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10 The earth quakes[a] before them;[b]
the sky reverberates.[c]
The sun and the moon grow dark;
the stars refuse to shine.[d]
11 The voice of the Lord thunders[e] as he leads his army.[f]
Indeed, his warriors[g] are innumerable;[h]
Surely his command is carried out![i]
Yes, the day of the Lord is awesome[j]
and very terrifying—who can survive[k] it?

An Appeal for Repentance

12 “Yet even now,” the Lord says,
“return to me with all your heart—
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:10 sn Witnesses of locust invasions have described the visual effect of large numbers of these creatures crawling over one another on the ground. At such times the ground is said to appear to be in motion, creating a dizzying effect on some observers. The reference in v. 10 to the darkening of the sun and moon probably has to do with the obscuring of visibility due to large numbers of locusts swarming in the sky.
  2. Joel 2:10 tn Heb “before it.”
  3. Joel 2:10 tn Heb “trembles.”
  4. Joel 2:10 tn Heb “gather their brightness.”
  5. Joel 2:11 tn Heb “the Lord gives his voice.”
  6. Joel 2:11 tn Heb “before his army.”
  7. Joel 2:11 tn Heb “military encampment.”
  8. Joel 2:11 tn Heb “very large.”
  9. Joel 2:11 tn Heb “he makes his word powerful.”
  10. Joel 2:11 tn Or “powerful.” Heb “great.”
  11. Joel 2:11 tn Heb “endure.” The MT and LXX read, “endure,” while one of the Qumran manuscripts (4QXXIIc) has, “bear.”