Joe 1:14, 2:12-18, Jon 3:5-9 | ESV | STEP | Consecrate a fast ; call a solemn assembly . Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God , and cry out to the Lord .

ai[See ver. 7 above]

Joel 1:14

14 ^aConsecrate a fast;
^bcall a solemn assembly.
Gather ^cthe elders
and ^dall the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.

Joel 2:12-18

Return to the Lord

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
^e“return to me with all your heart,
^fwith fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and ^grend your hearts and not ^hyour garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
ⁱfor he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
^jand he relents over disaster.
14 ^kWho knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and ^lleave a blessing behind him,
^ma grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
15 ⁿBlow the trumpet in Zion;
^oconsecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
^pConsecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
^qgather the children,
even nursing infants.
^rLet the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 ^sBetween the ^tvestibule and the ^ualtar
^vlet 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. ^{▼▼Or reproach, that the nations should rule over them}
^xWhy should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

The Lord Had Pity

18 ^yThen the Lord became jealous for his land
^zand had pity on his people.

Jonah 3:5-9

5 ^aaAnd the people of Nineveh believed God. ^abThey called for a fast and ^acput on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

6 The word reached ^{▼▼Or had reached} the king of Nineveh, and ^aehe arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, ^afand sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, ^ag“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor ^ahbeast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and ^aibeast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. ^ajLet everyone turn from his evil way and from ^akthe violence that is in his hands. 9 ^alWho knows? God may turn and relent ^amand turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”