= DASV: Digital American Standard Version<= br>
= &nb= sp; = DASV: Joel 1

¹ The word o= f the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

² Hear this, O elders,

&nb= sp; and listen, all you inhabitants of the land.

Has there be= en anything like this in your days,

&nb= sp; or in the days of your forefathers?

³ Tell your children about it,

&nb= sp; and let your children tell their children,

&nb= sp; = and their children the next generation.

⁴ That which= the cutting locusts left

&nb= sp; the swarming locusts have eaten.

What the swarming = locusts left

&nb= sp; the hopping locusts have eaten.

What hopping locusts left
&= nbsp; the caterpillars have eaten.

⁵ Wake up you drunkards and weep.

&nb= sp; Wail all your drinkers of wine,

because of t= he sweet wine;

&nb= sp; it has been cut off from your mouth.

⁶ For a &quo= t;nation" has invaded my land,

&nb= sp; strong and without number;

its te= eth are like the teeth of a lion,

&nb= sp; and it has the fangs of a lioness.

⁷ It has lai= d my vine waste,

&nb= sp; and splintered my fig trees.

It has= stripped its bark bare,

&nb= sp; and thrown it away;

their branch= es are pure white.

⁸ Grieve like a virgin clothed in sackcloth=

&nb= sp; for the husband of her youth.

⁹ The meal o= ffering and the drink offering are

&nb= sp; cut off from the house of the LORD;

the priests = mourn, even the LORD's ministers.

¹⁰ The field = is devastated,

&nb= sp; the land mourns;

for the grai= n is destroyed,

&nb= sp; the new wine is dried up,

&nb= sp; = the olive oil is slowed to a trickle.

¹¹ Be disappo= inted, O farmers,

&nb= sp; wail, O vinedressers,

for the wheat and barley;

&nb= sp; for the harvest of the field is wiped out.

¹² The vine is withered,

&nb= sp; and the fig tree is dried up;

the pomegran= ate and the palm tree too,

&nb= sp; and the apple tree,

&nb= sp; along with all the trees of the field that are withered;

for jo= y has dried up from the people.

¹³ Clothe yourselves with sackcloth and lame= nt, O priests;

wail,= O ministers of the altar.

Come, pass t= he night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God;

&nb= sp; for the grain offering and the drink offering

&nb= sp; = are withheld from the house of your God.

¹⁴ Proclaim a fast,

&nb= sp; call for a sacred assembly.

Gather the e= lders and all the inhabitants of the land

&nb= sp; to the house of the LORD your God,

&nb= sp; = and cry to the LORD.

¹⁵ Alas for the day!

&nb= sp; For the day of the LORD is near;

&nb= sp; It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

¹⁶ Is not the food cut off before our eyes,

&nb= sp; joy and gladness from the house of our God?

¹⁷ The seeds = rot under their clods;

&nb= sp; the storehouses are devastated,

the barns ha= ve been torn down;

&nb= sp; for the grain has dried up.

¹⁸ How do the beasts groan!

&nb= sp; The herds of cattle wander about,

&nb= sp; = because they have no pasture;

&nb= sp; even the flocks of sheep suffer.

¹⁹ O LORD, to you I cry; <= /p>

&nb= sp; for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,

&nb= sp; and the flames have burned all the trees of the field.

²⁰ The wild animals of the field pant to you;

&nb= sp; for the water brooks are dried up,

and the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

= = &nb= sp; DASV: Joel 2

¹ Blow the trumpet in Zion,

&nb= sp; and sound an alarm on my holy mountain.

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

&nb= sp; for the day of the LORD comes, it is near.

² It will be= a day of darkness and gloominess,

&nb= sp; a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Like blackne= ss spreading over the mountains,

&nb= sp; a great and powerful army comes;

there has ne= ver been anything like it,

&nb= sp; nor will there ever be again,

&nb= sp; = for many generations.

³ A fire devours before them,

&nb= sp; and behind them a flame burns.

The land is like t= he garden of Eden before them,

&nb= sp; but behind them it is like a desolate wilderness;

&nb= sp; = nothings escapes them.

⁴ They look = like horses;

&nb= sp; they charge forward like war horses.

⁵ With a sou= nd like chariots,

&nb= sp; they leap over the mountains tops;

like the crackling= of a fire devouring stubble,

&nb= sp; like a powerful army prepared for battle.

⁶ At their presence the people writhe in te= rror;

&nb= sp; all faces grow pale.

⁷ They charge like warriors;

&nb= sp; they scale the wall like soldiers.

They each march on= their way,

&nb= sp; and they do not deviate from their path.

⁸ They do not jostle one another;

&nb= sp; each one marches in his own track.

They burst through= the defenses,

&nb= sp; without breaking ranks.

⁹ They rush = into the city;

&nb= sp; they run along its wall.

They climb up into= the houses;

&nb= sp; they gain entrance through the windows like a thief.

¹⁰ The earth quakes before them; =

&nb= sp; the heavens tremble.

The sun and = the moon are darkened,

&nb= sp; and the stars stop shining.

¹¹ The LORD raises his voice before his army;

&nb= sp; for his forces are innumerable;

&nb= sp; for the one executing = his command is strong.

The day of t= he LORD is great and terrifying.

&nb= sp; Who is able to survive it?

¹² "Yet even now," says the LORD, =

&nb= sp; "turn to me with all your heart,

&= nbsp; with fasting, weeping, and mourning."

¹³ Tear your heart and not your clothes,

&nb= sp; and turn to the LORD your God;

for he is gr= acious and merciful,

&nb= sp; slow to anger and abundant in loyal love;

&nb= sp; = he may change his mind about punishing.

¹⁴ Who knows? Perhaps he will turn and relent,

&nb= sp; and leave a blessing behind him.

Perhaps you = will be able to offer a grain offering and a drink offering

&nb= sp; to the LORD your God again?

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion,

&nb= sp; proclaim a fast,

&nb= sp; = summon a solemn assembly.

¹⁶ Gather the people,

&nb= sp; sanctify the assembly,

&nb= sp; = assemble the elders,

&nb= sp; gather the children,

&nb= sp; = even infants who are nursing.

Let the brid= egroom come out of his bedroom,

&nb= sp; and the bride out of her chamber.

¹⁷ Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD,

&nb= sp; weep between the porch and the altar,

and let them= say,

&nb= sp; "Spare your people, O LORD,

&nb= sp; = and do not permit your heritage to be ridiculed,

&nb= sp; = a mocking proverb among the nations.

&nb= sp; Why should they say among the peoples,

&nb= sp; = 'Where is their God?'"

¹⁸ Then the LORD may become jealous for his land,

&nb= sp; and have pity on his people.

¹⁹ The LORD replied to his people,

&nb= sp; "Look, I will send you grain, new wine, and olive oil,

&= nbsp; and you will be satisfied with it;

I will= no more make you a mockery among the nations;

²⁰ I will rem= ove the northern army far away,

&nb= sp; and will drive it into a barren and desolate land,

its va= nguard to the east into the Dead Sea,

&nb= sp; and its rear guard into the western Mediterranean Sea.

Its stench w= ill come up,

&nb= sp; and its foul odor will rise up."

Surely he has do= ne great things.

²¹ Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice;

&nb= sp; for the LORD has done great things.

²² Do not be afraid, O animals of the field;

&nb= sp; for the pastures of the wilderness are green,

&nb= sp; for the tree bears its fruit,

&nb= sp; the fig tree and vine yield their produce.

²³ Be glad, O children of Zion,

&nb= sp; and rejoice in the LORD your God;

for he gives you t= he former rain as vindication,

&nb= sp; and he pours down rain for you,

&nb= sp; = the former rain and the latter rain just like before.

²⁴ The thresh= ing floors will be full of wheat,

&nb= sp; and the vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

²⁵ I will rep= ay you the years that the swarming locust ate,

&nb= sp; the hopping, destroying and cutting locusts,

&nb= sp; = my great army that I sent against you.

²⁶ You will h= ave plenty to eat and will be satisfied;

&nb= sp; you will praise the name of the LORD your God,

who has done wondr= ously for you;

&nb= sp; my people will never be put to shame.

²⁷ You will k= now that I am in the midst of Israel,

&nb= sp; and that I am the LORD your God,

&nb= sp; = there is no other.

My peo= ple will never be put to shame.

²⁸ It will come to pass afterward,

&nb= sp; that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.

Your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

&nb= sp; your old men will dream dreams,

&nb= sp; = your young men will see visions.

²⁹ Also on ma= le and female servants in those days

&nb= sp; will I pour out my Spirit.

³⁰ I will dis= play wonders in the heavens and in the earth,

&nb= sp; blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

³¹ The sun wi= ll be turned into darkness

&nb= sp; and the moon into blood,

before= the great and terrible day of LORD comes.

³² Then whoev= er calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered;

&nb= sp; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

&nb= sp; &= nbsp; there will be those who escape,

= as the LORD has said,
&= nbsp; among the survivors

&nb= sp; = will be those whom the LORD calls.

= &nb= sp; = DASV: Joel 3

¹ For in tho= se days and at that time,

&nb= sp; I will bring back the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

² I will gat= her all nations,

&nb= sp; and will bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

I will execute judgment = on them there

&nb= sp; for my people and for my inheritance Israel,

&nb= sp; = whom they have scattered among the nations.

They have divided = up my land,

³ &= nbsp; and have cast lots for my people.

They have tr= aded a boy for a prostitute,

&nb= sp; and sold a girl for wine so that they could drink.

⁴ What do you have against me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? If you are repaying me for somethi= ng, swiftly and speedily, I will pay back your deeds on your own head.

⁵ For you ha= ve taken my silver and my gold, and have carried off my precious treasures into your temples.

⁶ You have s= old the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, removing them far from the= ir border.

⁷ Look, I wi= ll rouse them out of the place to which you have sold them, and will pay back on your head what you have done.

⁸ I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they= will sell them to the people of the Sabaeans, to a nation far off, for the LORD = has spoken it.

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations:

&nb= sp; Prepare for war,

&nb= sp; = rouse the mighty men.

&nb= sp; Let all the soldiers draw near,

&nb= sp; = let them come up.

¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords,

&nb= sp; and your pruning hooks into spears.

Let the weak= say,

&nb= sp; "I am strong."

¹¹ Come quick= ly, all you surrounding nations,

&nb= sp; gather yourselves together there.

Bring down y= our warriors, O LORD.

¹² Let the nations rouse themselves,

&nb= sp; and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

for there I = will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

¹³ Put in the sickle,

&nb= sp; for the harvest is ripe.

Come, tread grapes= for the winepress is full.

&nb= sp; The vats overflow,

&nb= sp; = for their wickedness is great.

¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!

&nb= sp; For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

¹⁵ The sun and the moon will be darkened,

&nb= sp; and the stars will stop shining.

¹⁶ The LORD w= ill roar from Zion,

&nb= sp; and utter his voice from Jerusalem;

&nb= sp; = the heavens and the earth will shake.

The LO= RD will be a refuge to his people,

&nb= sp; and a stronghold to the people of Israel.

¹⁷ Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,

&nb= sp; dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.

Then Jerusal= em will be holy,

&nb= sp; and no strangers will ever again pass through.

¹⁸ In that da= y, the mountains will drip with sweet wine,

&nb= sp; and the hills will flow with milk,

&nb= sp; and all the brooks of Judah will flow with water.

A spring wil= l flow out of the house of the LORD,

&nb= sp; and will water the Valley of Shittim.

¹⁹ Egypt will= be a desolation,

&nb= sp; and Edom will be a desolate wilderness,

because of t= he violence done to the people of Judah,

&nb= sp; in whose land they shed innocent blood.

²⁰ Judah will= be inhabited forever,

&nb= sp; and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

²¹ I will ave= nge their blood;

&nb= sp; I will not acquit the guilty,

&nb= sp; = for the LORD dwells in Zion.