Joel 2

tiqu shofar betsiyyon vehari'u behar qodshi yirgezu kol yosheve ha'arets ki-va yom-Adonai ki qarov

Blow a horn in Zion, Sound an alarm on My holy mount! Let all dwellers on earth tremble, For the day of GOD has come! It is close—

yom khoshekh va'afelah yom anan va'arafel keshakhar parus al-heharim am rav ve'atsum kamohu lo nihyah min-ha'olam ve'akharayw lo yosef ad-shene dor vador

A day of darkness and gloom, A day of densest cloud Spread like soot over the hills. A vast, enormous horde— Nothing like it has ever happened, And it shall never happen again Through the years and ages.

lefanayw okhlah esh ve'akharayw telahet lehavah kegan-eden ha'arets lefanayw ve'akharayw midbar shemamah vegam-peletah lo-hayetah lo

Their vanguard is a consuming fire, Their rear guard a devouring flame. Before them the land was like the Garden of Eden, Behind them, a desolate waste: Nothing has escaped them.

kemareh susim marehu ukhefarashim ken yerutsun

They have the appearance of horses, They gallop just like steeds.

keqol markavot al-rashe heharim yeraqqedun keqol lahav esh okhelah qash ke'am atsum erukh milkhamah

With a clatter as of chariots They bound on the hilltops, With a noise like a blazing fire Consuming straw; Like an enormous horde Arrayed for battle.

mippanayw yakhilu ammim kol-panim qibbetsu farur

Peoples tremble before them, All faces turn ashen.

kegibborim yerutsun ke'anshe milkhamah ya'alu khomah ve'ish bidrakhayw yelekhun velo ye'abbetun orekhotam

They rush like warriors, They scale a wall like fighters. And each keeps to its own track. Their paths never cross;

ve'ish akhiv lo yidkhaqun gever bimsillato yelekhun uve'ad hashelakh yippolu lo yivtsa'u

No one jostles another, Each keeps to its own course. And should they fall through a loophole, They do not get hurt.

ba'ir yashoqqu bakhomah yerutsun babbattim ya'alu be'ad hakhallonim yavo'u kaggannav

They rush up the wall, They dash about in the city; They climb into the houses, They enter like thieves By way of the windows.

lefanayw rogzah erets ra'ashu shamayim shemesh veyareakh qadaru vekhokhavim asefu nogham

Before them earth trembles, Heaven shakes, Sun and moon are darkened, And stars withdraw their brightness.

va-Adonai natan qolo lifne khelo ki rav me'od makhanehu ki atsum oseh devaro ki-gadol yom-Adonai venora me'od umi yekhilennu

And GOD roars aloud At the head of the divine army; For vast indeed is this host, Numberless are those that do God’s bidding. For great is the day of GOD, Most terrible—who can endure it?

vegam-attah ne'um-Adonai shuvu aday bekhol-levavkhem uvetsom uvivkhi uvemisped

“Yet even now”—says GOD— “Turn back to Me with all your hearts, And with fasting, weeping, and lamenting.”

veqiru levavkhem ve'al-bigdekhem veshuvu el-Adonai elohekhem ki-khannun verakhum hu erekh appayim verav-khesed venikham al-hara'ah

Rend your hearts Rather than your garments, And turn back to the ETERNAL your God. For [God] is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in kindness, And renouncing punishment.

mi yodea yashuv venikham vehishir akharayw berakhah minkhah vanesekh la-Adonai elohekhem

Who knows but [God] may turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind For grain offering and drink offering To the ETERNAL your God?

tiqu shofar betsiyyon qaddeshu-tsom qiru atsarah

Blow a horn in Zion, Solemnize a fast, Proclaim an assembly!

isfu-am qaddeshu qahal qivtsu zeqenim isfu olalim veyoneqe shadayim yetse khatan mekhedro vekhallah mekhuppatah

Gather the people, Bid the congregation purify themselves. Bring together the old, Gather the babes And the sucklings at the breast; Let the bridegroom come out of his chamber, The bride from her canopied couch.

ben ha'ulam velammizbeakh yivku hakkohanim mesharete Adonai veyomeru khusah Adonai al-ammekha ve'al-titten nakhalatekha lekherpah limshol-bam goyim lammah yomeru va'ammim ayyeh elohehem

Between the portico and the altar, Let the priests, GOD’s ministers, weep And say: “Oh, spare Your people, ETERNAL One! Let not Your possession become a mockery, To be taunted by nations! Let not the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’”

vayeqanne Adonai le'artso vayyakhmol al-ammo

Then GOD was roused In behalf of this land And had compassion Upon this people.

vayya'an Adonai vayyomer le'ammo hinni sholeakh lakhem et-haddagan vehattirosh vehayyitshar usevatem oto velo-etten etkhem od kherpah baggoyim

In response to this covenanted people GOD declared: “I will grant you the new grain, The new wine, and the new oil, And you shall have them in abundance. Nevermore will I let you be A mockery among the nations.

ve'et-hatsefoni arkhiq me'alekhem vehiddakhtiv el-erets tsiyyah ushemamah et-panayw el-hayyam haqqadmoni vesofo el-hayyam ha'akharon ve'alah vosho veta'al tsakhanato ki higdil la'asot

I will drive the northerner far from you, I will thrust it into a parched and desolate land— Its van to the Eastern Sea And its rear to the Western Sea; And the stench of it shall go up, And the foul smell rise.” For [GOD] shall work great deeds.

al-tire'i adamah gili usemakhi ki-higdil Adonai la'asot

Fear not, O soil, rejoice and be glad; For GOD has wrought great deeds.

al-tire'u bahamot saday ki dashe'u ne'ot midbar ki-ets nasa firyo te'enah vagefen natenu khelam

Fear not, O beasts of the field, For the pastures in the wilderness Are clothed with grass. The trees have borne their fruit; Fig tree and vine Have yielded their strength.

uvene tsiyyon gilu vesimkhu ba-Adonai elohekhem ki-natan lakhem et-hammoreh litsdaqah vayyored lakhem geshem moreh umalqosh barishon

O children of Zion, be glad, Rejoice in the ETERNAL your God. For you have been given the early rain out of kindness, Now the rain is made to fall [as] formerly— The early rain and the late—

umale'u haggoranot bar veheshiqu hayeqavim tirosh veyitshar

And threshing floors shall be piled with grain, And vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

veshillamti lakhem et-hashanim asher akhal ha'arbeh hayyeleq vehekhasil vehaggazam kheli haggadol asher shillakhti bakhem

“I will repay you for the years Consumed by swarms and hoppers, By grubs and locusts, The great army I let loose against you.

va'akhaltem akhol vesavoa vehillaltem et-shem Adonai elohekhem asher-asah immakhem lehafli velo-yevoshu ammi le'olam

And you shall eat your fill And praise the name of the ETERNAL your God Who dealt so wondrously with you— My people shall be shamed no more.

vidatem ki veqerev yisra'el ani va'ani Adonai elohekhem ve'en od velo-yevoshu ammi le'olam

And you shall know That I am in the midst of Israel: That I the ETERNAL One am your God And there is no other. And My people shall be shamed no more.”