Study Desk

A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.

The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?

So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him-- A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God?

Acts 2:17">[xr] Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.

Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things!

Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

Be glad then, you children of Zion,And rejoice in the Lord your God;For He has given you the former rain faithfully, [fn] And He will cause the rain to come down for you--The former rain,And the latter rain in the first month.

And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

"For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,

They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

I will sell your sons and your daughtersInto the hand of the people of Judah,And they will sell them to the Sabeans, Isaiah 60:6 and Ezekiel 27:22) ">[fn] To a people far off;For the Lord has spoken."

Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up.

"Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow-- For their wickedness is great."

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.

"Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land.

For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the LORD dwells in Zion."

Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.