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^1 (a)Blow a trumpet in ^(b)Zion;
    sound an alarm on ^(c)my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
    for ^(d)the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
^2 (e)a day of darkness and gloom,
    ^(f)a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
    ^(g)a great and powerful people;
^(h)their like has never been before,
    nor will be again after them
    through the years of all generations.

^3 (i)Fire devours before them,
    and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like ^(j)the garden of Eden before them,
    but ^(k)behind them a desolate wilderness,
    and nothing escapes them.

^4 (l)Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
    and like war horses they run.
^5 (m)As with the rumbling of chariots,
    they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of ⁽ⁿ⁾a flame of fire
    devouring the stubble,
^(o)like a powerful army
    drawn up for battle.

⁶ Before them peoples are in anguish;
    ^(p)all faces grow pale.
⁷ Like warriors they charge;
    like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
    they do not swerve from their paths.
⁸ They do not jostle one another;
    ^(q)each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
    and are not halted.
^9 (r)They leap upon the city,
    they run upon the walls,
^(s)they climb up into the houses,
    ^(t)they enter through the windows ^(u)like a thief.

^10 (v)The earth quakes before them;
    the heavens tremble.
^(w)The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.
^11 (x)The Lord utters his voice
    before ^(y)his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
    ^(z)he who executes his word is powerful.
^(aa)For the day of the Lord is ^(ab)great and very awesome;
    ^(ac)who can endure it?

¹² "Yet even now," declares the Lord,
    ^(ad)"return to me with all your heart,
^(ae)with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
¹³     and ^(af)rend your hearts and not ^(ag)your garments."
Return to the Lord your God,
    ^(ah)for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    ^(ai)and he relents over disaster.
^14 (aj)Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
    and ^(ak)leave a blessing behind him,
^(al)a grain offering and a drink offering
    for the Lord your God?

^15 (am)Blow the trumpet in Zion;
    ^(an)consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
¹⁶     gather the people.
^(ao)Consecrate the congregation;
    assemble the elders;
^(ap)gather the children,
    even nursing infants.
^(aq)Let the bridegroom leave his room,
    and the bride her chamber.

^17 (ar)Between the ^(as)vestibule and the ^(at)altar
    ^(au)let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, "Spare your people, O Lord,
    and make not your heritage a reproach,
    a byword among the nations.^[a]
(av)Why should they say among the peoples,
    ‘Where is their God?'"

^18 (aw)Then the Lord became jealous for his land
    ^(ax)and had pity on his people.
¹⁹ The Lord answered and said to his people,
"Behold, ^(ay)I am sending to you
    grain, wine, and oil,
    ^(az)and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
    a reproach among the nations.

²⁰ "I will remove the northerner far from you,
    and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard^[b] into ^(ba)the eastern sea,
    and his rear guard^[c] into ^(bb)the western sea;
^(bc)the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
    for he has done great things.

²¹ "Fear not, O land;
    be glad and rejoice,
    for ^(bd)the Lord has done great things!
²² Fear not, ^(be)you beasts of the field,
    for ^(bf)the pastures of the wilderness are green;
^(bg)the tree bears its fruit;
    the fig tree and ^(bh)vine give their full yield.

^23 (bi)"Be glad, O children of Zion,
    and ^(bj)rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given ^(bk)the early rain for your vindication;
    he has poured down for you abundant rain,
    ^(bl)the early and ^(bm)the latter rain, as before.

²⁴ "The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
    the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
²⁵ I will restore^[d] to you the years
    that ^(bn)the swarming locust has eaten,
^(bo)the hopper, ^(bp)the destroyer, and ^(bq)the cutter,
    ^(br)my great army, which I sent among you.

^26 (bs)"You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
    and praise the name of the Lord your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people ^(bt)shall never again be put to shame.
^27 (bu)You shall know that I am ^(bv)in the midst of Israel,
    and that ^(bw)I am the Lord your God ^(bx)and there is none else.
And my people ^(by)shall never again be put to shame.

^{28 [e] (bz)}"And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that ^(ca)I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
^(cb)your sons and ^(cc)your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
^29 (cd)Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.