Study Desk

For a nation has come up against my land,Mighty and without number;Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,And it has the fangs of a lioness.

The field is destroyed;The land mourns,For the grain is destroyed,The new wine dries up,Fresh oil fails.

Be ashamed, O farmers,Wail, O vinedressers,For the wheat and the barley,Because the harvest of the field perishes.

Gird yourselves with sackclothAnd lament, O priests;Wail, O ministers of the altar!Come, spend the night in sackcloth,O ministers of my God;For the grain offering and the drink offeringAre withheld from the house of your God.

Set apart a fast as holy,Call for a solemn assembly;Gather the eldersAnd all the inhabitants of the landTo the house of Yahweh your God,And cry out to Yahweh.

Alas for the day!For the day of Yahweh is near,And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

The seeds shrivel under their clods;The storehouses are desolate;The barns are pulled down,For the grain is dried up.

How the beasts groan!The herds of cattle wander aimlesslyBecause there is no pasture for them;Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

To You, O Yahweh, I cry;For fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness,And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.

Even the beasts of the field pant for You;For the water brooks are dried up,And fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.

Blow a trumpet in Zion,And make a loud shout on My holy mountain!Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,For the day of Yahweh is coming;Surely it is near,

With a noise as of chariotsThey leap on the tops of the mountains,Like the crackling of a flame of fire consumes the stubble,Like a mighty people arranged for battle.

But Yahweh gives forth His voice before His military force;Surely His camp is very numerous,For mighty is he who does His word.The day of Yahweh is indeed great and very awesome,And who can endure it?

And tear your heart and not your garments."Now return to Yahweh your God,For He is gracious and compassionate,Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,And relenting concerning evil.

Blow a trumpet in Zion,Set apart a fast as holy, call for a solemn assembly,

Then Yahweh will be zealous for His landAnd will spare His people.

But I will remove the northern military force 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 rise up, and its foul smell will rise up,For it has done great things."

Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,For Yahweh has done great things.

Do 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 their full force.

So rejoice, O sons of Zion,And be glad in Yahweh your God,For He has given you the early rain in righteousness.And He has poured down for you the rain,The early and late rains as before.