¹ Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is at hand;

² a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and gross darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains; -- a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after them, to the years of generations and generations.

³ A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth; the land is as a garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness: yea, and nothing escapeth them.

⁴ The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so they run.

⁵ Like the noise of chariots, on the tops of the mountains, they leap; like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

⁶ Before them the peoples are in anguish: all faces turn pale.

⁷ They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and break not their ranks.

⁸ Neither doth one press upon another; they march every one in his path; and fall amid weapons, but are not wounded.

⁹ They spread themselves over the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in by the windows like a thief.

¹⁰ The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

¹¹ And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for strong is he that executeth his word: for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can bear it?

¹² Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning;

¹³ and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

¹⁴ Who knoweth? He might return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, an oblation and a drink-offering for Jehovah your God?

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion, hallow a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly;

¹⁶ gather the people, hallow the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride from her closet.

¹⁷ Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare, O Jehovah, thy people, and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that they should be a byword of the nations. Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

¹⁸ Then Jehovah will be jealous for his land, and will have pity on his people.

¹⁹ And Jehovah will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I send you corn, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

²⁰ And I will remove far off from you him [that cometh] from the north, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the hinder sea; and his stench shall come up, and his ill odour shall come up, for he hath exalted himself to do great things.

²¹ -- Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for Jehovah doeth great things.

²² Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring; for the tree beareth its fruit; the fig-tree and the vine yield full increase.

²³ And ye, children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the early rain in due measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the early rain, and the latter rain at the beginning [of the season].

²⁴ And the floors shall be full of corn, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

²⁵ And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you.

²⁶ And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of Jehovah your God, who hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

²⁷ And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, Jehovah, [am] your God, and there is none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

²⁸ And it shall come to pass afterwards [that] I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

²⁹ Yea, even upon the bondmen and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.

³⁰ And I will shew wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

³¹ The sun shall be changed to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.

³² And it shall be that whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be saved: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Jehovah hath said, and for the residue whom Jehovah shall call.

¹ Balaam said to Balak, "Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams."

² Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bull and a ram.

³ Balaam said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go: perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you." He went to a bare height.

⁴ God met Balaam: and he said to him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar."

⁵ Yahweh put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, "Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak."

⁶ He returned to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab.

⁷ He took up his parable, and said, "From Aram has Balak brought me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East. Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, defy Israel.

⁸ How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy whom Yahweh has not defied?

⁹ For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Behold, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous! Let my last end be like his!"

¹¹ Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them altogether."

¹² He answered and said, "Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh puts in my mouth?"

¹³ Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place, where you may see them; you shall see but the utmost part of them, and shall not see them all: and curse me them from there."

¹⁴ He took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

¹⁵ He said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet [Yahweh] yonder."

¹⁶ Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, "Return to Balak, and say this."

¹⁷ He came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, "What has Yahweh spoken?"

¹⁸ He took up his parable, and said, "Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, you son of Zippor.

¹⁹ God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?

²⁰ Behold, I have received a command to bless. He has blessed, and I can't reverse it.

²¹ He has not seen iniquity in Jacob. Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel. Yahweh his God is with him. The shout of a king is among them.

²² God brings them out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.

²³ Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; Neither is there any divination with Israel. Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God done!

²⁴ Behold, the people rises up as a lioness, As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain."

²⁵ Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all."

²⁶ But Balaam answered Balak, "Didn't I tell you, saying, 'All that Yahweh speaks, that I must do?'"

²⁷ Balak said to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse me them from there."

²⁸ Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks down on the desert.

²⁹ Balaam said to Balak, "Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams."

³⁰ Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.