2
1 Blow ye the shofar in Tziyon,
and sound an alarm on My Har Kodesh;
let all the yoshvei ha'aretz tremble;
for the Yom Hashem cometh,
for it is near at hand;
2 A day of choshech and of gloominess,
a day of anan (cloud) and of thick darkness,
as the shachar (dawn) spread upon the mountains;
an am rav (great people, army) and strong;
there hath not been ever the like,
neither shall be any more after it,
even to the years of dor v'dor.
3 An eish devoureth before them;
and behind them a flame burneth;
ha'aretz is as the Gan Eden before them,
and behind them a desolate midbar;
yea, and nothing shall escape them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of susim;
and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the noise of merkavot (chariots)
on the tops of mountains shall they leap,
like the noise of a flame of eish that devoureth the stubble,
as a strong people drawn up in milchamah (battle).
6 Before their face, the amim (nations) shall be in anguish;
every face turns pale.
7 They shall run like gibborim;
they shall climb the chomah (wall) like anshei milchamah;
and they shall march every one in formation,
and they shall not swerve from their course;
8 Neither shall one push another;
they shall walk every one in his own column;
and when they burst through defenses,
they shall not break ranks.
9 They shall run to and fro in the ir (city);
they shall run upon the chomah,
they shall climb up into the batim (houses);
they shall enter in at the windows like the ganav.
10 The eretz shall quake before them;
the Shomayim shall tremble;
the shemesh and the yarei'ach shall be dark,
and the kokhavim shall withdraw their shining;
11 And Hashem shall utter His voice before His army;
His machaneh (camp) is very great;
for the executor of His devar (word, command) is strong;
for the Yom Hashem is gadol and very terrible;
and who can endure it?
12 Therefore also now, saith Hashem,
turn ye back to Me with all your lev,
and with tzom, and with weeping, and with mourning;
13 And rend your lev, and not your garments,
and turn unto Hashem Eloheichem;
for He is channun (gracious) and rachum (merciful),
slow to anger, and of rav chesed,
and He relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knoweth but that He will return and have pity,
and leave behind Him a brocha;
even a minchah and a nesekh
unto Hashem Eloheichem?
15 Blow the shofar in Tziyon,
sanctify a tzom, call an atzarah (solemn assembly);
16 Gather the people,
set apart as kodesh the kahal (congregation),
assemble the zekenim,
gather the olalim,
even those nursing at the breast;
let the choson go forth of his cheder,
and the kallah out of her chuppah (canopy).
17 Let the kohanim, the mesharetim of Hashem, weep
between the Ulam and the Mizbe'ach,
and let them say:
Spare Thy people, Hashem,
and make not Thine nachalah (inheritance) an object of scorn,
a byword among the Goyim.
Why should they say among the peoples:
Where is their G-d?
18 Then will Hashem be jealous for His land,
and take pity on His people.
19 Yea, Hashem will answer and say unto His people:
Hineni, I am sending you dagan, and tirosh, and yitzhar,
and ye shall be satisfied therewith;
and I will no more make you an object of scorn among the Goyim;
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern [army],*
and will drive him into an eretz barren and desolate,
with his vanguard toward the eastern sea,†
and his rearguard toward the western sea,‡
and his stench and foul smell will go up.
Surely it hath done great things.
21 Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice;
for Hashem hath done great things.
22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field;
for the pastures of the midbar do spring up,
for the etz beareth her fruit,
the te'enah and the gefen do yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, ye bnei Tziyon,
and rejoice in Hashem Eloheichem;
for He hath given you the former rain according to (His) tzedakah,
and He will cause to come down for you the rain,
the yoreh (former rain), and the malkosh (latter rain) as before.
24 And the threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
and the vats shall overflow with yayin and yitzhar.
25 And I will restore to you the shanim (years)
that the arbeh (great locust) hath eaten,
the crawling locust, and the other locust, and the locust swarm,
My great army which I sent among you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied,
and praise the Shem of Hashem Eloheichem,
that hath dealt wondrously with you;
and My people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Yisroel,
and that I am Hashem Eloheichem, and there is no other;
and My people shall never be put to shame.
* 2:20 i.e., army of locusts † 2:20 i.e., Dead Sea ‡ 2:20 i.e., Mediterranean Sea