Joel 2
1Blow ye the shofar in Tziyon, 1 and sound an alarm on My Har Kodesh; 1 let all the yoshvei ha'aretz tremble; 1 for the Yom Hashem cometh, 1 for it is near at hand; 1
2A day of choshech and of gloominess, 1 a day of anan (cloud) and of thick darkness, 1 as the shachar (dawn) spread upon the mountains; 1 an am rav (great people, army) and strong; 1 there hath not been ever the like, 1 neither shall be any more after it, 1 even to the years of dor v'dor. 1
3An eish devoureth before them; 1 and behind them a flame burneth; 1 ha'aretz is as the Gan Eden before them, 1 and behind them a desolate midbar; 1 yea, and nothing shall escape them. 1
4The appearance of them is as the appearance of susim; 1 and as horsemen, so shall they run. 1
5Like the noise of merkavot (chariots) 1 on the tops of mountains shall they leap, 1 like the noise of a flame of eish that devoureth the stubble, 1 as a strong people drawn up in milchamah (battle). 1
6Before their face, the amim (nations) shall be in anguish; 1 every face turns pale. 1
7They shall run like gibborim; 1 they shall climb the chomah (wall) like anshei milchamah; 1 and they shall march every one in formation, 1 and they shall not swerve from their course; 1
8Neither shall one push another; 1 they shall walk every one in his own column; 1 and when they burst through defenses, 1 they shall not break ranks. 1
9They shall run to and fro in the ir (city); 1 they shall run upon the chomah, 1 they shall climb up into the batim (houses); 1 they shall enter in at the windows like the ganav. 1
10The eretz shall quake before them; 1 the Shomayim shall tremble; 1 the shemesh and the yarei'ach shall be dark, 1 and the kokhavim shall withdraw their shining; 1
11And Hashem shall utter His voice before His army; 1 His machaneh (camp) is very great; 1 for the executor of His devar (word, command) is strong; 1 for the Yom Hashem is gadol and very terrible; 1 and who can endure it? 1
12Therefore also now, saith Hashem, 1 turn ye back to Me with all your lev, 1 and with tzom, and with weeping, and with mourning; 1
13And rend your lev, and not your garments, 1 and turn unto Hashem Eloheichem; 1 for He is channun (gracious) and rachum (merciful), 1 slow to anger, and of rav chesed, 1 and He relents from sending calamity. 1
14Who knoweth but that He will return and have pity, 1 and leave behind Him a brocha; 1 even a minchah and a nesekh 1 unto Hashem Eloheichem? 1
15Blow the shofar in Tziyon, 1 sanctify a tzom, call an atzarah (solemn assembly); 1
16Gather the people, 1 set apart as kodesh the kahal (congregation), 1 assemble the zekenim, 1 gather the olalim, 1 even those nursing at the breast; 1 let the choson go forth of his cheder, 1 and the kallah out of her chuppah (canopy). 1
17Let the kohanim, the mesharetim of Hashem, weep 1 between the Ulam and the Mizbe'ach, 1 and let them say: 1 Spare Thy people, Hashem, 1 and make not Thine nachalah (inheritance) an object of scorn, 1 a byword among the Goyim. 1 Why should they say among the peoples: 1 Where is their G-d? 1
18Then will Hashem be jealous for His land, 1 and take pity on His people. 1
19Yea, Hashem will answer and say unto His people: 1 Hineni, I am sending you dagan, and tirosh, and yitzhar, 1 and ye shall be satisfied therewith; 1 and I will no more make you an object of scorn among the Goyim; 1
20But I will remove far off from you the northern [army], + 2:20 i.e., army of locusts 1 and will drive him into an eretz barren and desolate, 1 with his vanguard toward the eastern sea, + 2:20 i.e., Dead Sea 1 and his rearguard toward the western sea, + 2:20 i.e., Mediterranean Sea 1 and his stench and foul smell will go up. 1 Surely it hath done great things. 1
21Fear not, O land; 1 be glad and rejoice; 1 for Hashem hath done great things. 1
22Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; 1 for the pastures of the midbar do spring up, 1 for the etz beareth her fruit, 1 the te'enah and the gefen do yield their strength. 1
23Be glad then, ye bnei Tziyon, 1 and rejoice in Hashem Eloheichem; 1 for He hath given you the former rain according to (His) tzedakah, 1 and He will cause to come down for you the rain, 1 the yoreh (former rain), and the malkosh (latter rain) as before. 1
24And the threshing floors shall be full of wheat, 1 and the vats shall overflow with yayin and yitzhar. 1
25And I will restore to you the shanim (years) 1 that the arbeh (great locust) hath eaten, 1 the crawling locust, and the other locust, and the locust swarm, 1 My great army which I sent among you. 1
26And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, 1 and praise the Shem of Hashem Eloheichem, 1 that hath dealt wondrously with you; 1 and My people shall never be ashamed. 1
27And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Yisroel, 1 and that I am Hashem Eloheichem, and there is no other; 1 and My people shall never be put to shame.