Joel 2:9-32

9 aThey leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
bthey climb up into the houses,
cthey enter through the windows dlike a thief.
10 eThe earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
fThe sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 gThe Lord utters his voice
before hhis army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
ihe who executes his word is powerful.
jFor the day of the Lord is kgreat and very awesome;
lwho can endure it?

Return to the Lord

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
mreturn to me with all your heart,
nwith fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13and orend your hearts and not pyour garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
qfor he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
rand he relents over disaster.
14 sWho knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and tleave a blessing behind him,
ua grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
15 vBlow the trumpet in Zion;
wconsecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16gather the people.
xConsecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
ygather the children,
even nursing infants.
zLet the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 aaBetween the abvestibule and the acaltar
adlet 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

afWhy should they say among the peoples,
Where is their God?’”

The Lord Had Pity

18 agThen the Lord became jealous for his land
ahand had pity on his people.
19The Lord answered and said to his people,
Behold, aiI am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
ajand you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.
20 “I will remove the northerner far from you,
and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard
Hebrew face
into althe eastern sea,
and his rear guard
Hebrew  his end
into anthe western sea;
aothe stench and foul smell of him will rise,
for he has done great things.
21 Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for apthe Lord has done great things!
22Fear not, aqyou beasts of the field,
for arthe pastures of the wilderness are green;
asthe tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and atvine give their full yield.
23 au“Be glad, O children of Zion,
and avrejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given awthe early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
axthe early and aythe latter rain, as before.
24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25I will restore
Or pay back
to you the years
that bathe swarming locust has eaten,
bbthe hopper, bcthe destroyer, and bdthe cutter,
bemy great army, which I sent among you.
26 bf“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people bgshall never again be put to shame.
27 bhYou shall know that I am biin the midst of Israel,
and that bjI am the Lord your God bkand there is none else.
And my people blshall never again be put to shame.

The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit

28
Ch 3:1 in Hebrew
bn“And it shall come to pass afterward,
that boI will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
bpyour sons and bqyour daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 brEven on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30“And I will show bswonders in the heavens and bton the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 buThe sun shall be turned to darkness, bvand the moon to blood, bwbefore the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32And it shall come to pass that bxeveryone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. byFor in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among bzthe survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

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