To The Nations (Lent) Repent From Sins To A Holy God
Blow the trumpet in
Zion; sound the alarm on my holy
mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the
land tremble, for the day of the
Lord is coming,
it is near, a day of darkness and gloom,a great and powerful people; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before
them, but after them a
desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes
them.
Their appearance is like the appearance of
horses, and like war horses
they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the
mountains, like the crackling of a
flame of fire
devouring the
stubble, like a powerful
army drawn up for battle.
devouring the
stubble, like a powerful
army drawn up for battle.
Before them peoples are in
anguish, all faces grow
pale. Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way, they do not swerve from their paths. They do not
jostle one another, each marches in his
path; they burst through the
weapons and are not
halted.
They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief.
They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief.
The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his host is exceedingly great; he that executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?
and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his host is exceedingly great; he that executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?
“Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with
mourning; and rend your hearts and not your
garments.” Return to the Lord, your
God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast
love, and repents of
evil. Who knows whether he will not turn and
repent, and leave a
blessing behind him, a cereal
offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your
God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the
people. Sanctify the
congregation; assemble the
elders; gather the
children, even nursing
infants. Let the bridegroom leave
his room, and the bride her
chamber.
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord,
weep and say, “Spare thy people, O
Lord, and make not thy
heritage a reproach, a byword among the
nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their
God? Joel 2:1-17 RSV
