Joel 2

Jerusalem, blow that ram’s horn now.
Sound the alarm from Jerusalem’s Temple hill.
People of the world,
It’s time to start trembling.
The Day of the LORD has finally come.
2It’s a day dark and grave
As the storm clouds approach.
They swallow the hills in darkness.
Like night on the move, invaders [1] approach,
And the hills disappear into ink.
The world has never seen an army like this.
And it’ll never see it again.
3They cut a trail with fire,
And leave it burning when they go.
They come to this beautiful land,
A garden of Eden,
And they burn this land to death.
They let nothing survive. They kill it all.

Their soldiers look as big as horses.
They attack in a massive stampede.
5They rumble over mountains as chariots of fire
As hills crackle like burning grass.
This enormous army has come to fight.
6People in their path tremble.
Color drains out of their faces.
7The army attacks like professional soldiers,
Scaling walls like they’ve mastered their trade.
Each soldier sticks to his line of attack.
No one wavers to the left or the right.
8These warriors don’t bump one another.
They follow their routes of attack.
They charge through defenses no matter what.
No weapon will turn them around.
9They charge into the cities,
Pour over the walls,
And break into the houses,
Like thieves through a window.
10When they come, the ground shakes.
The sky trembles
As the sun and mood fade to black
And stars go into hiding.
11The LORD commands an army
With too many soldiers to count.
It’s a fitting army for the Day of the LORD,
On this great, unstoppable, terrible day.

It’s not too late, the LORD says.
Come back to me
With all your heart,
With fasting, [2] crying, and sorrow.
13Don’t tear your clothes in grief, though.
Open your hearts instead.
Go back to the LORD. He’s your God.
He’s kind and full of mercy.
He’s slow to get angry.
His love won’t quit.
And the last thing he wants to do is punish.
14Who knows?
The LORD might stop the attack,
And turn the army about-face.
He might even send you a blessing.
Maybe then you’d again have grain and wine
For an offering to give to your God.
15Jerusalem, blow that ram’s horn now.
Order the people to fast.
Call a solemn meeting for serious business.
16Get the people together.
Have them go through the purification rituals. [3]
Bring all the people.
Old, young, and the newborn babies.
Bring honeymooners back from their love nests.
17From the Temple courtyard to the altar,
Let priests cry out to God:
“Please LORD, spare your people.
Don’t let your people become a joke to the world,
Mocked by nations everywhere.
Don’t leave your people asking,
‘Where is our God when we need him?’”

The LORD heard their prayer.
He pitied the people for what they had suffered.
So, he showed them compassion. [4]
19The LORD answered their prayers and said:
“I’m giving you grain, fresh from the field,
Wine, still sweet from the vineyard,
And olive oil just harvested from the orchard.
Once again, you’ll have all you need.
Never again will I let the world mock you.
They’ll never get an insult to stick.
20When an army attacks from the north [5]
I’ll shove them into desert
Far from you and your homes.
Their bodies will rot in the badlands,
And stink from desert to sea. [6]
For the LORD is powerful enough
To do something this wonderful for you.
21There’s no need for the land to grow anxious.
Soil can relax and celebrate.
For the LORD will do something great.
22No need for animals to grow frightened.
Grazing fields will grow green,
Trees will produce fruit.
Fig orchards and vineyards will flourish,
Loaded with figs and grapes.
23Jerusalem’s children, it’s time to cheer.
Celebrate the LORD as your God.
He’s showing his kindness in the springtime rain,
And in the autumn, as he has done before.
24Grain will pile high on your threshing floors.
Wine and olive oil will fill your jars.

I’ll pay you back for what you lost
In those years of the locust:
Cutters, hoppers, and swarming destroyers.
This is the army I sent.
26But now, you’ll eat all you want.
You’ll call out the name of the LORD your God
And thank him for treating you so well.
You’re my people again,
And you won’t be ashamed anymore.

When I’ve finished with this,
I’ll pour my Spirit into everyone.
Sons and daughters will speak as prophets.
Older men will dream as prophets.
And young men will see visions as prophets. [7]
29I will pour my Spirit into slaves, as well,
Men and women alike.
30Before the terrifying Day of the LORD’s coming,
I’ll send miraculous signals in the sky and the earth:
Blood and fire and columns of smoke.
31The sun goes dark,
The moon reflects red.
Then the terrifying Day of the LORD.