Joel 2:14

Amplified Bible

Who knows whether He will relent [and revoke your sentence], And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering [from the bounty He provides you] For the LORD your God?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Who knows? He may turn and relentand leave a blessing behind him,so you can offer grain and wineto the Lord your God.

Hebrew Names Version
Who knows? He may turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind him, Even a meal offering and a drink offering to the LORD, your God.

King James Version
Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

English Standard Version
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?

New American Standard Bible
Who knows, He might turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him, Resulting in a grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God.

New Century Version
Who knows? Maybe he will turn back to you and leave behind a blessing for you. Grain and drink offerings belong to the Lord your God.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Who knoweth, is he wil returne & repent & leaue a blessing behinde him, euen a meate offring, & a drinke offring vnto ye Lord your God?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Who 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?

Legacy Standard Bible
Who knows whether He will not turn and relentAnd leave a blessing behind Him,Even a grain offering and a drink offeringFor Yahweh your God?

Berean Standard Bible
Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him-grain and drink offerings for the LORD your God.

Contemporary English Version
I am the Lord your God. Perhaps I will change my mind and treat you with mercy. Then you will be blessed with enough grain and wine for offering sacrifices to me.

Complete Jewish Bible
Who knows? He may turn, change his mind and leave a blessing behind him, [enough for] grain offerings and drink offerings to present to Adonai your God.

Darby Translation
Who knoweth? He might return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, an oblation and a drink-offering for Jehovah your God?

Easy-to-Read Version
Who knows, maybe he will change his mind and leave behind a blessing for you. Then you can give grain and drink offerings to the Lord your God.

George Lamsa Translation
Who knows if he will return again and multiply us, and increase his blessing in his land, even a meal offering and a drink offering to the LORD your God?

Good News Translation
Perhaps the Lord your God will change his mind and bless you with abundant crops. Then you can offer him grain and wine.

Lexham English Bible
Who knows whether he will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, an offering and a libation, for Yahweh your God?

Literal Translation
Who knows if He will turn and have pity and leave a blessing behind Him, a food offering and a drink offering for Jehovah your God?

American Standard Version
Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto Jehovah your God?

Bible in Basic English
May it not be that he will again let his purpose be changed and let a blessing come after him, even a meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Who knoweth whether He will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto the LORD your God?

King James Version (1611)
Who knoweth if he will returne and repent, and leaue a blessing behind him, euen a meate offring and a drinke offring vnto the Lord your God?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who knoweth whether the Lorde wyll returne and take compassion, and wyll leaue behinde him a blessing, [euen] meate offeryng and drynke offeryng vnto the Lorde your God?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Who knows if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord your God?

English Revised Version
Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

World English Bible
Who knows? He may turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind him, Even a meal offering and a drink offering to Yahweh, your God.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Who woot, if God be conuertid, and foryyue, and leeue blessyng aftir hym? sacrifice and moist sacrifice to oure Lord God.

Update Bible Version
Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering to Yahweh your God?

Webster's Bible Translation
Who knoweth [if] he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; [even] a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the LORD your God?

New English Translation
Who knows? Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, and leave blessing in his wake— a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to the Lord your God!

New King James Version
Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him-- A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God?

New Living Translation
Who 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.

New Life Bible
It may be that He will turn and have pity, and leave good behind for you. He may leave you a grain gift and a drink gift for the Lord your God.

New Revised Standard
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord , your God?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who knoweth, he may turn and grieve, - and leave behind him, a blessing, a meal-offering and a drink-offering, to Yahweh your God?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God?

Revised Standard Version
Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God?

Young's Literal Translation
Who knoweth -- He doth turn back, Yea -- He hath repented, And He hath left behind Him a blessing, A present and libation of Jehovah your God?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then (no doute) he also shal turne, & forgeue: & after his chastenynge, he shal let youre increase remayne, for meat & drynck offerynges vnto the LORDE youre God?

Contextual Overview

¹²"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]; ¹³Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments." Now return [in repentance] to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; And He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent]. ¹⁴Who knows whether He will relent [and revoke your sentence], And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering [from the bounty He provides you] For the LORD your God?¹⁵Blow a trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment], Dedicate a fast [as a day of restraint and humility], call a solemn assembly. 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. [No one is excused from the assembly.] ¹⁷Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Have compassion and spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance (Israel) an object of ridicule, Or a [humiliating] byword among the [Gentile] nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Who: Exodus 32:30, Joshua 14:12, 1 Samuel 6:5, 2 Samuel 12:22, 2 Kings 19:4, Amos 5:15, Jonah 1:6, Jonah 3:9, Zephaniah 2:3, 2 Timothy 2:25

and leave: Isaiah 65:8, Haggai 2:19, 2 Corinthians 9:5-11, *marg.

even: Joel 1:9, Joel 1:13, Joel 1:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 29:40 - a drink Leviticus 2:1 - fine flour Leviticus 23:13 - the drink Numbers 6:15 - drink Numbers 15:9 - a meat Numbers 28:7 - to be poured Numbers 29:22 - drink offering Deuteronomy 16:10 - according Deuteronomy 32:36 - repent 2 Samuel 1:21 - offerings 2 Samuel 24:16 - repented Psalms 65:11 - thy paths Psalms 80:14 - Return Psalms 90:13 - Return Isaiah 58:4 - shall not fast as ye do this day Jeremiah 18:8 - I will Jeremiah 26:13 - repent Lamentations 3:29 - if Daniel 4:27 - if it Hosea 2:9 - will I Hosea 9:4 - shall not Amos 7:3 - General Jonah 4:2 - thou art Malachi 3:18 - shall Acts 8:22 - if

Cross-References

Genesis 10:11
From that land Nimrod went to Assyria, and built Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah,

Genesis 10:22
The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram;

Genesis 15:18
On the same day the LORD made a covenant (promise, pledge) with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates—

Genesis 25:18
Ishmael's sons (descendants) settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled opposite (east) of all his relatives.

Deuteronomy 1:7
'Turn and resume your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland (the Shephelah), in the Negev (South country) and on the coast of the [Mediterranean] Sea, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

Deuteronomy 11:24
"Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall become yours; your territory shall be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea (the Mediterranean).

Daniel 10:4
On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was on the bank of the great river Hiddekel [which is the Tigris],

Revelation 9:14
saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Who knoweth [if] he will return and repent,.... Which some understand of man, and of his returning and repentance; either thus whosoever he be that knows the ways of repentance, he will return, and God will repent of this evil: which sense is mentioned by Kimchi and Ben Melech: or he that knoweth that iniquity is on him will return and repent; so Jarchi, with which agrees the Targum,

"he that knows that sins are in him will return from them, and he shall obtain mercy; and whoever repents, his sins shall be forgiven him;''

but rather they are to be understood of God, as some in Kimchi, and paraphrase it, who knows? perhaps God may return; and this is the sense of Aben Ezra, and seems to be most correct; and to be interpreted, either as carrying some doubt in it; not as if it was questionable whether God will give pardon to repenting sinners, but whether he will at once remove the present affliction and chastisement; which may be thus expressed to check the presumption and awaken the security of the people, and rouse them from their sluggishness and stupidity: or rather as expressive of hope that God would return and change the dispensation of his providence, and repent of the evil he had threatened, or brought upon them; which might be justly grounded upon the character before given of him, and that from the revelation of himself, and the proclamation of his own perfections; see Jonah 3:9;

and leave a blessing behind him; meaning not behind God himself, as if he was departed, or about to depart, for which there was no great concern, provided he left a temporal blessing with them; but behind the army of the locust, after that had made all the devastation it did: or rather "cause to leave"; stop the locust in its progress, and not suffer it to make a total desolation, but cause it to leave some of the fruits of the earth behind it. So Aben Ezra gives the sense of the words,

"perhaps God will return, and cause the locust to leave a blessing;''

and to the same purpose Jarchi, of which they make a meat offering and a drink offering, as follows:

[even] a meat offering and a drink offering to the Lord your God; at least leave so much of the wheat, that a meat offering might be made of it; and so many of the vines, as that so much wine might be produced by them as would furnish out a drink offering to be offered to the Lord, agreeably to the laws given about these; for which the greatest concern is expressed, this being cut off and withheld from the house of the Lord, by reason of the present scarcity, Joel 1:9; which shows a truly pious and religious mind, having more at heart the worship of God than themselves and families.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Who knoweth if He will return - God has promised forgiveness of sins and of eternal punishment to those who turn to Him with their whole heart. Of this, then, there could be no doubt. But He has not promised either to individuals or to Churches, that He will remit the temporal punishment which He had threatened. He forgave David the sin. Nathan says, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin.” But he said at the same time, “the sword shall never depart from thy house 2 Samuel 12:13, 2 Samuel 12:10; and the temporal punishment of his sin pursued him, even on the bed of death. David thought that the temporal punishment of his sin, in the death of the child, might be remitted to him. He used the same form of words as Joel, “I said, who can tell whether God will be gracious unto me, that the child may live?” 2 Samuel 12:22. But the child died. The king of Nineveh used the like words, “Who can tell if God will return and repent and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?” Jonah 3:9.

And he was heard. God retained or remitted the temporal punishment, as He saw good for each. This of the prophet Joel is of a mixed character. The “blessing” which they crave, he explains to be “the meat offering and the drink offering,” which had been “cut off or withholden” from the house of their God. For “if He gave them wherewith to serve Him,” after withdrawing it, it was clear that “He would accept of them and be pleased with their service.” Yet this does not imply that He would restore all to them. A Jewish writer notes that after the captivity, “the service of sacrifices alone returned to them,” but that “prophecy, (soon after), the ark, the Urim and Thummim, and the other things (the fire from heaven) were missing there.” As a pattern, however, to all times, God teaches them to ask first what belongs to His kingdom and His righteousness, and to leave the rest to Him. So long as the means of serving Him were left, there was hope of all. Where the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ (whereof “the meat offering and the drink offering” were symbols) remains, there are “the pledges of His love,” the earnest of all other blessing.

He says, “leave a blessing behind Him,” speaking of God as one estranged, who had been long absent and who returns, giving tokens of His forgiveness and renewed good-pleasure. God often visits the penitent soul and, by some sweetness with which the soul is bathed, leaves a token of His renewed presence. God is said to repent, not as though He varied in Himself, but because He deals variously with us, as we receive His inspirations and follow His drawings, or no.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. Who knoweth if he will return — He may yet interpose and turn aside the calamity threatened, and so far preserve the land from these ravagers, that there will be food for men and cattle, and a sufficiency of offerings for the temple service. Therefore --