2:1 Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of the LORD is coming;
Indeed, it is near,
2:2 A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.
2:3 A fire consumes before them,
And behind them a flame devours.
The land is like the Garden of Eden before them,
But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
2:4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
2:5 ①With a noise as of chariots
They leap about on the tops of the mountains,
Like the ②crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble,
Like a mighty people drawn up for battle.
▷ ①Lit Like the noise of chariots ②Lit sound
2:6 Before them the people are in anguish;
All faces ①turn pale.
▷ ①Or become flushed
2:7 They run like warriors,
They climb the wall like soldiers;
And each of them marches ①in line,
Nor do they lose their way.
▷ ①Lit in his ways
2:8 They do not crowd each other,
Every warrior of them marches in his path;
When they ①burst through the ②defenses,
They do not break ranks.
▷ ①Lit fall ②Lit weapon, prob. javelin
2:9 They storm the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter through the windows like a thief.
2:10 Before them the earth quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The sun and the moon become dark,
And the stars lose their brightness.
2:11 The LORD utters His voice before His army;
His camp is indeed very great,
For mighty is one who carries out His word.
The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome,
And who can endure it?
2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping, and mourning;
2:13 And tear your heart and not merely your garments.”
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in mercy
And relenting of catastrophe.
2:14 Who knows, He might turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Resulting in a grain offering and a drink offering
For the LORD your God.
2:15 Blow a trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Have the groom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
2:17 Let the priests, the LORD’S ministers,
Weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “ ①Spare Your people, LORD,
And do not make Your inheritance a disgrace,
With the nations jeering at them.
Why should those among the peoples say,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
▷ ①Or Look compassionately on
2:18 Then the LORD ①will be zealous for His land,
And ②will have compassion for His people.
▷ ①Or was zealous ②Or had compassion
2:19 The LORD ①will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine, and oil,
And you will be satisfied in full with ②them;
And I will never again make you a disgrace among the nations.
▷ ①Or answered and said ②Lit it
2:20 But I will remove the northern army far from you,
And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land,
Its advance guard into the eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the western sea.
And its stench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up,
Because it has done great things.”
2:21 Do not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice,
For the LORD has done great things.
2:22 Do not fear, animals of the field,
For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has produced its fruit,
The fig tree and the vine have yielded ①in full.
▷ ①Lit their wealth
2:23 So shout for joy, you sons of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you ①the early rain for your vindication.
And He has brought down for you the rain,
The ②early and ③latter rain ④as before.
▷ ①I.e., autumn; or possibly the teacher for righteousness ②I.e., autumn ③I.e., spring ④As in ancient versions; MT in the first
2:24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.
2:25 “Then I will compensate you for the years
That the ①swarming locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust—
My great army which I sent among you.
▷ ①Or migratory
2:26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied,
And you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will never be put to shame.
2:27 So you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the LORD your God
And there is no other;
And My people will never be put to shame.
2:28 “ ①It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all ②mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will have dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
▷ ①Ch 3:1 in Heb ②Lit flesh
2:29 And even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
2:30 I will ①display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
▷ ①Lit give
2:31 The sun will be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
2:32 And it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD
Will ①be saved;
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who escape,
Just as the LORD has said,
Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
▷ ①Or flee to safety