Joel 2:17

Green's Literal Translation

Let the priests, ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar; and let them say, Have pity on Your people, O Jehovah, and do not give Your inheritance to shame, for a proverb among those of the nations. Why should they say amongthe peoples, Where is their God?

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Let the priests, the Lord 's servants, cry between the porch and the altar. All of them should say this: " Lord , have mercy on your people. Don't let your people be put to shame. Don't let other people tell jokes about your people. Don't let the other nations laugh at us and say, ‘Where is their God?'"

New American Standard Bible
Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare Your people, LORD, And do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, With the nations jeering at them. Why should those among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?'"

New Century Version
The priests, the Lord 's servants, should cry between the altar and the entrance to the Temple. They should say, " Lord , have mercy on your people. Don't let them be put to shame; don't let other nations make fun of them. Don't let people in other nations ask, ‘Where is their God?'"

New English Translation
Let the priests, those who serve the Lord , weep from the vestibule all the way back to the altar. Let them say, "Have pity, O Lord , on your people; please do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked, to become a proverb among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, "Where is their God?"

Update Bible Version
Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare your people, O Yahweh, and don't give your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Webster's Bible Translation
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: why should they say among the people, Where [is] their God?

Amplified Bible
Let 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?'"

English Standard Version
Between the vestibule and the altar 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. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'"

World English Bible
Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare your people, Yahweh, And don't give your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Prestis, the mynystris of the Lord, schulen wepe bitwixe the porche and the auter, and schulen seie, Lord! spare thou, spare thi puple, and yyue thou not thin eritage in to schenschipe, that naciouns be lordis of hem. Whi seien thei among puplis, Where is the God of hem?

English Revised Version
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Berean Standard Bible
Let the priests who minister before the LORD weep between the porch and the altar, saying, "Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not make Your heritage a reproach, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

Contemporary English Version
Tell my servants, the priests, to cry inside the temple and to offer this prayer near the altar: "Save your people, Lord God! Don't let foreign nations make jokes about us. Don't let them laugh and ask, ‘Where is your God?'"

American Standard Version
Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Jehovah, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Bible in Basic English
Let the priests, the servants of the Lord, be weeping between the covered way and the altar, and let them say, Have mercy on your people, O Lord, do not give up your heritage to shame, so that the nations become their rulers: why let them say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Complete Jewish Bible
Let the cohanim, who serve Adonai , stand weeping between the vestibule and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, Adonai ! Don't expose your heritage to mockery, or make them a byward among the Goyim. Why should the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?'"

Darby Translation
Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare, O Jehovah, thy people, and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that they should be a byword of the nations. Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say: 'Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not Thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should make them a byword: wherefore should they say among the peoples: Where is their God?'

King James Version (1611)
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weepe betweene the porch and the altar, & let them say; Spare thy people O Lord, and giue not thine heritage to reproch; that the heathen should rule ouer them: Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

New Living Translation
Let 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?'"

New Life Bible
Let the religious leaders who serve the Lord cry between the porch and the altar. Let them say, "Have pity on Your people, O Lord. Do not put your people to shame. And do not make the nations speak against them. Why should the people of the nations say, ‘Where is their God?'"

New Revised Standard
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord , weep. Let them say, "Spare your people, O Lord , and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Let the Priestes, the ministers of the Lord weepe betweene the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and giue not thine heritage into reproche that the heathen should rule ouer them. Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

George Lamsa Translation
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the Gentiles should rule over them, lest the Gentiles say, Where is their God?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Between the porch and the altar, let the priests, weep, the attendants of Yahweh, - and let them say - Look with pity, O Yahweh, upon thy people, and do not deliver thine inheritance to reproach, that the nations, should mock them, Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Between the porch and the altar the priests, the Lord’s ministers, shall weep, and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people: and give not thy inheritance to reproach, that the heathens should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations: Where is their God?

Revised Standard Version
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare thy people, O LORD, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let the priestes the Lordes ministers weepe betwixt the porche & the aulter, and let them say, Spare thy people O Lord, and geue not ouer thine heritage to reproche, that the heathen shoulde rule ouer them: Wherfore shoulde they say amongst the heathen, Where is their God?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Between the porch and the altar let the priests that minister to the Lord weep, and say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them, lest they should say among the heathen, Where is their God?

Good News Translation
The priests, serving the Lord between the altar and the entrance of the Temple, must weep and pray: "Have pity on your people, Lord . Do not let other nations despise us and mock us by saying, ‘Where is your God?'"

Christian Standard Bible®
Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,weep between the portico and the altar.Let them say:“Have pity on your people, Lord,and do not make your inheritance a disgrace,an object of scorn among the nations.Why should it be said among the peoples,‘Where is their God?’”

Hebrew Names Version
Let the Kohanim, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare your people, LORD, And don't give your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

King James Version
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord , weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord , and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

Lexham English Bible
Between the colonnade and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep. And let them say, "Take pity, Yahweh, on your people. Do not make your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the nations, ‘Where is their God?'"

Young's Literal Translation
Between the porch and the altar weep let the priests, ministrants of Jehovah, And let them say: `Have pity, O Jehovah, on Thy people, And give not Thy inheritance to reproach, To the ruling over them of nations, Why do they say among peoples, Where [is] their God?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let the prestes serue the LORDE betwixte the porch & ye aulter, wepinge & sayenge: be fauourable (o LORDE) be fauourable vnto thy people: let not thine heretage be brought to soch confucion, lest the Heithen be lordes therof. Wherfore shulde they saye amonge the Heithen: where is now their God?

New King James Version
Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their God?"'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Let 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?'"

Legacy Standard Bible
Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh,Weep between the porch and the altar,And let them say, "Pity Your people, O Yahweh,And do not make Your inheritance a reproach,A byword among the nations.Why should they among the peoples say,‘Where is their God?'"

Contextual Overview

¹² Yet even now turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, declares Jehovah. ¹³ Yea, tear your heart, and not your robes; and turn to Jehovah your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He pities concerning the evil. ¹⁴ 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? ¹⁵ Blow a ram's horn in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. ¹⁶ Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, gather the elders, gather the children, and those who suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her room. ¹⁷ Let the priests, ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar; and let them say, Have pity on Your people, O Jehovah, and do not give Your inheritance to shame, for a proverb among those of the nations. Why should they say amongthe peoples, Where is their God?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the priests: Joel 1:9, Joel 1:13

between: 1 Kings 6:3, 2 Chronicles 8:12, Ezekiel 8:16, Matthew 23:35

and let: Hosea 14:2

Spare: Exodus 32:11-13, Exodus 34:9, Deuteronomy 9:16-29, Isaiah 37:20, Isaiah 64:9-12, Daniel 9:18, Daniel 9:19, Amos 7:2, Amos 7:5, Malachi 1:9

and give: Psalms 44:10-14, Psalms 74:10, Psalms 74:18-23, Psalms 79:4, Psalms 89:41, Psalms 89:51, Ezekiel 36:4-7

that: Nehemiah 9:36, Isaiah 63:17-19

rule over them: or, use a byword against them, Deuteronomy 28:37, 1 Kings 9:7, 2 Chronicles 7:20, Psalms 44:14

wherefore: Numbers 14:14-16, Deuteronomy 32:27, Psalms 42:10, Psalms 79:10, Psalms 115:2, Ezekiel 20:9, Micah 7:10, Matthew 27:43

Reciprocal: Exodus 33:13 - consider Numbers 25:6 - weeping Deuteronomy 29:10 - General Joshua 7:9 - what wilt thou Joshua 7:13 - sanctify 1 Kings 8:38 - prayer 2 Kings 2:14 - Where is 2 Kings 11:11 - by the altar 1 Chronicles 15:14 - sanctified Psalms 39:8 - make Psalms 126:5 - that sow Isaiah 22:12 - call Isaiah 37:4 - lift up Isaiah 37:14 - and Hezekiah went Ezekiel 36:30 - reproach Zechariah 7:3 - Should Luke 13:8 - let 2 Corinthians 6:4 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their host.

Genesis 2:4
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that Jehovah God was making earth and heavens.

Genesis 2:6
And mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground Jehovah God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The Tree of Life was also in the middle of the garden; also the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Genesis 2:10
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it was divided and became four heads.

Genesis 2:12
the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium gum resin, and the onyx stone.

Genesis 2:13
And the name of the second river is Gihon. It is the one surrounding all the land of Cush.

Genesis 2:18
And Jehovah God said, It is not good, the man being alone. I will make a helper suited to him.

Genesis 2:20
And the man called names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every animal of the field. But no helper suited to him was found for a man.

Genesis 2:21
And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar,.... Not the altar of incense which stood in the holy place; but the altar of burnt offering, where the priests used to stand and do service; but now having nothing to do of that kind, they are called upon to weep and pray between that and the porch of the temple; where they might be seen and heard by the people in the outward court which the porch led into: this is thought by some to be the same situation with that between the temple and the altar, Matthew 23:35;

and let them say, spare thy people, O Lord; they are directed to plead, not in a way of justice, but mercy; that though it might be just with God to destroy these people, who were called by his name; yet it is entreated that he would not, but in mercy spare them, and not cut them off in his sore displeasure, which the present judgment threatened them with: there seems to be an argument for mercy suggested, in the relation these people stood in to God, they are "thy people", whom thou hast chosen, and who are called by thy name; though this was also an aggravation of their sin; and the same may be observed in what follows:

and give not thine heritage to reproach: the people whom he had chosen for his inheritance, and the land of Canaan he had given to them for an inheritance; both which would be given to reproach if such a famine should ensue that they must be obliged to go into other countries for food:

that the Heathen should rule over them; as they would, should they be forced to leave their own country, and settle in theirs for the sake of food: or "to be a proverb", or "byword, among the Heathen", as Jarchi. This clause Jerom thinks opens the mystery, and explains who are meant by the mighty nation under the name of locusts, the enemies of the Jews; though this does not necessarily follow, take the words in either sense, as explained: it seems indeed very likely, that though the locusts may be understood literally, yet may be considered as an emblem of the Assyrian or Chaldean army, as we have all along observed; and, as the same ancient writer observes, when we read of the locusts, we should think of the Chaldeans, in which thought we may be confirmed by this clause:

wherefore should they say among the people, where [is] their God? they boast of as their Creator and Benefactor, their Protector and Defender, that gave them a land flowing with milk and honey, and abounding with all blessings? what is become of that? and where is he now? which the Gentiles would say in a reproaching blaspheming way, should they be reduced to famine by the locusts, or fall into the hands of their enemies; than which kind of reproach and blasphemy there is nothing more cutting to religious minds: see Psalms 42:10; and this, as well as the former is used as an argument with God for mercy. The Targum is,

"where are they that are redeemed by the Word of your God?''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar - The porch in this, Solomon’s temple, was in fact a tower, in front of the holy of holies, of the same breadth with the temple, namely, 20 cubits, and its depth half its breadth, namely, 10 cubits 1 Kings 6:3, and its height 120 cubits, the whole “overlaid within with pure gold” 2 Chronicles 3:4. The brass altar for burnt-offerings stood in front of it 2 Chronicles 8:12. The altar was of brass, twenty cubits square; and so, equal in breadth to the temple itself, and ten cubits high 2 Chronicles 4:1. The space then between the porch and the altar was enclosed on those two sides 2 Chronicles 7:7; it became an inner part of the court of the priests. Through it the priests or the high priest passed, whenever they went to sprinkle the blood, typifying the atonement, before the veil of the tabernacle, or for any other office of the tabernacle. It seems to have been a place of prayer for the priests. It is spoken of as an aggravation of the sins of those 25 idolatrous priests, that here, where they ought to worship God, they turned their backs toward the Temple of the Lord, to worship the sun Ezekiel 8:16. Here, in the exercise of his office, Zechariah was standing 2 Chronicles 24:20-21; Matthew 23:35, when the Spirit of God came upon him and he rebuked the people and they stoned him. Here the priests, with their faces toward the holy of holies and the temple which He had filled with His Glory, were to weep. Tears are a gift of God. In holier times, so did the priests weep at the holy eucharist in thought of the Passion and Precious Death of our Lord Jesus, which we then plead to God, that they bore with them, as part of their dress, linen wherewith to dry their tears .

And let them say - A form of prayer is provided for them. From this the words, “spare us good Lord, spare thy people,” enter into the litanies of the Christian Church.

And give not thine heritage to reproach - The enmity of the pagan against the Jews was an enmity against God. God had avouched them as His people and His property. Their land was an heritage from God. God, in that He had separated them from the pagan, and revealed Himself to them, had made them His special heritage. Moses Exodus 32:12; Numbers 14:13-16; Deuteronomy 9:28, Deuteronomy 9:9, then Joshua Joshua 7:9, the Psalmists Psalms 74:0; Psalms 79:1-13; Psalms 115:0, plead with God, that His own power or will to save His people would be called in question, if he should destroy them, or give them up. God, on the other hand, tells them, that not for any deserts of theirs, but for His own Name’s sake, He delivered them, lest the Pagan should be the more confirmed in their errors as to Himself Ezekiel 20:5; Ezekiel 36:21-23. It is part of true penitence to plead to God to pardon us, not for anything in ourselves, (for we have nothing of our own but our sins) but because we are the work of His hands, created in His image, the prince of the Blood of Jesus, called by His Name.

That the pagan should rule over them - This, and not the rendering in the margin, use a byword against them, is the uniform meaning of the Hebrew phrase. It is not to be supposed that the prophet Joel would use it in a sense contrary to the uniform usage of all the writers before him. Nor is there any instance of any other usage of the idiom in any later writer . “The enigma which was closed,” says Jerome, “is now opened. For who that people is, manifold and strong, described above under the name of the “palmerworm, the locust, the canker-worm” and “the catterpillar,” is now explained more clearly, “lest the pagan rule over them.” For the heritage of the Lord is given to reproach, when they serve their enemies, and the nations say, “Where is their God,” whom they boasted to be their Sovereign and their Protector?” Such is the reproach ever made against God’s people, when He does not visibly protect them, which the Psalmist says was as a sword in his bones (Psalms 42:3, Psalms 42:10; add Psalms 79:10; Psalms 115:2 : Micah 7:16); his tears were his meat day and night while they said it. The Chief priests and scribes and elders fulfilled a prophecy by venturing so to blaspheme our Lord, “He trusted in God; let Him, deliver Him now, if He will have Him” (Matthew 27:43, from Psalms 22:8).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. Let the priests - weep between the porch and the altar — The altar of burnt-offerings stood before the porch of the temple, 2 Chronicles 8:12, and between them there was an open space of fifteen or twenty cubits. It was there that the priests prostrated themselves on such occasions. It was into this place that the priests brought the sacrifice or victim of atonement; and where the high priest laid his hands on the head of the victim confessing his sins.

Let them say — The following was the form to be used on this occasion, "Spare thy people," &c. And if this be done with a rent heart, &c., "then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people," Joel 2:18. He will surely save, if ye seriously return to and penitently seek him.