JOEL
Joel 2 ©
The prophet sets before the eyes of Zion the terribleness of God’s judgments, v. 1, etc. Exhorts to serious humiliation and repentance, 12. Enjoins fasting and praying, 15. And thereupon promises God’s blessing and the plague’s removal, 18. He prophecies further of present and future blessing and the blessed state of the church through the coming of the Messiah and the sending forth of the Holy Ghost, 21. Foretelling withal fearful troubles in the world before the last coming of Christ, and of the preservation of the church, 30.
BLOW1 ye the trumpet in Zion, and 2sound an alarm in my 3holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land 4tremble: for thea5day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
A day of 6darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the 7morning spread upon the mountains: a great 8people and a strong; there hath not been 9ever the like, 10neither shall be any more after 11it, even to the years of 12many generations.
A 13fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the 14garden of Eden 15before them, and behind them a 16desolate wilderness; yea, and 17nothing shall escape them.
The 18appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Like the noise of 19chariots on the 20tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that 21devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in 22battle array.
Before their face the people shall be much 23pained: all faces shall 24gather blackness.
They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the 25wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his 26ways, and they shall not 27break their ranks:
Neither shall 28one thrust another; they shall walk 29every one in his path: and when they fall upon the 30sword, they shall not be wounded.
They shall run 31to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
32The earthb shall quake before 33them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be 34dark, and the stars shall 35withdraw their shining:
And the LORD shall utter his 36voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for 37he is strong that executeth his 38word: for thec39day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
¶Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turnd ye even 40to me with all your heart, 41and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
And 42rend your heart, and 43not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is graciouse and merciful, 44slow to anger, and of 45great kindness, and repenteth him of the 46evil.
47Whof knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a 48blessing behind 49him; even a 50meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
¶51Blow the trumpet in Zion, 52sanctifyg a fast, call a 53solemn assembly:
Gather the people, 54sanctify the congregation, assemble the 55elders, gather the 56children, and those that suck the breasts: let the 57bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her 58closet.h
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the 59porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and 60give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should 61rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Whereiis their God?
¶Then 62will the LORD be 63jealous for 64his land, and pity his people.
Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will 65send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied 66therewith: and I will 67no more make you a 68reproach among the heathen:
But I will remove far off from you the 69northern army, and will drive him into a 70land barren and desolate, with his 71face toward the 72east sea, and his 73hinder part toward the 74utmost sea, and 75his stink shall come up, and his 76ill savour shall come up, because 77he hath done great things.
¶Fear not, 78O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD 79will do great things.
Be not afraid, ye 80beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness 81do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the 82vine do yield their strength.
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he 83hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the 84first month.
And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
And I will 85restore to you the 86years that the locustj hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm,k87my great army which I sent among you.
And ye shall eat in 88plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, 89that hath dealt 90wondrously with you: and my people 91shall never be ashamed.
And ye shall 92know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD 93your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
¶And it shall come to pass 94afterward, that I will 95pour out my 96spiritl upon 97all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall 98prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
And I will shew 99wonders 100in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
Them sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
And it shall 101come to pass, that 102whosoevern shall call on the 103name of the LORD shall 104be delivered: for in mounto105Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath 106said, 107and in the 108remnant whom the LORD shall 109call.