| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, | 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 gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all 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. |
| 3Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes 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 war horses they run. | 4They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. |
| 5As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. | 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 peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. | 6At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. |
| 7Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. | 7They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. |
| 8They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. | 8They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. |
| 9They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through 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 the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. | 10Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. |
| 11The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; 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“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return 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." |
| 13and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. | 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 whether he will not 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 solemn assembly; | 15Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. |
| 16gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. | 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. |
| 17Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. 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 became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. | 18Then the LORD was jealous for his land and took pity on his people. |
| 19The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more 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“I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great 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! |
| 21“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! | 21Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things! |
| 22Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. | 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. |
| 23“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. | 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. |
| 24“The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. | 24The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. |
| 25I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, 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. |
| 26“You 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 again 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. |
| 27You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again 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, and 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. |
| 29Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. | 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 on the earth, blood and fire and columns 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 to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. | 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 everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those 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. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
|
