¹ Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, And shout ye in My holy hill, Tremble do all inhabitants of the earth, For coming is the day of Jehovah, for [it is] near!

² A day of darkness and thick darkness, A day of cloud and thick darkness, As darkness spread on the mountains, A people numerous and mighty, Like it there hath not been from of old, And after it there is not again -- till the years of generation and generation.

³ Before it consumed hath fire, And after it burn doth a flame, As the garden of Eden [is] the land Before it, And after it a wilderness -- a desolation! And also an escape there hath not been to it,

⁴ As the appearance of horses [is] its appearance, And as horsemen, so they run.

⁵ As the noise of chariots, on the tops of the mountains they skip, As the noise of a flame of fire devouring stubble, As a mighty people set in array for battle.

⁶ From its face pained are peoples, All faces have gathered paleness.

⁷ As mighty ones they run, As men of war they go up a wall, And each in his own ways they do go, And they embarrass not their paths.

⁸ And each his brother they press not, Each in his way they go on, If by the missile they fall, they are not cut off.

⁹ In the city they run to and fro, On the wall they run, Into houses they go up by the windows, They go in as a thief.

¹⁰ At their face trembled hath the earth, Shaken have the heavens, Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up their shining.

¹¹ And Jehovah hath given forth His voice before His force, For very great [is] His camp, For mighty [is] the doer of His word, For great [is] the day of Jehovah -- very fearful, And who doth bear it?

¹² And also now -- an affirmation of Jehovah, Turn ye back unto Me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, And with lamentation.

¹³ And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn back unto Jehovah your God, For gracious and merciful [is] He, Slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, And He hath repented concerning the evil.

¹⁴ Who knoweth -- He doth turn back, Yea -- He hath repented, And He hath left behind Him a blessing, A present and libation of Jehovah your God?

¹⁵ Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, Sanctify a fast -- proclaim a restraint.

¹⁶ Gather the people, sanctify an assembly, Assemble the aged, Gather infants and sucklings of the breasts, Go out let a bridegroom from his inner chamber, And a bride out of her closet.

¹⁷ Between the porch and the altar weep let the priests, ministrants of Jehovah, And let them say: `Have pity, O Jehovah, on Thy people, And give not Thy inheritance to reproach, To the ruling over them of nations, Why do they say among peoples, Where [is] their God?'

¹⁸ And let Jehovah be zealous for His land, And have pity on His people.

¹⁹ Let Jehovah answer and say to His people, `Lo, I am sending to you the corn, And the new wine, and the oil, And ye have been satisfied with it, And I make you no more a reproach among nations,

²⁰ And the northern I put far off from you, And have driven him unto a land dry and desolate, With his face unto the eastern sea, And his rear unto the western sea, And come up hath his stink, And come up doth his stench, For he hath exerted himself to work.

²¹ Do not fear, O land! joy and rejoice, For Jehovah hath exerted Himself to work.

²² Do not fear, O cattle of the field! For sprung forth have pastures of a wilderness, For the tree hath borne its fruit, Fig-tree and vine have given their strength!

²³ And ye sons of Zion, joy and rejoice, In Jehovah your God, For He hath given to you the Teacher for righteousness, And causeth to come down to you a shower, Sprinkling and gathered -- in the beginning.

²⁴ And full have been the floors [with] pure corn, And overflown have the presses [with] new wine and oil.

²⁵ And I have recompensed to you the years That consume did the locust, the cankerworm, And the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, My great force that I did send against you.

²⁶ And ye have eaten, eating and being satisfied, And have praised the name of Jehovah your God, Who hath dealt with you wonderfully, And not ashamed are My people to the age.

²⁷ And ye have known that in the midst of Israel [am] I, And I [am] Jehovah your God, and there is none else, And not ashamed are My people to the age.

²⁸ And it hath come to pass afterwards, I do pour out My Spirit on all flesh, And prophesied have your sons and your daughters, Your old men do dream dreams, Your young men do see visions.

²⁹ And also on the men-servants, and on the maid-servants, In those days I do pour out My Spirit.

³⁰ And I have given wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, Blood and fire, and columns of smoke.

³¹ The sun is turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, Before the coming of the day of Jehovah, The great and the fearful.

³² And it hath come to pass, Every one who calleth in the name of Jehovah is delivered, For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there is an escape, As Jehovah hath said, And among the remnants whom Jehovah is calling!

¹ "Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth Haccherem; for evil looks forth from the north, and a great destruction.

² The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off.

³ Shepherds with their flocks shall come to her; they shall pitch their tents against her all around; they shall feed everyone in his place."

⁴ "Prepare war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us! For the day declines, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

⁵ Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us destroy her palaces."

⁶ For Yahweh of Armies said, "Cut down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

⁷ As a well casts forth its waters, so she casts forth her wickedness: violence and destruction is heard in her; before me continually is sickness and wounds.

⁸ Be instructed, Jerusalem, lest my soul be alienated from you; lest I make you a desolation, a land not inhabited."

⁹ Thus says Yahweh of Armies, "They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel like a vine. Turn again your hand as a grape gatherer into the baskets."

¹⁰ To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they can't listen. Behold, the word of Yahweh has become a reproach to them. They have no delight in it.

¹¹ Therefore I am full of the wrath of Yahweh. I am weary with holding in. "Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him who is full of days.

¹² Their houses shall be turned to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out my hand on the inhabitants of the land, says Yahweh."

¹³ "For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.

¹⁴ They have healed also the hurt of my people superficially, saying, 'Peace, Peace!' when there is no Peace.

¹⁵ Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I visit them, they shall be cast down," says Yahweh.

¹⁶ Thus says Yahweh, "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, 'Where is the good way?' and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

¹⁷ I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen!'

¹⁸ Therefore hear, you nations, and know, congregation, what is among them.

¹⁹ Hear, earth! Behold, I will bring evil on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not listened to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.

²⁰ To what purpose comes there to me frankincense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me."

²¹ Therefore thus says Yahweh, "Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people. The fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them. The neighbor and his friend shall perish."

²² Thus says Yahweh, "Behold, a people comes from the north country. A great nation shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.

²³ They take hold of bow and spear. They are cruel, and have no mercy. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, everyone set in array, as a man to the battle, against you, daughter of Zion."

²⁴ We have heard its report; our hands wax feeble: anguish has taken hold of us, [and] pangs as of a woman in travail.

²⁵ Don't go forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy, [and] terror, are on every side.

²⁶ Daughter of my people, clothe yourself with sackcloth, and wallow in ashes! Mourn, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come on us.

²⁷ "I have made you a tester of metals [and] a fortress among my people; that you may know and try their way.

²⁸ They are all grievous rebels, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron: they all of them deal corruptly.

²⁹ The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed of the fire: in vain do they go on refining; for the wicked are not plucked away.

³⁰ Men will call them rejected silver, because Yahweh has rejected them."