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Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand:
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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.
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A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them.
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Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run.
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With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array.
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Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color.
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They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks.
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They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down.
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They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief.
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The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.
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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?
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"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."
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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.
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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?
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Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly;
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Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.
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Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?' "
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Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.
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The Lord will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
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"But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things."
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Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvelous things!
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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.
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Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you-- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
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The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
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"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.