An Army of Locusts
1Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
2a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste—
nothing escapes them.
4They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.
5With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.
7They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.
8They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
9They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.
10Before them the earth shakes,
the heavens tremble,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
11The Lord thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?
Rend Your Heart
12“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
14Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.
15Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
16Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
The Lord’s Answer
18Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
19The Lord replied2:18,19 Or Lord will be jealous… / and take pity… / 19 The Lord will reply to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.
20“I will drive the northern horde far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things!
21Do not be afraid, land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the Lord has done great things!
22Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
23Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.—
my great army that I sent among you.
26You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
27Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.
The Day of the Lord
28“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.
Mmoadabi Dɔm
1Hyɛn torobɛnto no wɔ Sion;
hyɛn abɛn no wɔ me bepɔw kronkron no so.
Ma wɔn a wɔte asase no so nyinaa ho mpopo,
efisɛ Awurade da no reba,
na abɛn koraa.
2Sum ne kusukuukuu da.2.2 Sum…da. Sum yɛ daa daa adiyisɛm a wɔka fa Awurade da no ho. (Amos 5.18; Sef 1.15).
Omununkum ne sum kabii da.
Sɛnea adekyee hann trɛtrɛw wɔ mmepɔw so no,
saa ara na asraafo a wɔdɔɔso na wɔyɛ den ba no te.
Wonhuu wɔn sɛso bi da,
na wɔrenhu ne sɛso nso da.
3Ogya rehyew wɔ wɔn anim,
ogyatannaa dɛw wɔ wɔn akyi,
asase a ɛda wɔn anim no te sɛ Eden turo,
nea ɛda wɔn akyi no te sɛ nweatam,
hwee nguan wɔn.
4Wɔte sɛ apɔnkɔ.
Wohuruhuruw te sɛ apɔnkɔsotefo asraafo.
5Wɔyɛ gyegyeegye te sɛ nteaseɛnam
na wotu fa mmepɔw atifi,
wɔte sɛ ogyatannaa a ɛhyew nwuraguanee
wɔte sɛ asraafo akantinka a wɔrekɔ ɔsa.
6Aman ani bɔ wɔn so a, ehu bɔ wɔn;
na wɔn anim hoa.
7Wɔko kɔ wɔn anim te sɛ akofo;
wɔforo afasu te sɛ asraafo
na wɔn nyinaa kɔ wɔn anim tee,
na wɔmman benkum anaa nifa.
8Wontwintwan wɔn ho wɔn ho anan mu;
obiara nantew kɔ nʼanim tee.
Wobu fa abandennen so,
na wɔpem kɔ wɔn anim ara.
9Wɔtow hyɛ kuropɔn no so
wotu mmirika fa afasu no so
wɔforo kɔ afi mu,
wɔfa mfɛnsere mu te sɛ akorɔmfo.
10Asase wosow wɔ wɔn anim,
na ɔsoro hinhim.
Owia ne ɔsram duru sum,
na nsoromma nhyerɛn bio.
11Awurade bobɔ mu
de di nʼasraafo no anim.
Nʼakofo no dɔɔso bebree,
ahoɔdenfo ne wɔn a wodi nʼahyɛde so.
Awurade da no yɛ kɛse na ɛyɛ hu;
hena na obetumi agyina ano?
Ahonu
12“Na afei,” sɛnea Awurade se ni,
“San fa wo koma nyinaa bra me nkyɛn,
wɔ akɔnkyen, osu ne awerɛhow mu.”
13Sunsuan wo koma
na ɛnyɛ wo ntade mu.
San bra Awurade wo Nyankopɔn nkyɛn,
efisɛ, ɔyɛ ɔdomfo, ne yam ye.
Ne bo kyɛ fuw na ne dɔ boro so,
na ɛnyɛ no anigye sɛ ɔtwe yɛn aso.
14Hena na onim? Ebia ɔbɛsesa nʼadwene na wahu mmɔbɔ
na wagyaw nhyira,
a ɛyɛ aduan ne ahwiesa afɔrebɔde
a mode ma Awurade mo Nyankopɔn no.
15Hyɛn torobɛnto wɔ Sion!
Mommɔ akɔnkyen kronkron ho dawuru,
momfrɛ nhyiamu kronkron.
16Mommoaboa nnipa no ano
montew nhyiamu no ho na ɛnyɛ kronkron;
mommoaboa mpanyimfo,
mmofra ne mmea a wɔrema nufu ano.
Ma ayeforo ne ayeforokunu mfi wɔn pia mu mmra.
17Asɔfo a wɔsom wɔ Awurade anim no,
nsu wɔ afɔremuka no ne abrannaa no ntam;
na wɔnka se, “Awurade fa wo nkurɔfo ho kyɛ wɔn.
Mma wʼagyapade nyɛ ahohorade
anaa fɛwdi wɔ aman no mu.
Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ wubisa wɔ nnipa no mu se,
‘Wɔn Nyame no wɔ he?’ ”
Awurade Mmuae
18Na Awurade bɛtwe ninkunu wɔ nʼasase ho
na ne nkurɔfo ayɛ no mmɔbɔ.
19Awurade bebua se,
“Merebrɛ mo aduan, nsa foforo ne ngo,
a ɛbɛso mo ama moamee pintinn.
Merenyɛ mo ahohorade
mma aman no bio.
20“Mɛpam atifi fam asraafo no afi wo nkyɛn akɔ akyirikyiri,
mepia wɔn akɔ asase a awo na ɛyɛ kesee so.
Nifa dɔm no bɛmem wɔ Nkyene Po no mu,
na kyidɔm no bɛmem wɔ Ntam Po no mu.
Na afunu no bɛbɔn
na ne nka betu.”
Nokware wayɛ nneɛma akɛse!
21Munnsuro, me nkurɔfo!
Momma mo ani nnye, na monsɛpɛw mo ho.
Nokware Awurade ayɛ nneɛma akɛse.
22Munnsuro, mo wuram mmoa!
Efisɛ sare so adidibea reyɛ frɔmfrɔm.
Nnua no resow wɔn aba;
borɔdɔma ne bobe nso resow wɔn aba.
23Momma mo ani nnye, mo Sion mma,
Munni ahurusi wɔ Awurade mo Nyankopɔn mu,
efisɛ watɔ asusowsu ama mo,
ne nokwaredi nti.
Watɔ osu bebree ama mo
wɔ ne bere mu te sɛ kan no.
24Aduan bɛyɛ awiporowbea hɔ ma,
nsa foforo ne ngo bebu so wɔ kyi amoa mu.
25“Mɛhyɛ mo anan mu,
nea mohweree
mfe dodow a mmoadabi bɛsɛee mo nneɛma,
mmoadabi akɛse ne nkumaa,
ne wɔn a aka no nyinaa,
me dɔm a mesomaa wɔn baa mo so no.
26Mubedidi amee,
na mubeyi Awurade mo Nyankopɔn din ayɛ.
Ɔno na wayɛ anwonwade ama mo;
me nkurɔfo ani renwu bio.
27Afei, mubehu sɛ, mewɔ Israel,
mubehu sɛ mene Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn,
na obiara nni hɔ sɛ me;
Me nkurɔfo ani renwu bio da.”
Awurade Da
28“Na akyiri no,
mehwie me honhom agu nnipa nyinaa so,
mo mmabarima ne mo mmabea bɛhyɛ nkɔm,
mo nkwakoraa bɛsoso adae,
mo mmerante benya anisoadehu.
29Saa mmere no mu no,
mehwie me Honhom agu
mʼasomfo so, mmarima ne mmea.
30Mɛyɛ anwonwade wɔ ɔsoro ne asase so,
mede mogya, ogya ne wusiw kumɔnn.
31Ansa na Awurade da kɛse no bɛba no, owia beduru sum na ɔsram nso ayɛ sɛ mogya.
32Na obiara a ɔbɔ Awurade din no,
wobegye no nkwa.
Efisɛ nkwagye bɛba
ama wɔn a wɔanya wɔn ti adidi mu
a Awurade afrɛ wɔn
wɔ Sion bepɔw so ne Yerusalem nyinaa,”
sɛnea Awurade aka no.
