum qui ab aquilone est procul faciam a vobis, et expellam eum in terram inviam et desertam: faciem ejus contra mare orientale, et extremum ejus ad mare novissimum: et ascendet fœtor ejus, et ascendet putredo ejus, quia superbe egit.

21Noli timere, terra: exsulta, et lætare, quoniam magnificavit Dominus ut faceret.

22Nolite timere, animalia regionis, quia germinaverunt speciosa deserti; quia lignum attulit fructum suum, ficus et vinea dederunt virtutem suam.

23Et, filii Sion, exsultate, et lætamini in Domino Deo vestro, quia dedit vobis doctorem justitiæ, et descendere faciet ad vos imbrem matutinum et serotinum, sicut in principio.

24Et implebuntur areæ frumento, et redundabunt torcularia vino et oleo.

25Et reddam vobis annos, quos comedit locusta, bruchus, et rubigo, et eruca: fortitudo mea magna quam misi in vos.

26Et comedetis vescentes, et saturabimini; et laudabitis nomen Domini Dei vestri, qui fecit mirabilia vobiscum; et non confundetur populus meus in sempiternum.

27Et scietis quia in medio Israël ego sum, et ego Dominus Deus vester, et non est amplius; et non confundetur populus meus in æternum.]

28[Et erit post hæc: effundam spiritum meum super omnem carnem, et prophetabunt filii vestri et filiæ vestræ: senes vestri somnia somniabunt, et juvenes vestri visiones videbunt.

29Sed et super servos meos et ancillas in diebus illis effundam spiritum meum.

30Et dabo prodigia in cælo et in terra, sanguinem, et ignem, et vaporem fumi.

31Sol convertetur in tenebras, et luna in sanguinem, antequam veniat dies Domini magnus et horribilis.

32Et erit: omnis qui invocaverit nomen Domini, salvus erit: quia in monte Sion et in Jerusalem erit salvatio, sicut dixit Dominus, et in residuis quos Dominus vocaverit.]

1Blow the trumpet in Zion, wail on my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land be stirred up. For the day of the Lord is on its way; for it is near:

2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and whirlwinds. Like the morning reaching over the mountains, they are a numerous and strong people. Nothing like them has existed since the beginning, nor will exist after them, even in the years of generation upon generation.

3Before their face is a devouring fire, and behind them is a burning flame. The land before them is like a lush garden, and behind them is a desolate desert, and there is no one who can escape them.

4Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and they will rush forward like horsemen.

5Like the sound of a four-horse chariot, they will leap over the tops of the mountains. Like the sound of a burning flame devouring stubble, they are as a strong people prepared for battle.

6Before their face, the people will be tortured; each one’s appearance will retreat, as if into a jar.

7They will rush forward, as if they were strong. Like valiant warriors, they will ascend the wall. The men will advance, each one on his own way, and they will not turn aside from their path.

8And each one will not hem in his brother; every one will walk in his own rough path. Moreover, they will drop through the breach and not be harmed.

9They will advance into the city; they will rush through the wall. They will scale the houses; they will go in through the windows, like a thief.

10Before their face, the earth has trembled, the heavens have been moved. The sun and moon have been obscured, and the stars have retracted their splendor.

11And the Lord has bestowed his voice before the face of his army. For its military camps are very numerous; for they are strong and they carry out his word. For the day of the Lord is great and so very terrible, and who can withstand it?

12Now, therefore, the Lord says: “Be converted to me with your whole heart, in fasting and weeping and mourning.”

13And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and convert to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and merciful, patient and full of compassion, and steadfast despite ill will.

14Who knows if he might convert and forgive, and bequeath a blessing after him, a sacrifice and a libation to the Lord your God?

15Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call an assembly.

16Gather the people, sanctify the church, unite the elders, gather together the little ones and infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom depart from his bed, and the bride from her bridal chamber.

17Between the vestibule and the altar, the priests, the ministers of the Lord, will weep, and they will say: “Spare, O Lord, spare your people. And do not bequeath your inheritance into disgrace, so that the nations would rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

18The Lord has been zealous for his land, and he has spared his people.

19And the Lord responded, and he said to his people: “Behold, I will send you grain and wine and oil, and you will again be filled with them. And I will no longer give you disgrace among the Gentiles.

20And he who is from the North, I will drive far from you. And I will expel him into an impassable land, and into the desert, with his face opposite the Eastern sea, and his furthest part towards the furthest sea. And his stench will ascend, and his rottenness will ascend, because he has acted arrogantly.

21Earth, do not be afraid. Exult and rejoice. For the Lord has great esteem for what he has done.

22Animals of the countryside, do not be afraid. For the beauty of the wilderness has sprung forth. For the tree has borne its fruit. The fig tree and the vine have bestowed their virtue.

23And you, sons of Zion, exult and rejoice in the Lord your God. For he has given you a teacher of justice, and he will make the early and the late rains descend to you, just as it was in the beginning.

24And the threshing floors will be filled with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and oil.

25And I will repay you for the years which the locust, and the beetle, and the mildew, and the caterpillar consumed: my great strength which I sent upon you.

26And you will eat with enjoyment, and you will be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked miracles with you, and my people will not be confounded forever.

27And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, and there is no other, and my people will not be confounded forever.

28And after this, it will happen that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your elders will dream dreams, and your youths will see visions.

29Moreover, in those days I will pour out my spirit upon my servants and handmaids.

30And I will grant wonders in the sky and on earth: blood and fire and the vapor of smoke.

31The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall arrive.

32And it will happen that everyone who will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. For on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and in the remnant whom the Lord will call, there will be salvation, just as the Lord has said.