Online Bible

The Terrible Visitation

^aBlow a trumpet in Zion,And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,For the ^bday of the LORD is coming;Surely it is near,2 A day of ^adarkness and gloom,A day of clouds and thick darkness.As the dawn is spread over the mountains,So there is a ^bgreat and mighty people;There has ^cnever been anything like it,Nor will there be again after itTo the years of many generations.3 A ^afire consumes before themAnd behind them a flame burns.The land is ^blike the garden of Eden before themBut a ^cdesolate wilderness behind them,And nothing at all escapes them.4 Their ^aappearance is like the appearance of horses;And like war horses, so they run.5 ¹With a ^anoise as of chariotsThey leap on the tops of the mountains,Like the ²crackling of a ^bflame of fire consuming the stubble,Like a mighty people arranged for battle.6 Before them the people are in ^aanguish;All ^bfaces ¹turn pale.7 They run like mighty men,They climb the wall like soldiers;And they each ^amarch ¹in line,Nor do they deviate from their paths.8 They do not crowd each other,They march everyone in his path;When they ¹burst through the ²defenses,They do not break ranks.9 They rush on the city,They run on the wall;They climb into the ^ahouses,They ^benter through the windows like a thief.10 Before them the earth ^aquakes,The heavens tremble,The ^bsun and the moon grow darkAnd the stars lose their brightness.11 The LORD ^autters His voice before ^bHis army;Surely His camp is very great,For ^cstrong is he who carries out His word.The ^dday of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome,And ^ewho can endure it?12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,“^aReturn to Me with all your heart,And with ^bfasting, weeping and mourning;13 And ^arend your heart and not ^byour garments.”Now return to the LORD your God,For He is ^cgracious and compassionate,Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindnessAnd ^drelenting of evil.14 Who knows ^awhether He will not turn and relentAnd leave a ^bblessing behind Him,Even ^ca grain offering and a drink offeringFor the LORD your God?15 ^aBlow a trumpet in Zion,^bConsecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,16 Gather the people, ^asanctify the congregation,Assemble the elders,Gather the children and the nursing infants.Let the ^bbridegroom come out of his roomAnd the bride out of her bridal chamber.17 Let the priests, the LORD’S ministers,Weep ^abetween the porch and the altar,And let them say, “^bSpare Your people, O LORD,And do not make Your inheritance a ^creproach,A byword among the nations.Why should they among the peoples say,‘^dWhere is their God?’”

Deliverance Promised

18 Then the LORD ¹will be ^azealous for His landAnd ²will have ^bpity on His people.19 The LORD ¹will answer and say to His people,“Behold, I am going to ^asend you grain, new wine and oil,And you will be satisfied in full with ²them;And I will ^bnever again make you a reproach among the nations.20 “But I will remove the ^anorthern army far from you,And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,And its vanguard into the ^beastern sea,And its rear guard into the ^cwestern sea.And its ^dstench will arise and its foul smell will come up,For it has done great things.”

21 ^aDo not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,For the LORD has done ^bgreat things.22 Do not fear, beasts of the field,For the ^apastures of the wilderness have turned green,For the tree has borne its fruit,The fig tree and the vine have yielded ¹in full.23 So rejoice, O ^asons of Zion,And ^bbe glad in the LORD your God;For He has ^cgiven you ¹the early rain for your vindication.And He has poured down for you the rain,The ²early and ³^dlatter rain ⁴as before.24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,And the vats will ^aoverflow with the new wine and oil.25 “Then I will make up to you for the yearsThat the swarming ^alocust has eaten,The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust,My great army which I sent among you.26 “You will have plenty to ^aeat and be satisfiedAnd ^bpraise the name of the LORD your God,Who has ^cdealt wondrously with you;Then My people will ^dnever be put to shame.27 “Thus you will ^aknow that I am in the midst of Israel,And that I am the LORD your God,And there is ^bno other;And My people will never be ^cput to shame.

The Promise of the Spirit

28 “¹^aIt will come about after thisThat I will ^bpour out My Spirit on all ²^cmankind;And your sons and daughters will prophesy,Your old men will dream dreams,Your young men will see visions.29 “Even on the ^amale and female servantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days.

The Day of the LORD

30 “I will ^adisplay wonders in the sky and on the earth,Blood, fire and columns of smoke.31 “The ^asun will be turned into darknessAnd the moon into bloodBefore the ^bgreat and awesome day of the LORD comes.32 “And it will come about that ^awhoever calls on the name of the LORDWill be delivered;For ^bon Mount Zion and in JerusalemThere will be those who ^cescape,As the LORD has said,Even among the ^dsurvivors whom the LORD calls.

The Terrible Visitation

^aBlow a trumpet in Zion,And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,For the ^bday of the LORD is coming;Indeed, it is near,2 A day of ^adarkness and gloom,A day of clouds and thick darkness.As dawn is spread over the mountains,So there is a ^bgreat and mighty people;There has ^cnever been anything like it,Nor will there be again after itTo the years of many generations.3 A ^afire consumes before them,And behind them a flame devours.The land is ^blike the Garden of Eden before them,But a ^cdesolate wilderness behind them,And nothing at all escapes them.4 Their ^aappearance is like the appearance of horses;And like war horses, so they run.5 ¹With a ^anoise as of chariotsThey leap about on the tops of the mountains,Like the ²crackling of a ^bflame of fire consuming the stubble,Like a mighty people drawn up for battle.6 Before them the people are in ^aanguish;All ^bfaces ¹turn pale.7 They run like warriors,They climb the wall like soldiers;And each of them ^amarches ¹in line,Nor do they lose their way.8 They do not crowd each other,Every warrior of them marches in his path;When they ¹burst through the ²defenses,They do not break ranks.9 They storm the city,They run on the wall;They climb into the ^ahouses,They ^benter through the windows like a thief.10 Before them the earth ^aquakes,The heavens tremble,The ^bsun and the moon become dark,And the stars lose their brightness.11 The LORD ^autters His voice before ^bHis army;His camp is indeed very great,For ^cmighty is one who carries out His word.The ^dday of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome,And ^ewho can endure it?12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,“^aReturn to Me with all your heart,And with ^bfasting, weeping, and mourning;13 And ^atear your heart and not merely ^byour garments.”Now return to the LORD your God,For He is ^cgracious and compassionate,Slow to anger, abounding in mercyAnd ^drelenting of catastrophe.14 Who knows, ^aHe might turn and relent,And leave a ^bblessing behind Him,Resulting in ^ca grain offering and a drink offeringFor the LORD your God.15 ^aBlow a trumpet in Zion,^bConsecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,16 Gather the people, ^asanctify the congregation,Assemble the elders,Gather the children and the nursing infants.Have the ^bgroom come out of his roomAnd the bride out of her bridal chamber.17 Let the priests, the LORD’S ministers,Weep ^abetween the porch and the altar,And let them say, “¹^bSpare Your people, LORD,And do not make Your inheritance a ^cdisgrace,With the nations jeering at them.Why should those among the peoples say,‘^dWhere is their God?’”

Deliverance Promised

18 Then the LORD ¹will be ^azealous for His land,And ²will have ^bcompassion for His people.19 The LORD ¹will answer and say to His people,“Behold, I am going to ^asend you grain, new wine, and oil,And you will be satisfied in full with ²them;And I will ^bnever again make you a disgrace among the nations.20 “But I will remove the ^anorthern army far from you,And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land,Its advance guard into the ^beastern sea,And its rear guard into the ^cwestern sea.And its ^dstench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up,Because it has done great things.”

21 ^aDo not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice,For the LORD has done ^bgreat things.22 Do not fear, animals of the field,For the ^apastures of the wilderness have turned green,For the tree has produced its fruit,The fig tree and the vine have yielded ¹in full.23 So shout for joy, you ^asons of Zion,And ^brejoice in the LORD your God;For He has ^cgiven you ¹the early rain for your vindication.And He has brought down for you the rain,The ²early and ³^dlatter rain ⁴as before.24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,And the vats will ^aoverflow with the new wine and oil.25 “Then I will compensate you for the yearsThat the ¹swarming ^alocust has eaten,The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust—My great army which I sent among you.26 “You will have plenty to ^aeat and be satisfied,And you will ^bpraise the name of the LORD your God,Who has ^cdealt wondrously with you;Then My people will ^dnever be put to shame.27 “So you will ^aknow that I am in the midst of Israel,And that I am the LORD your GodAnd there is ^bno other;And My people will never be ^cput to shame.

The Promise of the Spirit

28 “¹^aIt will come about after thisThat I will ^bpour out My Spirit on all ²^cmankind;And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,Your old men will have dreams,Your young men will see visions.29 “And even on the ^amale and female servantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days.

The Day of the LORD

30 “I will ¹^adisplay wonders in the sky and on the earth,Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.31 “The ^asun will be turned into darkness,And the moon into blood,Before the ^bgreat and awesome day of the LORD comes.32 “And it will come about that ^aeveryone who calls on the name of the LORDWill ¹be saved;For ^bon Mount Zion and in JerusalemThere will be those who ^cescape,Just as the LORD has said,Even among the ^dsurvivors whom the LORD calls.

The Terrible Visitation

^aBlow the trumpet in Zion warning of impending judgment,Sound an alarm on My holy mountain Zion!Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble and shudder in fear,For the judgment ^bday of the LORD is coming;It is close at hand, Ezek 7:2-4; Amos 5:16-202 A day of ^adarkness and gloom,A day of clouds and of thick dark mist,Like the dawn spread over the mountains;There is a pagan, hostile people ^bnumerous and mighty,The like of which has ^cnever been beforeNor will be again afterwardEven for years of many generations.3 Before ^athem a fire devours,And behind them a flame burns;Before them the land is ^blike the Garden of Eden,But behind them a ^cdesolate wilderness;And nothing at all escapes them.4 Their ^aappearance is like the appearance of horses,And they run like war horses.5 Like the ^anoise of chariotsThey leap on the tops of the mountains,Like the crackling of a ^bflame of fire devouring the stubble,Like a mighty people set in battle formation. Rev 9:7, 96 Before them the people are in ^aanguish;All ^bfaces become pale with terror.7 They run like warriors;They climb the wall like soldiers.They each ^amarch straight ahead in line,And they do not deviate from their paths.8 They do not crowd each other;Each one marches in his path.When they burst through the defenses (weapons) ,They do not break ranks.9 They rush over the city,They run on the wall;They climb up into the ^ahouses,They ^benter at the windows like a thief.10 The earth ^aquakes before them,The heavens tremble,The ^bsun and the moon grow darkAnd the stars lose their brightness. Rev 9:2-4; 16:1411 The LORD ^autters His voice before ^bHis army,For His camp is very great,Because ^cstrong and powerful is he who obediently carries out His word.For the ^dday of the LORD is indeed great and very terrible causing dread;^eWho can endure it? Is 26:20, 21; 34:1-4, 8; Rev 6:16, 1712 “Even now,” says the LORD,“^aTurn and come to Me with all your heart in genuine repentance,With ^bfasting and weeping and mourning until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored;13 ^aRip your heart to pieces in sorrow and contrition and not ^byour garments.”Now return in repentance to the LORD your God,For He is ^cgracious and compassionate,Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness faithful to His covenant with His people;And He ^drelents His sentence of evil when His people genuinely repent.14 Who knows ^awhether He will relent and revoke your sentence,And leave a ^bblessing behind Him,Even ^ca grain offering and a drink offering from the bounty He provides youFor the LORD your God?15 ^aBlow a trumpet in Zion warning of impending judgment,^bDedicate a fast as a day of restraint and humility, call a solemn assembly.16 Gather the people, ^asanctify the congregation,Assemble the elders,Gather the children and the nursing infants.Let the ^bbridegroom come out of his roomAnd the bride out of her bridal chamber. No one is excused from the assembly.17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD,Weep ^abetween the porch and the altar,And let them say, “^bHave compassion and spare Your people, O LORD,And do not make Your inheritance (Israel) ^can object of ridicule,Or a humiliating byword among the Gentile nations.Why should they say among the peoples,‘^dWhere is their God?’”

Deliverance Promised

18 Then the LORD ^awill be jealous for His land ready to defend it since it is rightfully and uniquely HisAnd will have ^bcompassion on His people and will spare them.19 The LORD will answer and say to His people,“Behold, I am going to ^asend you grain and new wine and oil,And you will be satisfied in full with them;And I will ^bnever again make you an object of ridicule among the Gentile nations.20 “But I will remove the ^anorthern army far away from you,And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,With its forward guard into the ^beastern sea (Dead Sea)And with its rear guard into the ^cwestern sea (Mediterranean Sea) .And its ^dstench will arise and its foul odor of decay will come up this is the fate of the northern army in the final day of the LORD,For ¹He has done great things.” Is 34:1-4, 8; Amos 4:10

21 ^aDo not fear, O land; be glad and rejoice,For the LORD has done ^bgreat things! Zech 12:8-1022 Do not be afraid, you animals of the field,For the ^apastures of the wilderness have turned green;The tree has produced its fruit,And the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.23 So rejoice, O ^achildren of Zion,And ^bdelight in the LORD, your God;For He ^chas given you the early autumn rain in vindicationAnd He has poured down the rain for you,The early autumn rain and the ^dlate spring rain, as before.24 And the threshing floors shall be full of grain,And the vats shall ^aoverflow with new wine and oil.25 “And I will compensate you for the yearsThat the swarming ^alocust has eaten,The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust—My great army which I sent among you.26 “You will ^ahave plenty to eat and be satisfiedAnd ^bpraise the name of the LORD your GodWho has ^cdealt wondrously with you;And My people shall ^dnever be put to shame.27 “And you shall ^aknow without any doubt that I am in the midst of Israel to protect and bless you,And that I am the LORD your God,And there is ^bno other;My people will never be ^cput to shame.

The Promise of the Spirit

28 “^aIt shall come about after thisThat I shall ^bpour out My Spirit on all ^cmankind;And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,Your old men will dream dreams,Your young men will see visions.29 “Even on the ^amale and female servantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days.

The Day of the LORD

30 “I will ^ashow signs and wonders displaying My power in the heavens and on the earth,Blood and fire and columns of smoke.31 “The ^asun will be turned into darknessAnd the moon into bloodBefore the ^bgreat and terrible day of the LORD comes. Is 13:6, 9-11; 24:21-23; Ezek 32:7-10; Matt 24:29, 30; Rev 6:12-1732 “And it shall come about that ^awhoever calls on the name of the LORDWill be saved from the coming judgmentFor ^bon Mount Zion and in JerusalemThere will be those who ^cescape,As the LORD has said,Even among the ^dremnant of survivors whom the LORD calls. Acts 2:17-21; Rom 10:13