JOEL 2 [†]  j Blow a trumpet in  k Zion;

sound an alarm on  k my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

for  l the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,

2[†]  m a day of darkness and gloom,

 m a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains

 n a great and powerful people;

 o their like has never been before,

nor will be again after them

through the years of all generations.

3[†]  p Fire devours before them,

and behind them a flame burns.

The land is like  q the garden of Eden before them,

but  r behind them a desolate wilderness,

and nothing escapes them.

4[†]  s Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,

and like war horses they run.

5  t As with the rumbling of chariots,

they leap on the tops of the mountains,

like the crackling of  u a flame of fire

devouring the stubble,

 n like a powerful army

drawn up for battle.

6 Before them peoples are in anguish;

 v all 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;

 w each marches in his path;

they burst through the weapons

and are not halted.

9  x They leap upon the city,

they run upon the walls,

 y they climb up into the houses,

 y they enter through the windows  z like a thief.

10[†]  a The earth quakes before them;

the heavens tremble.

 b The sun and the moon are darkened,

and the stars withdraw their shining.

11[†]  c The LORD utters his voice

before  d his army,

for his camp is exceedingly great;

 e he who executes his word is powerful.

 f For the day of the LORD is  g great and very awesome;

 h who can endure it?

12[^][†] “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,

 i “return to me with all your heart,

 j with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13[†] and  k rend your hearts and not  l your garments.”

Return to the LORD your God,

 m for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

 n and he relents over disaster.

14[†]  o Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,

and  p leave a blessing behind him,

 q a grain offering and a drink offering

for the LORD your God?

15  r Blow the trumpet in Zion;

 s consecrate a fast;

call a solemn assembly;

16[†] gather the people.

 t Consecrate the congregation;

assemble the elders;

 u gather the children,

even nursing infants.

 v Let the bridegroom leave his room,

and the bride her chamber.

17[†]  w Between the  x vestibule and the  y altar

 z let 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. [1]

 a Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’”

18[^][†]  b Then the LORD became jealous for his land

 c and had pity on his people.

19[†] The LORD answered and said to his people,

“Behold,  d I am sending to you

grain, wine, and oil,

 d and 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] into  e the eastern sea,

and his rear guard [3] into  f the western sea;

 g 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  h the LORD has done great things!

22[†] Fear not,  i you beasts of the field,

for  j the pastures of the wilderness are green;

 k the tree bears its fruit;

the fig tree and  k vine give their full yield.

23[†]  l “Be glad, O children of Zion,

and  l rejoice in the LORD your God,

for he has given  m the early rain for your vindication;

he has poured down for you abundant rain,

 m the early and  n the 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 [4] to you the years

that  o the swarming locust has eaten,

 o the hopper,  o the destroyer, and  o the cutter,

 p my great army, which I sent among you.

26  q “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  r shall never again be put to shame.

27[†]  s You shall know that I am  t in the midst of Israel,

and that  u I am the LORD your God  v and there is none else.

And my people  r shall never again be put to shame.

28[^][†]  [5]  w “And it shall come to pass afterward,

that  x I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

 y your sons and  z your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men shall see visions.

29  a Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

30[†]“And I will show  b wonders in the heavens and  b on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 c The sun shall be turned to darkness,  d and the moon to blood,  e before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32[^][†]And it shall come to pass that  f everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.  g For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among  h the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.