Wycliffe WYC
New International Reader's Version NIRV
1 Sing ye with a trump in Zion, yell ye in mine holy hill. All the dwellers of earth be disturbed; for the day of the Lord cometh, (Sing ye with a trumpet in Zion, yell ye upon my holy hill. All the people of the land be troubled; for the day of the Lord cometh,)
1
Priests, blow the trumpets in Zion. Give a warning on my holy mountain. Let everyone who lives in the land tremble with fear. The day of the LORD is coming. It is very near.
2 for the day of darknesses and of mist is nigh, the day of cloud and of whirlwind. (These locusts be) As the morrowtide spread abroad on hills, (like) a much people and strong. None was like it from the beginning, and after it shall not be, till into years of generation and of generation. (for the day of darkness and of mist is near, the day of cloud and of whirlwind. These locusts be like the morning spread abroad upon the hills, like a strong, innumerable host, or army. Nothing was ever like them before, and after them, nothing shall ever be like them again.)
2
That day will be dark and sad. It will be black and cloudy. A huge army of locusts is coming. They will spread across the mountains like the sun when it rises. There has never been an army like it. And there will never be another for all time to come.
3 Before the face thereof shall be fire devouring, and after it shall be burning flame; as a garden of liking the land shall be before them, and wilderness of desert (it) shall be after them, and none is that shall escape them. (At the front, they be like a devouring fire, and at the back, they be like a burning flame; before they come, the land shall be like a Garden of Eden, but after they leave, it shall be a wilderness of the desert, and there is nothing that shall escape them.)
3
Like fire they eat up everything in their path. Behind them it looks as if flames have burned the land. In front of them the land is like the Garden of Eden. Behind them it is a dry and empty desert. Nothing escapes them.
4 The looking of them shall be as the looking of horses; and as horsemen, so they shall run.
4
They look like horses. Like war horses they charge ahead.
5 As the sound of carts on the heads of hills they shall skip; as the sound of the flame of fire devouring stubble, as a strong people made ready to battle. (They shall skip over the hill-tops, sounding like the rattle of carts, and like the flames of fire devouring stubble; they shall come like a strong, innumerable host, or army, prepared to do battle.)
5
They sound like chariots as they leap over the mountaintops. They crackle like fire burning up dry weeds. They are like a mighty army that is ready for battle.
6 Peoples shall be tormented of the face thereof, all faces shall be (as) driven into a pot. (The peoples shall be tormented before them, yea, all their faces shall turn pale with fear.)
6
When people see them, they tremble with fear. All of their faces turn pale.
7 As strong men they shall run, as men warriors they shall ascend on the wall. (These) Men shall go in their ways, and they shall not bow away from their paths. (They shall run like strong men, and like fighting men they shall go up on the walls. They shall go straight in their ways, and they shall not turn away from their paths.)
7
The locusts charge ahead like warriors. They climb over walls like soldiers. All of them march in line. They don't turn to the right or the left.
8 Each man shall not make strait his brother, each man shall go in his path; but also they shall fall down by windows, and shall not be hurt. (No one shall divert his neighbour, each one shall go on his own path; and they shall go in through the windows, and not be hurt.)
8
They don't bump into one another. Each of them marches straight ahead. They charge through everything that tries to stop them. But they still stay in line.
9 They shall enter into the city, they shall run on the wall; they shall ascend on houses, they shall enter as a night thief by windows. (They shall enter into the city, they shall run upon the walls; they shall go up on the houses, and they shall go in through the windows like a night thief.)
9
They attack a city. They run along its wall. They climb into houses. They enter through windows like robbers.
10 The earth trembled of his face, heavens were moved, the sun and the moon were made dark, and stars withdrew their shining. (The earth trembled before them, the heavens were moved, the sun and the moon were made dark, and the stars withdrew their shining.)
10
As they march forward, the earth shakes. The sky trembles as they approach. The sun and moon grow dark. And the stars stop shining.
11 And the Lord gave his voice before the face of his host, for his hosts be full many; for those be strong, and do the word of him. For the day of the Lord is great, and full fearedful, and who shall suffer it?
11
The LORD thunders with his mighty voice as he leads his army. He has so many forces they can't even be counted. Those who obey his commands are great in number. The day of the LORD is great and terrifying. Who can live through it?
12 Now therefore saith the Lord, Be ye turned again to me in all your heart, in fasting, and weeping, and wailing; (And yet even now, saith the Lord, turn ye again to me/return to me, with all your heart, with fasting, and weeping, and wailing;)
12
The Lord announces to his people, "Return to me with all your heart. There is still time. Do not eat any food. Sob and cry."
13 and carve ye your hearts, and not your clothes, and be ye turned again to your Lord God, for he is benign, and merciful, patient, and of much mercy, and abiding, either forgiving, on malice. (and carve ye, or rend ye, your hearts, and not your clothes, and turn ye again to the Lord your God/and return to the Lord your God, for he is benign, and merciful, patient, and of much mercy, and forgiving of malice.)
13
Don't just tear your clothes to show how sad you are. Let your hearts be broken. Return to the LORD your God. He is gracious. He is tender and kind. He is slow to get angry. He is full of love. He takes pity on you. He won't destroy you.
14 Who knoweth, if God be (not) turned again, and forgive, and leave blessing after him? sacrifice and moist sacrifice to our Lord God. (Who knoweth, if God shall not turn again, or repent, and forgive, and even leave a blessing behind him? so, offer ye grain and wine to the Lord our God!)
14
Who knows? He might turn toward you and have pity on you. He might even give you his blessing. Then you can bring grain offerings and drink offerings to the LORD your God.
15 Sing ye with a trump in Zion, hallow ye fasting, call ye (a) company; (Sing ye with a trumpet in Zion, call ye for a fast, call ye the congregation;)
15
Priests, blow the trumpets in Zion. Announce a holy fast. Tell the people not to eat anything. Gather them together for a special service.
16 gather together the people, hallow ye the church (gather together the people, call ye the congregation), gather ye together (the) eld men, gather ye together (the) little children, and (those) sucking the breasts; a spouse go out of his bed, and a spousess (out) of her chamber.
16
Bring them together. Set all of them apart to me. Bring together the elders. Gather the children and the babies who are still nursing. Let the groom leave his bedroom. Let the bride leave their marriage bed.
17 Priests, the ministers of the Lord, shall weep betwixt the porch and the altar, and shall say, Lord! spare thou, spare thy people, and give thou not thine heritage into shame, that nations be lords of them. Why say they among peoples, Where is the God of them? (The priests, the ministers of the Lord, shall weep between the porch and the altar, and shall say, Lord! spare thou, spare thy people, and give thou not thy own inheritance into shame, so that the nations be their lords. Why let the heathen say, Where is their God?)
17
Let the priests who serve the LORD sob. Let them cry between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Lord, spare your people. Don't let others make fun of them. Don't let the nations laugh at them. Don't let them tease your people and say, 'Where is their God?' "
18 The Lord loved jealously his land, and spared his people. (And then the Lord jealously, or zealously, loved his land, and spared his people.)
18
Then the LORD will show concern for his land. He will take pity on his people.
19 And the Lord answered, and said to his people, Lo! I shall send to you wheat, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be [ful]filled with those; and I shall no more give you (to be a) shame among heathen men. (And the Lord said to his people, Lo! I shall send you corn, or grain, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be fulfilled, or satisfied, with them/and ye shall be filled full with them; and I shall no more allow you to be the reproach of the heathen.)
19
He will reply, "I will send you grain, olive oil and fresh wine. It will be enough to satisfy you completely. I will never allow other nations to make fun of you again.
20 And I shall make him that is at the north far from you; and I shall cast him out into a land without way, and desert; his face against the east sea, and the last part thereof at the last sea; and the stink thereof shall go up, and the root thereof shall ascend, for he did proudly. (And I shall make those who be at the north to go far away from you; and I shall throw them out into a land without a way, and turned into a desert; their front forces shall turn toward the East Sea, or the Dead Sea, and their last parts toward the West Sea, or the Mediterranean Sea; and the stink of their carrion, or of their corpses, shall go up, for I shall go out against them, because of what they did so proudly to thee.)
20
"I will drive far away from you the army that comes from the north. I will send some of its forces into a dry and empty land. Those in front will be pushed into the Dead Sea. The ones in back will be driven into the Mediterranean Sea. Their dead bodies will give off a bad smell." The LORD has done great things.
21 Earth, do not thou dread, make thou full out joy, and be glad; for the Lord magnified that (that) he should do. (O earth/O land, do not thou fear, rejoice, and be happy; for the Lord magnified what he said he would do.)
21
Land, don't be afraid. Be glad and full of joy. The LORD has done great things.
22 Beasts of the country, do not ye dread, for the fair things of desert burgeoned; for the tree brought his fruit, the fig tree and [the] vinery gave their strength. (Beasts in the fields, do not ye fear, for the beautiful things of the desert have burgeoned/for the pastures of the wilderness have become green; the trees have brought forth their fruit, and the fig trees and the vines gave their harvest.)
22
Wild animals, don't be afraid. The grasslands are turning green again. The trees are bearing their fruit. The vines and fig trees are producing rich crops.
23 And the sons of Zion, make ye full out joy, and be ye glad in your Lord God, for he gave to you a teacher of rightfulness, and he shall make morrowtide rain and eventide rain to come down to you, as in the beginning. (And people of Zion, rejoice, and be ye happy in the Lord your God, for he gave you a teacher of righteousness/for he gave you the right amount of rain, and he shall make the morning, or the early, rain and the evening, or the late, rain come down to you, like before.)
23
People of Zion, be glad. Be joyful because of what the LORD your God has done. He has given you the right amount of rain in the fall. He has sent you plenty of showers. He has sent fall and spring rains alike, just as he did before.
24 And cornfloors shall be [full-]filled of wheat, and pressers shall flow with wine and oil. (And the threshing floors shall be filled full with grain, and the winepresses shall flow with wine and oil.)
24
Your threshing floors will be covered with grain. Olive oil and fresh wine will spill over from the places where they are stored.
25 And I shall yield to you the years which the locust, bruchus, and rust, and wortworm, my great strength, ate, which I sent into you. (And I shall give back to you the years which the locust, and the bruchus, and rust, and the wortworm, my great host, or my great army, ate, which I sent against you.)
25
The LORD says, "I sent a great army of locusts to attack you. They included common locusts, giant locusts, young locusts and other locusts. I will make up for the years they ate your crops.
26 And ye shall eat eating, and ye shall be [ful]filled; and ye shall praise the name of your Lord God, that made marvels with you; and my people shall not be shamed [into] without end. (And ye shall have plenty to eat, and ye shall be fulfilled, or satisfied/and ye shall be filled full; and ye shall praise the name of the Lord your God, who made miracles for you; and my people shall not be shamed forever.)
26
You will have plenty to eat. It will satisfy you completely. Then you will praise me. I am the LORD your God. I have done wonderful miracles for you. My people will never be put to shame again.
27 And ye shall know, that I am in the midst of Israel; and I am your Lord God, and none is more; and my people shall not be shamed [into] without end. (And ye shall know, that I am in the midst of Israel; and I am the Lord your God, and no one is greater; and my people shall not be shamed forever.)
27
You will know that I am with you in Israel. I am the LORD your God. There is no other God. So my people will never be put to shame again.
28 And it shall be, after these things I shall shed out my spirit on each man (And it shall be, after these things I shall pour out my spirit upon everyone); and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your eld men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
28
"After that, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will have dreams. Your young men will have visions.
29 But also I shall shed out my spirit on my servants, and handmaids, in those days; (And I shall even pour out my spirit upon slaves, and slave-girls, in those days;)
29
In those days I will pour out my Spirit on those who serve me, men and women alike.
30 and I shall give great wonders in heaven, and in earth, blood, and fire, and the heat of smoke. (and I shall give great wonders in the heavens, and upon the earth, yea, blood, and fire, and the heat of smoke.)
30
I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth. There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darknesses, and the moon into blood, before that the great day and horrible of the Lord come. (The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that the great and terrible day of the Lord come.)
31
The sun will become dark. The moon will turn red like blood. It will happen before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
32 And it shall be, each that calleth to help the name of the Lord shall be safe; for why salvation, either saving, shall be in the hill of Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord said, and in the residue men, which the Lord calleth. (And it shall be, that everyone who calleth on the name of the Lord for help, shall be saved; for salvation, or saving, shall be on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, as the Lord hath said, and among those who remain, or those who survive, that is, the remnant, whom the Lord calleth.)
32
Everyone who calls out to me will be saved. On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem some of my people will be left alive. I have chosen them. That is what I have promised.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.