Joel 2-3; Amos 1

1Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming; indeed, it is near—

2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come.

3Before them a fire devours, and behind them a flame scorches. The land before them is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland— surely nothing will escape them.

4Their appearance is like that of horses, and they gallop like swift steeds.

5With a sound like that of chariots they bound over the mountaintops, like the crackling of fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for battle.

6Nations writhe in horror before them; every face turns pale.

7They charge like mighty men; they scale the walls like men of war. Each one marches in formation, not swerving from the course.

8They do not jostle one another; each proceeds in his path. They burst through the defenses, never breaking ranks.

9They storm the city; they run along the wall; they climb into houses, entering through windows like thieves.

10Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.

11The LORD raises His voice in the presence of His army. Indeed, His camp is very large, for mighty are those who obey His command. For the Day of the LORD is great and very dreadful. Who can endure it?

12“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

13So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.

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

15Blow the ram’s horn in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a sacred assembly.

16Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the aged, gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

17Let the priests who minister before the LORD weep between the portico and the altar, saying, “Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not make Your heritage a reproach, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

18Then the LORD became jealous for His land, and He spared His people.

19And the LORD answered His people: “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and by them you will be satisfied. I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.

20The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things.

21Do not be afraid, O land; rejoice and be glad, for the LORD has done great things.

22Do not be afraid, O beasts of the field, for the open pastures have turned green, the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and vine yield their best.

23Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given you the autumn rains for your vindication. He sends you showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

24The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

25I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts— the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust — My great army that I sent against you.

26You will have plenty to eat, until you are satisfied. You will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you. My people will never again be put to shame.

27Then you will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.

28And 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 My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

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

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

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 promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.

1“Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,

2I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations as they divided up My land.

3They cast lots for My people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.

4Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads.

5For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples.

6You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.

7Behold, I will rouse them from the places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon your heads.

8I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans—to a distant nation.” Indeed, the LORD has spoken.

9Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war; rouse the mighty men; let all the men of war advance and attack!

10Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’

11Come quickly, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves. Bring down Your mighty ones, O LORD.

12Let the nations be roused and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the nations on every side.

13Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.

14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

15The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.

16The LORD will roar from Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

17Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, never again to be overrun by foreigners.

18And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will run with water, and a spring will flow from the house of the LORD to water the Valley of Acacias.

19Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

20But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21For I will avenge their blood, which I have not yet avenged.” For the LORD dwells in Zion.

1These are the words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

2He said: “The LORD roars from Zion and raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.”

3This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.

4So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael to consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.

5I will break down the gates of Damascus; I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven and the one who wields the scepter in Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,” says the LORD.

6This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they exiled a whole population, delivering them up to Edom.

7So I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza, to consume its citadels.

8I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord GOD.

9This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant of brotherhood.

10So I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre to consume its citadels.”

11This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed incessantly.

12So I will send fire upon Teman to consume the citadels of Bozrah.”

13This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of the Ammonites, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.

14So I will kindle a fire in the walls of Rabbah to consume its citadels amid war cries on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of tempest.

15Their king will go into exile — he and his princes together,” says the LORD.