Joel 2 NKJV NIV Parallel

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New King James Version

New International Version

1Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:

1Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand--

2A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.

2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come.

3A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them.

3Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste-- nothing escapes them.

4Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run.

4They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.

5With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array.

5With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

6Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color.

6At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.

7They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks.

7They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course.

8They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down.

8They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks.

9They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief.

9They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.

10The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.

10Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.

11The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?

11The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?

12“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

12"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."

13So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

13Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

14Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God?

14Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing-- grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.

15Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly;

15Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

16Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.

16Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

17Let 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?’ ”

17Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

18Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.

18Then the LORD was jealous for his land and took pity on his people.

19The LORD will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

19The LORD replied to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.

20“But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.”

20"I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise." Surely he has done great things!

21Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things!

21Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things!

22Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

22Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

23Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.

23Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

24The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

24The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

25“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

25"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm -- my great army that I sent among you.

26You 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 shall never be put to shame.

26You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.

27Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.

27Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

28“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.

28"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

29And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

29Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

30“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.

30I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.

31The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

31The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

32And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

32And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

New International Version (NIV)

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