Study Desk

Blow the horn in Zion;^(a) sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the Day of the Lord is coming;^(b) in fact, it is near—

a day of darkness and gloom,^(c) a day of clouds and dense overcast,^(d) like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people^(e) appears, such as never existed in ages past^(f) and never will again in all the generations to come.^(g)

A fire destroys^[a] in front of them,^(h) and behind them a flame devours. The land in front of them is like the Garden of Eden,⁽ⁱ⁾ but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland;^(j) there is no escape from them.

Their appearance is like that of horses,^(k) and they gallop like war horses.

They bound on the tops of the mountains. Their sound is like the sound of chariots,^(l) like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble,^(m) like a mighty army deployed for war.

Nations writhe in horror before them;⁽ⁿ⁾ all faces turn pale.

They attack as warriors attack; they scale walls as men of war do. Each goes on his own path,^(o) and they do not change their course.

They do not push each other; each man proceeds on his own path. They dodge the arrows, never stopping.

They storm the city; they run on the wall; they climb into the houses;^(p) they enter through the windows like thieves.^(q)

The earth quakes before them;^(r) the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark,^(s) and the stars cease their shining.^(t)

The Lord raises His voice^(u) in the presence of His army.^(v) His camp is very large; Those who carry out His command are powerful.^(w) Indeed, the Day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful^(x)— who can endure it?^(y)

Even now— this is the Lord 's declaration— turn to Me with all your heart,^(z) with fasting, weeping, and mourning.^(aa)

Tear your hearts,^(ab) not just your clothes,^(ac) and return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster.^(ad)

Who knows? He may turn and relent^(ae) and leave a blessing behind Him,^(af) so you can offer grain and wine to the Lord your God.^(ag)

Blow the horn in Zion!^(ah) Announce a sacred fast;^(ai) proclaim an assembly.

Gather the people; sanctify the congregation;^(aj) assemble the aged;^[b](ak) gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the groom leave his bedroom,^(al) and the bride her honeymoon chamber.

Let the priests,^(am) the Lord 's ministers, weep between the portico and the altar.^(an) Let them say: "Have pity on Your people, Lord ,^(ao) and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace,^(ap) an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'"^(aq)

Then the Lord became jealous for His land^(ar) and spared His people.^(as)

The Lord answered His people: Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and olive oil.^(at) You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.^(au)

I will drive the northerner far from you^(av) and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea,^(aw) and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea.^(ax) His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise,^(ay) for he has done catastrophic things.

Don't be afraid, land;^(az) rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things.^(ba)

Don't be afraid, wild animals, for the wilderness pastures have turned green,^(bb) the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.

Children of Zion,^(bc) rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God,^(bd) because He gives you the autumn rain for your vindication.^[c](be) He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain^(bf) as before.

The threshing floors will be full of grain,^(bg) and the vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust ate,^(bh) the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust— My great army that I sent against you.

You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.^(bi) You will praise the name of Yahweh your God,^(bj) who has dealt wondrously with you.^(bk) My people will never again be put to shame.^(bl)

You will know that I am present in Israel^(bm) and that I am Yahweh your God, and there is no other.^(bn) My people will never again be put to shame.^(bo)

^[d] After this^(bp) I will pour out My Spirit^(bq) on all humanity;^(br) then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.

I will even pour out My Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days.^(bs)

I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth:^(bt) blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood^(bu) before the great and awe-inspiring Day of the Lord comes.^(bv)

Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved,^(bw) for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised,^(bx) among the survivors the Lord calls.

^[a]Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,^(a)

I will gather all the nations^(b) and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.^[b](c) I will enter into judgment with them there^(d) because of My people, My inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries^(e) and divided up My land.^(f)

They cast lots for My people;^(g) they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.^(h)

And also: Tyre,⁽ⁱ⁾ Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia^(j)—what are you to Me? Are you paying Me back or trying to get even with Me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads.^(k)

For you took My silver and gold and carried My finest treasures^(l) to your temples.

You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks^(m) to remove them far from their own territory.

Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them;⁽ⁿ⁾ I will bring retribution on your heads.

I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah,^(o) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,^[c](p) to a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken.

Proclaim this among the nations:^(q) Prepare for holy war;^(r) rouse the warriors;^(s) let all the men of war advance and attack!

Beat your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears.^(t) Let even the weakling say, "I am a warrior."

Come quickly,^[d] all you surrounding nations; gather yourselves.^(u) Bring down Your warriors there, Lord .^(v)

Let the nations be roused and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the surrounding nations.^(w)

Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe.^(x) Come and trample the grapes because the winepress is full;^(y) the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is great.^(z)

Multitudes, multitudes^(aa) in the valley of decision! For the Day of the Lord is near^(ab) in the valley of decision.

The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will cease their shining.^(ac)

The Lord will roar from Zion^(ad) and raise His voice from Jerusalem;^(ae) heaven and earth will shake.^(af) But the Lord will be a refuge for His people,^(ag) a stronghold for the Israelites.^(ah)

Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God,^(ai) who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain.^(aj) Jerusalem will be holy,^(ak) and foreigners will never overrun it again.^(al)

In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine,^(am) and the hills will flow with milk.^(an) All the streams of Judah will flow with water,^(ao) and a spring will issue from the Lord 's house,^(ap) watering the Valley of Acacias.^[e](aq)

Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah^(ar) in whose land they shed innocent blood.

But Judah will be inhabited forever,^(as) and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

I will pardon their bloodguilt,^[f](at) which I have not pardoned, for the Lord dwells in Zion.