Joel

Chapter 2
Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1999 American Bible Society

The use of the shofar -- see verse 1 and 15


Locusts and an Enemy Army

2 Sound the trumpet on Zion, the LORD'S sacred hill.
Warn everyone to tremble!
The judgment day of the LORD is coming soon.
  ²It will be dark and gloomy with storm clouds overhead.
Troops will cover the mountains like thunderclouds.
No army this powerful has ever been gathered before
or will ever be again.
   ³Fiery flames surround them; no one escapes.
Before they invaded, the land was like Eden;
now only a desert remains.

   ⁴They look like horses and charge like cavalry.
   ⁵They roar over mountains like noisy chariots,
or a mighty army ready for battle.
They are a forest fire that feasts on straw.
   ⁶The very sight of them is frightening.
  ⁷They climb over walls like warriors;
they march in columns and never turn aside.
   ⁸They charge straight ahead, without pushing each other;
even arrows and spears cannot make them retreat.
   ⁹They swarm over city walls and enter our homes;
they crawl in through windows, just like thieves.

   ¹⁰They make the earth tremble and the heavens shake;
the sun and moon turn dark, and stars stop shining.
   ¹¹The LORD God leads this army of countless troops,
and they obey his commands.
The day of his judgment is so terrible
that no one can stand it. 

The LORD'S Invitation

 ¹²The LORD said:
It isn't too late. You can still return to me
with all your heart.
Start crying and mourning! Go without eating.
   ¹³Don't rip your clothes to show your sorrow.
Instead, turn back to me with broken hearts.
I am merciful, kind, and caring.
I don't easily lose my temper, and I don't like to punish.

   ¹⁴I am the LORD your God. Perhaps I will change my mind
and treat you with mercy.
Then you will be blessed with enough grain and wine
for offering sacrifices to me.

   ¹⁵Sound the trumpet on Zion! Call the people together.
Show your sorrow by going without food.
   ¹⁶Make sure that everyone is fit to worship me.
Bring adults, children, babies,
and even bring newlyweds from their festivities.

  ¹⁷Tell my servants, the priests, to cry inside the temple
and to offer this prayer near the altar:
"Save your people, LORD God!
Don't let foreign nations make jokes about us.
Don't let them laugh and ask, 'Where is your God?' " 

The LORD Will Bless the Land

   ¹⁸The LORD was deeply concerned about his land
and had pity on his people.
   ¹⁹In answer to their prayers he said,
"I will give you enough grain, wine, and olive oil
to satisfy your needs.
No longer will I let you be insulted by the nations.
   ²⁰An army attacked from the north,
but I will chase it into a scorching desert.
There it will rot and stink
from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean."

The LORD works wonders   ²¹and does great things.
So tell the soil to celebrate
   ²²and wild animals to stop being afraid.
Grasslands are green again;
fruit trees and fig trees are loaded with fruit.
Grapevines are covered with grapes.

   ²³People of Zion, celebrate in honor
of the LORD your God!
He is generous and has sent the autumn and spring rains
in the proper seasons.
  ²⁴Grain will cover your threshing places;
jars will overflow with wine and olive oil. 

The LORD Will Rescue His People

   ²⁵I, the LORD your God, will make up for the losses
caused by those swarms and swarms of locusts
I sent to attack you.
  ²⁶My people, you will eat until you are satisfied.
Then you will praise me
for the wonderful things I have done.
Never again will you be put to shame.

   ²⁷Israel, you will know that I stand at your side.
I am the LORD your God - there are no other gods.
Never again will you be put to shame. 

The LORD Will Work Wonders

The LORD said:
   ²⁸Later, I will give my Spirit to everyone.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will have dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
   ²⁹In those days I will even give my Spirit to my servants,
both men and women.

   ³⁰I will work wonders in the sky above
and on the earth below.
There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
   ³¹The sun will turn dark, and the moon will be as red as blood
before that great and terrible day when I appear. 
³²Then the LORD will save everyone who faithfully worships him. He has promised there will be survivors on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and among them will be his chosen ones.

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