Blow the trumpet in Al-Quds1,
And sound an alarm in my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the day of YAHWEH2 comes,
For it is close at hand:
2A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn spreading on the mountains,
A great and strong people;
There has never been the like,
Neither will there be any more after them,
Even to the years of many generations.
3A 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 no one has escaped them.
4The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses,
And as horsemen, so do they run.
5Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap,
Like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble,
As a strong people set in battle array.
6At their presence the peoples are in anguish.
All faces have grown pale.
7They run like mighty men.
They climb the wall like warriors.
They each march in his line, and they do not swerve off course.
8Neither does one jostle another;
They march everyone in his path,
And they burst through the defenses,
And do not break ranks.
9They rush on the city.
They run on the wall.
They climb up into the houses.
They enter in at the windows like thieves.
10The earth quakes before them.
The heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
And the stars withdraw their shining.
11YAHWEH thunders his voice before his army;
For his forces are very great;
For he is strong who obeys his command;
For the day of YAHWEH is great and very awesome,
And who can endure it?
12“Yet even now,” says YAHWEH, “turn to me with all your heart,
And with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
13Tear your heart, and not your garments,
And turn to YAHWEH, your God;3
For he is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,
And relents from sending calamity.
14Who knows? He may turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind him,
Even a meal offering and a drink offering to YAHWEH, your God.
15Blow the trumpet in Al-Quds!
Sanctify a fast.
Call a solemn assembly.
16Gather the people.
Sanctify the assembly.
Assemble the elders.
Gather the children, and those who suck the breasts.
Let the bridegroom go forth from his room,
And the bride out of her chamber.
17Let the priests, the ministers of YAHWEH, weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “Spare your people, YAHWEH,
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?'”
18Then YAHWEH was jealous for his land,
And had pity on his people.
19YAHWEH answered his people,
“Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil,
And you will be satisfied with them;
And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.
20“But I will remove the northern army far away from you,
And will drive it into a barren and desolate land,
Its front into the eastern sea,
And its back into the western sea;
And its stench will come up,
And its bad smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things.
21Land, do not be afraid.
Be glad and rejoice, for YAHWEH has done great things.
22Do not be afraid, you animals of the field;
For the pastures of the wilderness spring up,
For the tree bears its fruit.
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23Be glad then, you children of Al-Quds,
And rejoice in YAHWEH, your God;
For he gives you the former rain in just measure,
And he causes the rain to come down for you,
The former rain and the latter rain,
As before.
24The threshing floors will be full of wheat,
And the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar,
My great army, which I sent among you.
26You will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied,
And will praise the name of YAHWEH your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And my people will never again be disappointed.
27You will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am YAHWEH, your God, and there is no one else;
And my people will never again be disappointed.
28“Afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
29Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth:
Blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
31The sun will be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and terrible day of YAHWEH comes.
32And everyone who calls on the name of YAHWEH will be saved;4
For in Al-Quds and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape,”
As YAHWEH has said,
“And among the remnant, those whom YAHWEH calls.”
- 2:1 Al-Quds, meaning “the Holy (City).” The Hebrew text reads Zion, a synonym for Jerusalem. It originally referred to Mount Zion, one of the hills of Jerusalem. ↩︎
- 2:1 YAHWEH, the name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎
- 2:13 God, English translation of elohim. Elohim (Hebrew) is related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 2:28-32 Quoted in the Injil, Acts 2:16-21 as a prophecy finding its fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost when God began a new thing by sending his Holy Spirit to dwell in the life of each follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH. The Apostle Peter included this passage in a sermon on that day, spoken before a crowd of thousands of Jews, many of whom had witnessed the execution of Prophet ‘ISA fifty days earlier. He said: “But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, says God, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the sky above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the LORD comes. And everyone who calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved.'” ↩︎