Joel 1-3
Christian Standard Bible
1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Joel son of Pethuel:
A Plague of Locusts
2 Hear this,(B) you elders;
listen, all you inhabitants of the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days(C)
or in the days of your ancestors?
3 Tell your children about it,(D)
and let your children tell their children,
and their children the next generation.
4 What the devouring locust(E) has left,
the swarming locust has eaten;
what the swarming locust has left,
the young locust(F) has eaten;
and what the young locust has left,
the destroying locust(G) has eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards,(H) and weep;
wail, all you wine drinkers,
because of the sweet wine,
for it has been taken from your mouth.
6 For a nation has invaded my land,(I)
powerful and without number;
its teeth are the teeth of a lion,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.(J)
7 It has devastated my grapevine
and splintered my fig tree.
It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away;
its branches have turned white.
8 Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth,(K)
mourning for the husband of her youth.
9 Grain and drink offerings have been cut off(L)
from the house of the Lord;
the priests, who are ministers of the Lord, mourn.(M)
10 The fields are destroyed;(N)
the land grieves;
indeed, the grain is destroyed;
the new wine is dried up;(O)
and the fresh oil fails.(P)
11 Be ashamed, you farmers,(Q)
wail, you vinedressers,[a]
over the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.(R)
12 The grapevine is dried up,(S)
and the fig tree is withered;
the pomegranate,(T) the date palm,(U) and the apple(V)—
all the trees of the orchard—have withered.
Indeed, human joy has dried up.(W)
13 Dress in sackcloth and lament,(X) you priests;(Y)
wail,(Z) you ministers of the altar.
Come and spend the night in sackcloth,(AA)
you ministers of my God,
because grain and drink offerings
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Announce a sacred fast;(AB)
proclaim a solemn assembly!
Gather the elders(AC)
and all the residents of the land
at the house of the Lord your God,(AD)
and cry out to the Lord.(AE)
The Day of the Lord
15 Woe because of that day!(AF)
For the day of the Lord is near
and will come as devastation from the Almighty.(AG)
16 Hasn’t the food been cut off
before our eyes,(AH)
joy and gladness(AI)
from the house of our God?
17 The seeds lie shriveled in their casings.[b](AJ)
The storehouses are in ruin,
and the granaries are broken down,
because the grain has withered away.
18 How the animals groan!(AK)
The herds of cattle wander in confusion
since they have no pasture.
Even the flocks of sheep and goats suffer punishment.
19 I call to you, Lord,(AL)
for fire has consumed
the pastures of the wilderness,(AM)
and flames have devoured
all the trees of the orchard.
20 Even the wild animals cry out to[c] you,(AN)
for the river beds are dried up,(AO)
and fire has consumed
the pastures of the wilderness.
2 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion;(AP)
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the residents of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming;(AQ)
in fact, it is near—
2 a day of darkness and gloom,(AR)
a day of clouds and total darkness,(AS)
like the dawn spreading over the mountains;
a great and strong people(AT) appears,
such as never existed in ages past(AU)
and never will again
in all the generations to come.(AV)
3 A fire devours in front of them,(AW)
and behind them a flame blazes.
The land in front of them
is like the garden of Eden,(AX)
but behind them,
it is like a desert wasteland;(AY)
there is no escape from them.
4 Their appearance is like that of horses,(AZ)
and they gallop like war horses.
5 They bound on the tops of the mountains.
Their sound is like the sound of chariots,(BA)
like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble,(BB)
like a mighty army deployed for war.
6 Nations writhe in horror before them;(BC)
all faces turn pale.
7 They attack as warriors attack;
they scale walls as men of war do.
Each goes on his own path,(BD)
and they do not change their course.
8 They do not push each other;
each proceeds on his own path.
They dodge the arrows, never stopping.
9 They storm the city;
they run on the wall;
they climb into the houses;(BE)
they enter through the windows like thieves.(BF)
10 The earth quakes before them;(BG)
the sky shakes.
The sun and moon grow dark,(BH)
and the stars cease their shining.(BI)
11 The Lord makes his voice heard(BJ)
in the presence of his army.(BK)
His camp is very large;
those who carry out his command are powerful.(BL)
Indeed, the day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful(BM)—
who can endure it?(BN)
God’s Call for Repentance
12 Even now—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
turn to me with all your heart,(BO)
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.(BP)
13 Tear your hearts,(BQ)
not just your clothes,(BR)
and return to the Lord your God.
For he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in faithful love,
and he relents from sending disaster.(BS)
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent(BT)
and leave a blessing behind him,(BU)
so you can offer a grain offering and a drink offering
to the Lord your God.(BV)
15 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion!(BW)
Announce a sacred fast;(BX)
proclaim a solemn assembly.
16 Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;(BY)
assemble the aged;[d](BZ)
gather the infants,
even babies nursing at the breast.
Let the groom leave his bedroom,(CA)
and the bride her honeymoon chamber.
17 Let the priests,(CB) the Lord’s ministers,
weep between the portico and the altar.(CC)
Let them say,
“Have pity on your people, Lord,(CD)
and do not make your inheritance a disgrace,(CE)
an object of scorn among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’” (CF)
God’s Response to His People
18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land(CG) and spared his people.(CH) 19 The Lord answered his people:
Look, I am about to send you
grain, new wine, and fresh oil.(CI)
You will be satiated with them,
and I will no longer make you
a disgrace among the nations.(CJ)
20 I will drive the northerner far from you(CK)
and banish him to a dry and desolate land,
his front ranks into the Dead Sea,(CL)
and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea.(CM)
His stench will rise;
yes, his rotten smell will rise,(CN)
for he has done astonishing things.
21 Don’t be afraid, land;(CO)
rejoice and be glad,
for the Lord has done astonishing things.(CP)
22 Don’t be afraid, wild animals,
for the wilderness pastures have turned green,(CQ)
the trees bear their fruit,
and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.
23 Children of Zion,(CR) rejoice and be glad
in the Lord your God,(CS)
because he gives you the autumn rain[e]
for your vindication.[f](CT)
He sends showers for you,
both autumn and spring rain(CU) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,(CV)
and the vats will overflow
with new wine and fresh oil.
25 I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust ate,(CW)
the young locust, the destroying locust,
and the devouring locust—
my great army that I sent against you.
26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.(CX)
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,(CY)
who has dealt wondrously with you.(CZ)
My people will never again be put to shame.(DA)
27 You will know that I am present in Israel(DB)
and that I am the Lord your God,
and there is no other.(DC)
My people will never again be put to shame.(DD)
God’s Promise of His Spirit
28 After this(DE)
I will pour out my Spirit(DF) on all humanity;(DG)
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your old men will have dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 I will even pour out my Spirit
on the male and female slaves in those days.(DH)
30 I will display wonders
in the heavens and on the earth:(DI)
blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood(DJ)
before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.(DK)
32 Then everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved,(DL)
for there will be an escape
for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
as the Lord promised,(DM)
among the survivors the Lord calls.
Judgment of the Nations
3 Yes, in those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,(DN)
2 I will gather all the nations(DO)
and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[g](DP)
I will enter into judgment with them there(DQ)
because of my people, my inheritance Israel.
The nations have scattered the Israelites
in foreign countries(DR)
and divided up my land.(DS)
3 They cast lots for my people;(DT)
they bartered a boy for a prostitute
and sold a girl for wine to drink.(DU)
4 And also: Tyre,(DV) Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia(DW)—what are you to me? Are you paying me back or trying to get even with me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads.(DX) 5 For you took my silver and gold and carried my finest treasures(DY) to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks(DZ) to remove them far from their own territory. 7 Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them;(EA) I will bring retribution on your heads. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah,(EB) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,[h](EC) to a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken.
9 Proclaim this among the nations:(ED)
Prepare for holy war;(EE)
rouse the warriors;(EF)
let all the men of war advance and attack!
10 Beat your plows into swords
and your pruning knives into spears.(EG)
Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”
11 Come quickly,[i] all you surrounding nations;
gather yourselves.(EH)
Bring down your warriors there, Lord.(EI)
12 Let the nations be roused
and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit down
to judge all the surrounding nations.(EJ)
13 Swing the sickle
because the harvest is ripe.(EK)
Come and trample the grapes
because the winepress is full;(EL)
the wine vats overflow
because the wickedness of the nations is extreme.(EM)
14 Multitudes, multitudes(EN)
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near(EO)
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will cease their shining.(EP)
16 The Lord will roar from Zion(EQ)
and make his voice heard from Jerusalem;(ER)
heaven and earth will shake.(ES)
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,(ET)
a stronghold for the Israelites.(EU)
Israel Blessed
17 Then you will know
that I am the Lord your God,(EV)
who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.(EW)
Jerusalem will be holy,(EX)
and foreigners will never overrun it again.(EY)
18 In that day
the mountains will drip with sweet wine,(EZ)
and the hills will flow with milk.(FA)
All the streams of Judah will flow with water,(FB)
and a spring will issue from the Lord’s house,(FC)
watering the Valley of Acacias.[j](FD)
19 Egypt will become desolate,
and Edom a desert wasteland,
because of the violence done to the people of Judah(FE)
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,(FF)
and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 I will pardon their bloodguilt,[k](FG)
which I have not pardoned,
for the Lord dwells in Zion.
Footnotes
- 1:11 Or The farmers are dismayed, the vinedressers wail
- 1:17 Or clods; Hb obscure
- 1:20 Or animals pant for; Hb obscure
- 2:16 Or elders
- 2:23 Or the teacher of righteousness
- 2:23 Or righteousness
- 3:2 = The Lord Will Judge
- 3:8 Probably the south Arabian kingdom of Sheba (modern Yemen)
- 3:11 LXX, Syr, Tg read Gather yourselves and come; Hb obscure
- 3:18 Or Shittim
- 3:21 LXX, Syr read I will avenge their blood
Matthew 10
Christian Standard Bible
Commissioning the Twelve
10 Summoning his twelve disciples,(A) he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every[a] disease and sickness.[b](B) 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:(C) First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;[c] 4 Simon the Zealot,[d] and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.(D)
5 Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan(E) town. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep(F) of the house of Israel.(G) 7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’(H) 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy,[e] drive out demons.(I) Freely you received, freely give. 9 Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts.(J) 10 Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker(K) is worthy of his food. 11 When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 Greet a household when you enter it,(L) 13 and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.(M) 14 If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet(N) when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment(O) for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.(P)
Persecutions Predicted
16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.(Q) 17 Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts[f] and flog you in their synagogues.(R) 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.(S) 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak.(T) For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit(U) of your Father is speaking through you.(V)
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.(W) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name.(X) But the one who endures to the end will be saved.(Y) 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.(Z) For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple[g] is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.(AA) 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!(AB)
Fear God
26 “Therefore,(AC) don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.(AD) 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper,[h] proclaim on the housetops.(AE) 28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; (AF) rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.(AG) 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?[i] Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s(AH) consent.[j] 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.(AI) 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.(AJ)
Acknowledging Christ
32 “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.(AK) 33 But whoever denies me before others,(AL) I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. 34 Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.(AM) 35 For I came to turn
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be
the members of his household.[k](AN)
37 The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; (AO) the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Anyone who finds his life will lose it,(AP) and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.(AQ)
A Cup of Cold Water
40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes me,(AR) and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.(AS) 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet(AT) because he is a prophet[l] will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous[m] will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives(AU) even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple,[n](AV) truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
Footnotes
- 10:1 Or every kind of
- 10:1 Or physical ailment
- 10:3 Other mss read and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus
- 10:4 Lit the Cananaean
- 10:8 Gk lepros; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14
- 10:17 Or sanhedrins
- 10:24 Or student
- 10:27 Lit in the ear
- 10:29 Gk assarion, a small copper coin
- 10:29 Lit ground apart from your Father
- 10:35–36 Mc 7:6
- 10:41 Lit prophet in the name of a prophet
- 10:41 Lit person in the name of a righteous person
- 10:42 Lit little ones in the name of a disciple
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