Study Desk

"Even now," declares the Lord , "return^(ah) to me with all your heart,^(ai) with fasting and weeping and mourning."

Rend your heart^(aj) and not your garments.^(ak) Return^(al) to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate,^(am) slow to anger and abounding in love,^(an) and he relents from sending calamity.^(ao)

Who knows? He may turn^(ap) and relent^(aq) and leave behind a blessing^(ar)— grain offerings and drink offerings^(as) for the Lord your God.

Blow the trumpet^(at) in Zion,^(au) declare a holy fast,^(av) call a sacred assembly.^(aw)

Gather the people, consecrate^(ax) the assembly; bring together the elders,^(ay) gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom^(az) leave his room and the bride her chamber.

Let the priests, who minister^(ba) before the Lord , weep^(bb) between the portico and the altar.^(bc) Let them say, "Spare your people, Lord . Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,^(bd) a byword^(be) among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?^(bf)'"

Then the Lord was jealous^(bg) for his land and took pity^(bh) on his people.

The Lord replied^[a] to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine^(bi) and olive oil,^(bj) enough to satisfy you fully;^(bk) never again will I make you an object of scorn^(bl) to the nations.

"I will drive the northern horde^(bm) 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^(bn) will go up; its smell will rise." Surely he has done great things!

Do not be afraid,^(bo) land of Judah; be glad and rejoice.^(bp) Surely the Lord has done great things!^(bq)

Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.^(br) The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree^(bs) and the vine^(bt) yield their riches.^(bu)

Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice^(bv) in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful.^(bw) He sends you abundant showers,^(bx) both autumn^(by) and spring rains,^(bz) as before.

The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow^(ca) with new wine^(cb) and oil.

"I will repay you for the years the locusts^(cc) have eaten^(cd)— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm^[b]— my great army^(ce) that I sent among you.

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,^(cf) and you will praise^(cg) the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders^(ch) for you; never again will my people be shamed.^(ci)

Then you will know^(cj) that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord ^(ck) your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.^(cl)

"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit^(cm) on all people.^(cn) Your sons and daughters will prophesy,^(co) your old men will dream dreams,^(cp) your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants,^(cq) both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.^(cr)

I will show wonders in the heavens^(cs) and on the earth,^(ct) blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness^(cu) and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord .^(cv)

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord ^(cw) will be saved;^(cx) for on Mount Zion^(cy) and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,^(cz) as the Lord has said, even among the survivors^(da) whom the Lord calls.^[c](db)