A Call to Repentance
(Joel 1:13–20; Amos 5:4–15; Luke 13:1–5)

1Gather yourselves, gather together,

O shameful nation,

2before the decree takes effecta

and the day passes like chaff,

before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you,

before the Day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you.

3Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth

who carry out His justice.

Seek righteousness; seek humility.

Perhaps you will be sheltered

on the day of the LORD’s anger.

Judgment on the Philistines
(Jeremiah 47:1–7)

4For Gaza will be abandoned,

and Ashkelon left in ruins.

Ashdod will be driven out at noon,

and Ekron will be uprooted.

5Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast,

O nation of the Cherethites!

The word of the LORD is against you,

O Canaan, land of the Philistines:

“I will destroy you,

and no one will be left.”

6So the seacoast will become a land of pastures,

with wellsb for shepherds and folds for sheep.

7The coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah;

there they will find pasture.

They will lie down in the evening

among the houses of Ashkelon,

for the LORD their God will attend to them

and restore their captives.c

Judgment on Moab and Ammon
(Isaiah 16:1–14; Jeremiah 48:1–47)

8“I have heard the reproach of Moab

and the insults of the Ammonites,

who have taunted My people

and threatened their borders.

9Therefore, as surely as I live,”

declares the LORD of Hosts,

the God of Israel,

“surely Moab will be like Sodom

and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—

a place of weeds and salt pits,

a perpetual wasteland.

The remnant of My people will plunder them;

the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.”

10This they shall have in return for their pride,

for taunting and mocking the people

of the LORD of Hosts.

11The LORD will be terrifying to them

when He starves all the gods of the earth.

Then the nations of every shore

will bow in worship to Him,

each in its own place.

Judgment on Cush and Assyria

12“You too, O Cushites,d

will be slain by My sword.”

13And He will stretch out His hand against the north

and destroy Assyria;

He will make Nineveh a desolation,

as dry as a desert.

14Herds will lie down in her midst,

creatures of every kind.e

Both the desert owl and screech owlf

will roost atop her pillars.

Their calls will sound from the window,

but desolation will lie on the threshold,

for He will expose the beams of cedar.

15This carefree city

that dwells securely,

that thinks to herself:

“I am it, and there is none besides me,”

what a ruin she has become,

a resting place for beasts.

Everyone who passes by her

hisses and shakes his fist.

Footnotes:

2 a Hebrew is given birth 
6 b Or caves  or camps 
7 c Or their fortunes 
12 d That is, people from the upper Nile region
14 e Hebrew beasts of every nation 
14 f The precise identification of the animals rendered desert owl  and screech owl  is uncertain.

Judgment on Jerusalem

1Woe to the city of oppressors,

rebellious and defiled!

2She heeded no voice;

she accepted no correction.

She does not trust in the LORD;

she has not drawn near to her God.

3Her princes are roaring lions;

her judges are evening wolves,

leaving nothing for the morning.

4Her prophets are reckless,

faithless men.

Her priests profane the sanctuary;

they do violence to the law.

5The LORD within her is righteous;

He does no wrong.

He applies His justice morning by morning;

He does not fail at dawn,

yet the unjust know no shame.

Purification of the Nations

6“I have cut off the nations;

their corner towers are destroyed.

I have made their streets deserted

with no one to pass through.

Their cities are laid waste,

with no man, no inhabitant.

7I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me

and accept correction.’

Then her dwelling place would not be cut off

despite all for which I punished her.

But they rose early

to corrupt all their deeds.

8Therefore wait for Me,”

declares the LORD,

“until the day

I rise to testify.a

For My decision is to gather nations,

to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them My indignation—

all My burning anger.

For all the earth will be consumed

by the fire of My jealousy.

A Faithful Remnant

9For then I will restore

pure lips to the peoples,

that all may call upon the name of the LORD

and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

10From beyond the rivers of Cushb

My worshipers, My scattered people,

will bring Me an offering.

11On that day you will not be put to shame

for any of the deeds

by which you have transgressed against Me.

For then I will remove from among you

those who rejoice in their pride,

and you will never again be haughty

on My holy mountain.

12But I will leave within you a meek and humble people,

and they will trust in the name of the LORD.

13The remnant of Israel

will no longer do wrong or speak lies,

nor will a deceitful tongue

be found in their mouths.

But they will feed and lie down,

with no one to make them tremble.”

Israel’s Restoration

14Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!

15The LORD has taken away your punishment;

He has turned back your enemy.

Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you;

no longer will you fear any harm.

16On that day they will say to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands fall limp.

17The LORD your God is among you;

He is mighty to save.

He will rejoice over you with gladness;

He will quiet you with His love;c

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

18“I will gather those among you who grieve

over the appointed feasts,

so that you will no longer suffer reproach.

19Behold, at that time,

I will deal with all who afflict you.

I will save the lame

and gather the scattered;

and I will appoint praise and fame

for the disgraced throughout the earth.

20At that time I will bring you in;

yes, at that time I will gather you.

For I will give you fame and praise

among all the peoples of the earth

when I restore your captivesd

before your very eyes,”

says the LORD.

Footnotes:

8 a LXX and Syriac; Hebrew rise up to plunder 
10 b That is, the upper Nile region
17 c Or He will be silent in His love ; LXX and Syriac He will renew you with His love 
20 d Or your fortunes