 1 Blow a ram's horn in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble. For the day of the Lord comes, for it is near at hand; 2 a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains. A great people and a strong people. There has not been ever the like, nor shall there ever be again, even to the years of many generations. 3 A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. Yes, and nothing shall escape them. 4 As the appearance of horses is its appearance. And as war horses, so they run. 5 They shall leap like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle order. 6 Before their face the people shall be much pained. All faces shall gather blackness. 7 They shall run like mighty ones. They shall climb the wall like men of war, and they shall march each one on his way, and they shall not break their ranks. 8 Each one shall not press his brother. They each go in his paths. And if they fall behind their weapons, they shall not be cut off. 9 They shall rush on the city. They shall run on the wall. They shall climb up on the houses. They shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth shall tremble before them. The heavens shall shake. The sun and the moon shall grow dark, and the stars shall gather in their light. 11 The Lord will utter His voice before His army. For His camp is very great. Strong is He who does His Word. For the day of the Lord is great and awesome+. Who can stand it? 12 Yet even now, says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. 13 Yes, tear your heart and not your robes, and turn to the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He pities because of 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 to the Lord your God? 15 Blow a trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn gathering. 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, gather the elders, gather the children and those who suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her room. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar. Let them say, Have pity on your people, O Lord and do not give your inheritance to shame, for a proverb among those of the nations. Why should they say among the people, Where is their God? 18 Then the Lord will be jealous for His land and pity His people. 19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, I will send you grain and wine and oil and you will be satisfied with it. I will no longer make you a curse among the nations. 20 But I will remove the northern army far from you and drive him into a barren and deserted land with his face toward the eastern sea and his rear toward the west sea. His stench will come up and his ill odor will come up because he was doing great things. 21 Do not be afraid, O land. Be glad and rejoice. For the Lord will do great things. 22 Do not be afraid, beasts of the field. For the pastures of the wilderness grow green. For the tree bears its fruit, and the fig tree and the vine yield their strength. 23 Be glad then, sons of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God. For He has given you the former rain according to righteousness, and He will cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month. 24 The floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the locust larvae, and the stripping locust, and the cutting locust, my great army which I sent among you. 26 You shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt with you wonderfully. And my people shall never be ashamed. 27 Then you will know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the Lord your God and no one else. My people will never be ashamed. 28 After that, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 29 I will also pour out my Spirit on the slaves and on the slave women in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 32 Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. For salvation will be in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord has said, and in the remnant whom the Lord will call.
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