The class="small-caps" >Lord utters His voice before His army; His camp is indeed very great, For mighty is one who carries out His word. The day of the class="small-caps" >Lord is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?

“Yet even now,” declares the class="small-caps" >Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning;

And tear your heart and not merely your garments.” Now return to the class="small-caps" >Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in mercy And relenting of catastrophe.

Who knows, He might turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him, Resulting in a grain offering and a drink offering For the class="small-caps" >Lord your God.

Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Have the groom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber.

Let the priests, the class="small-caps" >Lord’class="small-caps" >s ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, “Spare Your people, class="small-caps" >Lord, And do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, With the nations jeering at them. Why should those among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’”

Deliverance Promised

Then the class="small-caps" >Lord will be zealous for His land, And will have compassion for His people.

The class="small-caps" >Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine, and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a disgrace among the nations.

But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land, Its advance guard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up, Because it has done great things.”

So shout for joy, you sons of Zion, And rejoice in the class="small-caps" >Lord your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has brought down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before.

The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.

“Then I will compensate you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust— My great army which I sent among you.

You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied, And you will praise the name of the class="small-caps" >Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame.

So you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I am the class="small-caps" >Lord your God And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame.

The Promise of the Spirit

“It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, Your old men will have dreams, Your young men will see visions.

And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

The Day of the class="small-caps" >Lord

I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the class="small-caps" >Lord comes.

And it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of the class="small-caps" >Lord Will be saved; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, Just as the class="small-caps" >Lord has said, Even among the survivors whom the class="small-caps" >Lord calls.

The Nations Will Be Judged

“For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.

They have also cast lots for My people, Traded a boy for a prostitute, And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink.

Moreover, what are you to Me, Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you repaying Me with retribution? But if you are showing Me retribution, swiftly and speedily I will return your retribution on your head!

Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples,