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Joel 2:12-20
New King James Version
Joel 2:12-20
New King James Version
A Call to Repentance
12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
(A)“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So (B)rend your heart, and not (C)your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is (D)gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
14 (E)Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave (F)a blessing behind Him—
(G)A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?
15 (H)Blow the [a]trumpet in Zion,
(I)Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people,
(J)Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
(K)Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep (L)between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, (M)“Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should [b]rule over them.
(N)Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
The Land Refreshed(O)
18 Then the Lord will (P)be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I will send you (Q)grain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them;
I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But (R)I will remove far from you (S)the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back (T)toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done [c]monstrous things.”
Joel 2:12-20
New International Version
Joel 2:12-20
New International Version
Rend Your Heart
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return(A) to me with all your heart,(B)
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart(C)
and not your garments.(D)
Return(E) to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,(F)
slow to anger and abounding in love,(G)
and he relents from sending calamity.(H)
14 Who knows? He may turn(I) and relent(J)
and leave behind a blessing(K)—
grain offerings and drink offerings(L)
for the Lord your God.
15 Blow the trumpet(M) in Zion,(N)
declare a holy fast,(O)
call a sacred assembly.(P)
16 Gather the people,
consecrate(Q) the assembly;
bring together the elders,(R)
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom(S) leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister(T) before the Lord,
weep(U) between the portico and the altar.(V)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,(W)
a byword(X) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?(Y)’”
The Lord’s Answer
19 The Lord replied[a] to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine(AB) and olive oil,(AC)
enough to satisfy you fully;(AD)
never again will I make you
an object of scorn(AE) to the nations.
20 “I will drive the northern horde(AF) 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(AG) will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things!
Footnotes
- Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / 19 The Lord will reply
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. 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.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.