Joel 2:12
New International Version
“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

New Living Translation
That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

English Standard Version
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

Berean Standard Bible
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

King James Bible
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

New King James Version
“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

New American Standard Bible
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning;

NASB 1995
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

NASB 1977
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning;

Legacy Standard Bible
“Yet even now,” declares Yahweh, “Return to Me with all your heart And with fasting, weeping, and wailing;

Amplified Bible
“Even now,” says the LORD, “Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance], With fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored];

Christian Standard Bible
Even now — this is the LORD’s declaration — turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Even now— this is the LORD’s declaration— turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

American Standard Version
Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Contemporary English Version
The LORD said: It isn't too late. You can still return to me with all your heart. Start crying and mourning! Go without eating.

English Revised Version
Yet even now, saith the LORD, turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"But even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart- with fasting, crying, and mourning."

Good News Translation
"But even now," says the LORD, "repent sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and mourning.

International Standard Version
"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Turn back to me with your whole heart, with fasting, tears, and mourning.

Majority Standard Bible
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

NET Bible
"Yet even now," the LORD says, "return to me with all your heart--with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your garments!"

New Heart English Bible
"Yet even now," says the LORD, "turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning."

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

World English Bible
“Yet even now,” says Yahweh, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“And also now,” a declaration of YHWH, "" “Turn back to Me with all your heart, "" And with fasting, and with weeping, "" And with lamentation.”

Young's Literal Translation
And also now -- an affirmation of Jehovah, Turn ye back unto Me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, And with lamentation.

Smith's Literal Translation
And also now, says Jehovah, Turn back even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping and with wailing.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now therefore saith the Lord: Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now, therefore, the Lord says: “Be converted to me with your whole heart, in fasting and weeping and mourning.”

New American Bible
Yet even now—oracle of the LORD— return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

New Revised Standard Version
Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Therefore now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Therefore LORD JEHOVAH says, “Return to me from all your heart in fasting and in weeping and in mourning
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Yet even now, saith the LORD, Turn ye unto Me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, and with lamentation;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Now therefore, saith the Lord your God, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with lamentation:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Return with All Your Heart
12“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” 13So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. / Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

Hosea 6:1
Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.

Zechariah 1:3
So tell the people that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.’

James 4:8-10
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. / Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. / Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

2 Chronicles 7:14
and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Jeremiah 4:1
“If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver,

Ezekiel 18:30-32
Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. / Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? / For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

Matthew 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,

Deuteronomy 4:29-31
But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. / When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. / For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.

Lamentations 3:40-41
Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD. / Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:

Malachi 3:7
Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore also now, said the LORD, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

turn.

Deuteronomy 4:29,30
But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul…

1 Samuel 7:3
And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

1 Kings 8:47-49
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; …

with fasting.

Judges 20:26
Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

1 Samuel 7:6
And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.

2 Chronicles 20:3,4
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah…

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Joel 2
1. He shows unto Zion the terribleness of God's judgment.
12. He exhorts to repentance;
15. prescribes a fast;
18. promises a blessing thereon.
21. He comforts Zion with present,
28. and future blessings.














Yet even now
This phrase opens with a sense of urgency and immediacy. The Hebrew word for "now" is "עַתָּה" (attah), which conveys a present moment that demands attention. In the context of Joel, this is a divine call to action, emphasizing that it is never too late to turn back to God. Historically, this reflects the prophetic tradition where God offers a chance for repentance even in the face of impending judgment.

declares the LORD
The use of "declares" (נְאֻם, ne'um) signifies a solemn pronouncement from God Himself. This is not merely a suggestion but a divine command. The phrase "the LORD" (יְהוָה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, reminding the Israelites of their unique relationship with Him. It underscores the authority and seriousness of the message, rooted in the historical covenant between God and His people.

return to Me
The Hebrew verb "שׁוּב" (shuv) means to turn back or return. This is a central theme in the prophetic literature, where repentance is seen as a turning away from sin and a return to God. The call to "return" is both an invitation and a command, highlighting God's desire for reconciliation and restoration. It reflects the historical context of Israel's frequent departures from God's ways and His persistent call for them to come back.

with all your heart
The phrase "with all your heart" (בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם, b'khol-levavkhem) emphasizes total commitment and sincerity. In Hebrew thought, the heart is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. This call is for a wholehearted return, not just an outward show of repentance. It speaks to the depth of relationship God desires with His people, one that is genuine and complete.

with fasting, weeping, and mourning
These actions are traditional expressions of repentance in the ancient Near East. Fasting (צוֹם, tzom) is a physical demonstration of humility and dependence on God. Weeping (בְּכִי, b'chi) and mourning (מִסְפֵּד, misped) are outward signs of inner sorrow and contrition. Together, they represent a comprehensive response to sin, involving both the body and the spirit. This reflects the historical practices of Israel and other cultures in expressing grief and seeking divine favor.

(12) Saith the Lord.--The word saith is here no common word in the Hebrew. It implies an authoritative and most weighty utterance, as in Psalm 110:1, "The Lord said unto my Lord." "The word is used in almost every instance of the immediate utterance of God Himself; more rarely of that of the prophet or inspired organ of the Divine revelations" (Perowne, Commentary on the Psalms, vol. ii., p. 300).

Turn ye even to me.--The question, "Who can abide it?" is left unanswered. But the only possible reply is inferred in the touching appeal which the prophet is inspired by Jehovah to make, that His righteous anger may be averted.

Verses 12-14. - The judgment of the locusts was typical of the great day of judgment. The tartars of that day were designed to bring the people to repentance. Thus judgment was mingled with mercy. Verse 12. - Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with great fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. At this period of sore judgment God, by the prophet, calls upon the people to return and repent, to fast and to weep, to grieve inwardly and mourn outwardly for sin. He also instructs them how to engage in the duty of humiliation aright and acceptably. The humiliation was to be that of the heart - sorrow of heart for the sins by which they had offended God, inward shame on account of those iniquities by which they had wronged their own souls and marred their own best interests. But while there behoved to be this inward contrition, outward expressions of it were also required. Genuine sorrow and shame for sin were to be accompanied by fasting, tears of penitence, and other indications of mourning. With all your heart. Kimchi comments thus: "That your repentance be not with a heart and a heart."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Yet even
וְגַם־ (wə·ḡam-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

now,
עַתָּה֙ (‘at·tāh)
Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

declares
נְאֻם־ (nə·’um-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5002: An oracle

the LORD,
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

return
שֻׁ֥בוּ (šu·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to Me
עָדַ֖י (‘ā·ḏay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

with all
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

your heart,
לְבַבְכֶ֑ם (lə·ḇaḇ·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

with fasting,
וּבְצ֥וֹם (ū·ḇə·ṣō·wm)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6685: Fasting, a fast

weeping,
וּבְבְכִ֖י‪‬ (ū·ḇə·ḇə·ḵî)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1065: A weeping, a dripping

and mourning.
וּבְמִסְפֵּֽד׃ (ū·ḇə·mis·pêḏ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4553: A lamentation


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OT Prophets: Joel 2:12 Yet even now says Yahweh turn (Jl Joe.)
Joel 2:11
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