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.
Ntutummɛ Dɔm
1Hyɛn totorobɛnto no wɔ Sion;
hyɛn abɛn no wɔ me bepɔ kronkron no so.
Ma wɔn a wɔte asase no so nyinaa ho mpopo,
ɛfiri sɛ Awurade ɛda no reba,
na abɛn koraa.
2Esum ne kusukuukuu ɛda.
Omununkum ne esum kabii ɛda.
Sɛdeɛ adekyeeɛ hann trɛtrɛ wɔ mmepɔ so no,
saa ara na asraadɔm a wɔ dɔɔso na wɔyɛ den ba no teɛ.
Wɔnhunuu wɔn sɛso bi da,
na wɔrenhunu ne sɛso nso da.
3Egya rehye wɔ wɔn anim,
ogyaframa dɛre wɔ wɔn akyi,
asase a ɛda wɔn anim no te sɛ Eden turo,
deɛ ɛda wɔn akyi no te sɛ anweatam,
biribiara nni hɔ a ɛpa wɔn ani so.
4Wɔte sɛ apɔnkɔ.
Wɔhurihuri te sɛ apɔnkɔsotefoɔ asraadɔm.
5Wɔyɛ gyegyeegye te sɛ nteaseɛnam
na wɔtu fa mmepɔ atifi,
wɔte sɛ ogyaframa a ɛrehyeɛ wira dwaneeɛ,
wɔte sɛ asraadɔm akantinka a wɔrekɔ ɔsa.
6Aman ani bɔ wɔn so a, ehu bɔ wɔn;
na wɔn anim to hoa.
7Wɔko kɔ wɔn anim te sɛ akofoɔ;
wɔforo afasuo te sɛ asraafoɔ
na wɔn nyinaa kɔ wɔn anim tee,
na wɔmmane benkum anaa nifa.
8Obiara ntwintwane ɔfoforɔ anan mu;
obiara nante kɔ nʼanim tee.
Wɔbu fa banbɔeɛ so,
na wɔpem kɔ wɔn anim ara.
9Wɔto hyɛ kuropɔn no so
wɔtu mmirika fa afasuo no so
wɔforo kɔ afie mu,
wɔfa mpoma mu te sɛ akorɔmfoɔ.
10Asase woso wɔ wɔn anim,
na ɔsoro hinhim.
Owia ne ɔsrane duru sum,
na nsoromma nnhyerɛn bio.
11Awurade bobom
de di nʼasraadɔm no anim.
Nʼakodɔm no dɔɔso bebree,
ahoɔdenfoɔ ne wɔn a wɔdi nʼahyɛdeɛ so.
Awurade ɛda no yɛ kɛseɛ na ɛyɛ hu;
hwan na ɔbɛtumi agyina ano?
Ahonu
12“Na afei,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie,
“Sane fa wʼakoma nyinaa bra me nkyɛn,
wɔ akɔnkyene, esu ne awerɛhoɔ mu.”
13Sunsuane wʼakoma
na ɛnnyɛ wo ntadeɛ mu.
Sane bra Awurade wo Onyankopɔn nkyɛn,
ɛfiri sɛ, ɔyɛ ɔdomfoɔ, ne yam yɛ.
Ne bo kyɛre fu na ne dɔ boro so,
na ɛnnyɛ no anigye sɛ ɔtwe yɛn aso.
14Hwan na ɔnim? Ebia ɔbɛsesa nʼadwene na wahunu mmɔbɔ
na wagya nhyira,
a ɛyɛ aduane ne hwiesa afɔrebɔdeɛ
a mode ma Awurade mo Onyankopɔn no.
15Hyɛn totorobɛnto wɔ Sion!
Mommɔ akɔnkyene kronkron ho dawuro,
momfrɛ nhyiamu kronkron.
16Mommoaboa nnipa no ano
monte nhyiamu no ho na ɛnyɛ kronkron;
mommoaboa mpanimfoɔ,
mmɔfra ne mmaa a wɔrema nufoɔ ano
Ma ayeforɔ ne ayeforɔkunu mfiri wɔn pia mu mmra.
17Asɔfoɔ a wɔsom wɔ Awurade anim no,
nsu wɔ afɔrebukyia no ne abrannaa no ntam;
na wɔn nka sɛ, “Awurade fa wo nkurɔfoɔ ho kyɛ wɔn.
Mma wʼagyapadeɛ nnyɛ ahohoradeɛ
anaa fɛdideɛ wɔ aman no mu.
Adɛn enti na ɛsɛ sɛ wobisa wɔ nnipa no mu sɛ,
‘Wɔn Onyame no wɔ he?’ ”
Awurade Mmuaeɛ
18Na Awurade bɛtwe ninkunu wɔ nʼasase ho
na ne nkurɔfoɔ ayɛ no mmɔbɔ.
19Awurade bɛbua sɛ,
“Merebrɛ mo aduane, nsã foforɔ ne ngo,
a ɛbɛso mo ama mo amee pintinn.
Merenyɛ mo ahohoradeɛ
mma aman no bio.
20“Mɛpam atifi fam asraadɔm no afiri wo nkyɛn akɔ akyirikyiri,
mɛpia wɔn akɔ asase a awoɔ na ɛyɛ bonini soɔ.
Adonten dɔm no bɛmem wɔ apueeɛ ɛpo no mu,
na kyidɔm no bɛmem wɔ Mfimfini Po no mu.
Na afunu no bɛbɔn
na nka no bɛtu.”
Nokorɛm wayɛ nneɛma akɛseɛ.
21Monnsuro, me nkurɔfoɔ!
Momma mo ani nnye, na monsɛpɛ mo ho.
Nokorɛm Awurade ayɛ nneɛma akɛseɛ.
22Monnsuro, mo wiram mmoa!
Ɛfiri sɛ ɛserɛ so adidibea reyɛ frɔmm.
Nnua no reso wɔn aba;
borɔdɔma ne bobe nso reso wɔn aba.
23Momma mo ani nnye, mo Sion mma,
Mo nni ahurisi wɔ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn mu,
ɛfiri sɛ watɔ nsuo ama mo,
ne nokorɛdie enti.
Watɔ nsuo bebree ama mo
wɔ ne berɛ mu te sɛ kane no.
24Aduane bɛyɛ ayuporobea hɔ ma
nsã foforɔ ne ngo bɛbu so wɔ kyi amena mu.
25“Mɛhyɛ mo anan mu,
deɛ mohwereeɛ
mfeɛ dodoɔ a ntutummɛ bɛsɛee mo nneɛma,
ntutummɛ akɛseɛ ne nkumaa,
ne wɔn a aka no nyinaa,
me dɔm a mesomaa wɔn baa mo so no.
26Wobɛdidi amee,
na wobɛyi Awurade wo Onyankopɔn din ayɛ.
Ɔno na wayɛ anwanwadeɛ ama wo;
me nkurɔfoɔ ani renwu bio.
27Afei, wobɛhunu sɛ, mewɔ Israel,
wobɛhunu sɛ mene Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn,
na obiara nni hɔ sɛ me;
Me nkurɔfoɔ ani renwu bio da.”
Awurade Ɛda
28“Na akyire yi,
mɛhwie me honhom agu nnipa nyinaa so,
mo mmammarima ne mo mmammaa bɛhyɛ nkɔm,
mo nkɔkoraa bɛsoso adaeɛ,
mo mmeranteɛ bɛnya anisoadehunu.
29Saa mmerɛ no mu no,
mɛhwie me Honhom agu
mʼasomfoɔ so, mmarima ne mmaa.
30Mɛyɛ anwanwadeɛ wɔ ɔsoro ne asase so,
mede mogya, ogya ne wisie kumɔnn.
31Ansa na Awurade ɛda kɛseɛ no bɛba no, owia bɛduru sum na ɔsrane nso ayɛ sɛ mogya.
32Na obiara a ɔbɔ Awurade din no,
wɔbɛgye no nkwa.
Ɛfiri sɛ nkwagyeɛ bɛba
ama wɔn a wɔanya wɔn tiri adidi mu
a Awurade afrɛ wɔn
wɔ Sion bepɔ so ne Yerusalem nyinaa,”
sɛdeɛ Awurade aka no.
