| New Living Translation | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem ! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. | 1Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, |
| 2It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears. Nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again. | 2A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations. |
| 3Fire burns in front of them, and flames follow after them. Ahead of them the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. | 3A fire consumes before them And behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them But a desolate wilderness behind them, And nothing at all escapes them. |
| 4They look like horses; they charge forward like warhorses. | 4Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run. |
| 5Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops. Listen to the noise they make—like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of fire sweeping across a field of stubble, or like a mighty army moving into battle. | 5With a noise as of chariots They leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, Like a mighty people arranged for battle. |
| 6Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with terror. | 6Before them the people are in anguish; All faces turn pale. |
| 7The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. | 7They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they deviate from their paths. |
| 8They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right position. They break through defenses without missing a step. | 8They do not crowd each other, They march everyone in his path; When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks. |
| 9They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows. | 9They rush on the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter through the windows like a thief. |
| 10The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. | 10Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness. |
| 11The LORD is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? A Call to Repentance | 11The LORD utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it? |
| 12That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. | 12"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; |
| 13Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. | 13And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. |
| 14Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before. | 14Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? |
| 15Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. | 15Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, |
| 16Gather all the people— the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. | 16Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. |
| 17Let the priests, who minister in the LORD’s presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, “Spare your people, LORD! Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’” The LORD’s Promise of Restoration | 17Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?'" |
| 18Then the LORD will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land. | 18Then the LORD will be zealous for His land And will have pity on His people. |
| 19The LORD will reply, “Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. | 19The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations. |
| 20I will drive away these armies from the north. I will send them into the parched wastelands. Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea, and those at the rear into the Mediterranean. The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.” Surely the LORD has done great things! | 20"But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things." |
| 21Don’t be afraid, O land. Be glad now and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things. | 21Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For the LORD has done great things. |
| 22Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field, for the wilderness pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with fruit; fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more. | 22Do not fear, beasts of the field, For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, For the tree has borne its fruit, The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full. |
| 23Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. | 23So rejoice, O sons of Zion, And be glad in the LORD your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before. |
| 24The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil. | 24The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. |
| 25The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. | 25"Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. |
| 26Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. | 26"You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame. |
| 27Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced. The LORD’s Promise of His Spirit | 27"Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I am the LORD your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame. |
| 28 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. | 28"It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. |
| 29In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. | 29"Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. |
| 30And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth— blood and fire and columns of smoke. | 30"I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. |
| 31The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. | 31"The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. |
| 32But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called. | 32"And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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