
{1}1{/}

{I}1_{/}This is the word 
of Yahweh that came to 
Joel, son of Pethuel.
The attack of the locusts
{I}2_{/}Hear this, you 
elders!
Listen, all you, land 
dwellers!
Has such happened in your 
days or in the days of 
your fathers? 
{I}3_{/}Tell it to your 
children, then your 
children to their 
children, and then their 
children to the next 
generation.
{I}4_{/}What the cutting 
locusts left, the 
swarming locusts ate. 
What the swarming locusts 
left, the hopping locusts 
ate. What the hopping 
locusts left, the 
destroying locusts ate.
{I}5_{/}Wake up, 
drunkards, and weep! 
Wail, drinkers of wine, 
because of the sweet wine 
withheld from your 
mouths. {I}6_{/}A nation 
numerous and mighty has 
invaded my country.
It has the teeth of a 
lion and the fangs of a 
lioness. {I}7_{/}It has 
destroyed my vines and 
ruined my fig trees. It 
has stripped off their 
bark and left white their 
branches.
{I}8_{/}Mourn like a 
virgin in sackcloth, 
grieving for the husband 
of her youth. 
{I}9_{/}Grain and drink 
offerings are not found 
in the House of Yahweh. 
The priests who minister 
before Yahweh are in 
mourning. 
{I}10_{/}The fields are 
in ruin, the earth 
mourns, for the grain is 
destroyed; the wine fails 
and the oil dries up.
{I}11_{/}Grieve, O you 
farmers; wail, O you vine 
growers, over the barley 
and the wheat, for the 
harvest of the field has 
perished. {I}12_{/}The 
vine withers, the fig 
tree wilts away; 
pomegranate, palm and 
apple - all the trees of 
the field dry up. Oh, how 
joy has faded away among 
all these people!
{I}13_{/}Gird yourselves, 
O priests, and weep; 
mourn, O ministers of the 
altar. Come, spend the 
night in sackcloth, O 
ministers of my God! For 
the house of your God is 
deprived of grain and 
drink offering.
{I}14_{/}Proclaim a fast, 
call an assembly. Summon 
the elders and all who 
live in the land into the 
house of your God, 
and cry out to Yahweh, 
{I}15_{/}"What a dreadful 
day - the day of Yahweh 
that draws near and comes 
as ruin from the 
Almighty!"
{I}16_{/}Has not the food 
been taken away from us 
before our very eyes, and 
joy and gladness too from 
the house of our God?
{I}17_{/}The seed under 
the clods lies shriveled; 
the granaries are in 
ruins, the barns are 
broken down, for the 
harvest has dried up. 
{I}18_{/}How the cattle 
groan! The herds wander 
and moan, for they have 
no pasture. Even the 
flocks of sheep suffer. 
{I}19_{/}To you, Yahweh, 
I call. Fire has razed 
the open pasture; flames 
have burned the trees. 
{I}20_{/}Even wild beasts 
cry out to you for the 
streams have dried up, 
for the pastures have 
been devoured by fire.
{1}2{/}

{I}1_{/}Blow the trumpet 
in Zion, sound the alarm 
on my holy mountain! Let 
all dwellers in the land 
tremble, for the day of 
Yahweh is coming.
Yes, the day is fast 
approaching - {I}2_{/}a 
day of gloom and 
darkness, a day of clouds 
and blackness.
A vast and mighty army 
comes,
like dawn spreading over 
the mountain, such as has 
never occurred before nor 
will happen again in the 
future.
{I}3_{/}In front a fire 
devours,
behind a flame consumes.
The land ahead that 
appears like a garden 
soon becomes like a 
desert,
nothing escapes their 
onslaught.
{I}4_{/}They look like 
horses,
they gallop along like 
chargers.
{I}5_{/}With the 
clattering of chariots,
they leap over the 
mountains;
with crackling like 
burning stubble,
they charge - a mighty 
army arrayed for battle.
{I}6_{/}Before them 
nations are appalled,
and every face turns 
pale.
{I}7_{/}They attack like 
warriors;
they scale walls like 
soldiers.
Marching in line, they 
move onward
without swerving from 
their course,
{I}8_{/}without jostling 
one another, everyone of 
them marches straight 
ahead;
amid a hail of arrows 
they run,
they press without 
breaking ranks.
{I}9_{/}They rush upon 
the city;
they leap over the walls; 
they break into the 
houses,
like thieves enter 
through the windows.
{I}10_{/}Before them the 
earth shakes
and the heavens tremble,
the sun and moon grow 
dark
and the stars lose their 
twinkle.
{I}11_{/}Yahweh thunders 
before his army,
his vast and mighty 
forces.
The day of Yahweh is 
exceedingly great, 
terrible and dreadful - 
who can endure it?
RETURN TO ME WITH 
WEEPING{/}

{I}12_{/}Yahweh says, 
"Yet even now, return to 
me with your whole heart, 
with fasting, weeping and 
mourning. {I}13_{/}Rend 
your heart, not your 
garment. Return to 
Yahweh, your God - 
gracious and 
compassionate."
Yahweh is slow to anger, 
full of kindness, and he 
repents of having 
punished.
{I}14_{/}Who knows? 
Probably he will relent 
once more and spare some 
part of the harvest from 
which we may bring sacred 
offerings to Yahweh, your 
God.
{I}15_{/}Blow the trumpet 
in Zion, proclaim a 
sacred fast, call a 
solemn assembly.
{I}16_{/}Gather the 
people, sanctify the 
community, bring together 
the elders, even the 
children and infants at 
the breast. Let the 
bridegroom leave his bed, 
and the bride her room.
{I}17_{/}Between the 
vestibule and the altar, 
let the priests, Yahweh's 
ministers, weep and say: 
Spare your people, 
Yahweh. Do not humble 
them or make them an 
object of scorn among the 
nations. Why should it be 
said among the peoples: 
Where is their God?
{I}18_{/}Yahweh has 
become jealous for his 
land; he has had pity on 
his people. 
{I}19_{/}Yahweh has given 
an answer; he says to 
them, "I am sending you 
grain, new wine and oil 
which will fully satisfy 
you; never again will you 
be scorned by the 
nations.
{I}20_{/}I will drive far 
from you the enemy from 
the North and pursue him 
towards a land of drought 
and desolation: his 
vanguard to the Eastern 
Sea, his rearguard to the 
Western Sea. Its stench 
will rise everywhere. See 
that I do great things." 
{I}21_{/}Fear not, O 
earth! exult and rejoice 
for Yahweh has acted 
magnificently! 
{I}22_{/}Do not be 
afraid, beasts of the 
field, for the desert 
prairies are green again, 
the trees are with fruit, 
the fig tree and the vine 
have yielded their 
riches.
{I}23_{/}Sons of Zion, be 
glad! Rejoice in Yahweh 
your God, for he has sent 
you the blessing of 
autumn rain and showers - 
the autumn and spring 
rains as in the past. 
{I}24_{/}The threshing-
floors will be full of 
grain, the vats 
overflowing with new wine 
and oil.
{I}25_{/}I will 
compensate you for the 
years devastated by 
grasshoppers, may-bugs, 
crickets and locusts - 
the powerful army I sent 
against you. {I}26_{/}You 
will eat and be 
satisfied, and you will 
praise the name of 
Yahweh, your God, who has 
done wonders for you.
{I}27_{/}And then you 
will know that I am in 
the midst of Israel, I, 
Yahweh your God, no 
other! Never again will 
my people be shamed.
I WILL POUR OUT MY 
SPIRIT{/}

{1}3{/}

{I}1_{/}In the last days, 
I will pour out my Spirit 
on every mortal.
Your sons and daughters 
will prophesy,
your old men will dream 
dreams,
your young men will see 
visions.
{I}2_{/}Even upon my 
servants and maidens,
I will pour out my Spirit 
on that day.
{I}3_{/}I will show 
wonders in the heavens,
and on earth blood and 
fire and columns of 
smoke.
{I}4_{/}The sun will 
darken and the moon turn 
to blood
at the approach of the 
great and dreadful day of 
God.
{I}5_{/}Then all who call 
upon the name of Yahweh 
will be saved.
For on Mount Zion there 
will be a remnant,
as Yahweh has said;
in Jerusalem some will be 
saved -
those whom Yahweh will 
call.
THE FINAL BATTLE AND 
SALVATION{/}

{1}4{/}

{I}1_{/}In those days and 
at that time when I 
reestablish Judah and 
Jerusalem, {I}2_{/}I 
shall let all the nations 
gather together and come 
to the Valley of 
Jehoshaphat. Then I shall 
uphold against them the 
cause of Israel, my 
people and my heritage. 
For they have dispersed 
them among the nations 
and divided my land. 
{I}3_{/}They cast lots 
for my people; they gave 
a boy for a harlot, and a 
girl for the wine they 
drank.
{I}4_{/}And you Tyre and 
Sidon, and all the 
districts of Philistia, 
what are you for me? Will 
you take revenge on me? 
If you want to do that, 
swiftly and immediately 
will I take reprisals 
against you! {I}5{/}You 
who carried off my silver 
and gold and my finest 
jewelry to your temples!
{I}6_{/}You sold to the 
Greeks the people of 
Judah and Jerusalem 
removing them far away 
from their own land. 
{I}7_{/}But now I am 
going to summon them from 
wherever you sold them, 
and I will return your 
deed on your head. 
{I}8_{/}Yahweh says: I 
will sell your sons and 
daughters to{I}_{/}the 
Judeans who will then 
sell them to the Sabaeans 
in a distant land.
{I}9_{/}Make this known 
among the nations, 
proclaim the holy war, 
call the warriors, let 
men of war advance! 
{I}10_{/}Hammer your 
plowshares into swords, 
your sickles into spears! 
Let the weak say: I am a 
warrior! And the meek: I 
too will fight!
{I}11_{/}Come quickly, 
neighboring nations, and 
assemble! {I}12_{/}Rise 
up, O peoples, and come 
to the Valley of 
Jehoshaphat, nations.
{I}13_{/}Bring a sickle 
for the harvest is ripe; 
come and tread for the 
winepress is full and the 
vats overflow, so great 
is their wickedness!
{I}14_{/}Multitudes and 
more multitudes in the 
Valley of Verdict! The 
day of Yahweh is near in 
the Valley of Verdict! 
{I}15{/}The sun and the 
moon become dark, the 
stars lose their 
radiance. {I}16{/}Yahweh 
roars from Zion and 
raises his voice from 
Jerusalem; heaven and 
earth are shaken. Indeed 
Yahweh is a refuge for 
his people, a stronghold 
for the sons of Israel. 
{I}17{/}You will know 
that I am Yahweh, your 
God, dwelling on Zion, my 
holy mountain. Jerusalem 
will be a holy place, and 
foreigners will never 
pass through there again.
{I}18_{/}On that day the 
mountains shall drip wine 
and the hills flow with 
milk; all the streams of 
Judah will run with water 
and a fountain will 
spring from the House of 
Yahweh, and water the 
valley of Shittim.
{I}19_{/}On the other 
hand, Egypt will be 
devastated and Edom will 
become a deserted 
wasteland because they 
committed violence 
against Judah, and shed 
innocent blood in their 
country. {I}20_{/}But 
Judah will be inhabited 
forever, and Jerusalem 
through all generations. 
{I}21_{/}And I shall 
avenge their blood and 
not leave it unpunished, 
for Yahweh dwells in 
Zion.

