The Bible Story Part 324

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JOEL

(At some time, we are not told just when, a terrible plague of locusts came upon the land. A prophet, whose name was Joel, took this occasion to tell the people of their sins, and of the judgments which G.o.d would bring upon them.)

I

THE PROPHET LAMENTS FOR HIS LAND

Hear this, ye old men, And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

Hath this been in your days, Or in the days of your fathers?

Tell ye your children of it, And let your children tell their children, And their children another generation.

That which the palmerworm hath left Hath the cankerworm eaten; And that which the cankerworm hath left Hath the caterpillar eaten.

Be ashamed, O ye husbandmen, Howl, O ye vinedressers, For the wheat, and for the barley; For the harvest of the field is perished.

The vine is withered, {375} And the fig tree languisheth; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, and the apple tree, Even all the trees of the field are withered: For joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Sanctify a fast, call a solemn a.s.sembly, Gather the old men And all the inhabitants of the land Unto the house of the Lord your G.o.d, And cry unto the Lord.

Alas for the day!

For the day of the Lord is at hand.

And as the destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Is not the food cut off before our eyes, Yea, joy and gladness from the house of our G.o.d?

The seeds rot under their clods: The garners are laid desolate, The barns are broken down; For the corn is withered.

How do the beasts groan.

The herds of cattle are perplexed, Because they have no pasture; Yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

O Lord, to thee do I cry: For the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness And the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.

Yea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee: {376} For the water brooks are dried up, And the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

II

THE WARNING TO THE PEOPLE

Blow ye 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 cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, As the dawn spread upon the mountains; A great people and a strong.

There hath not ever been the like, Neither shall there be any more after them, Even to the years of many generations.

A fire devoureth before them; And behind them a flame burneth: The land is as the garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Yea, and none hath escaped them.

The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; And as hors.e.m.e.n, so do they run.

Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap, Like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble; As a strong people set in battle array.

At their presence the peoples are in anguish; All faces are waxed pale; {377} They run like mighty men; They climb upon the wall like men of war; And they march everyone on his ways.

And they break not their ranks; They march everyone in his path; They burst through the weapons of the enemy; And turn not from their course.

They leap upon the city; They run upon the walls; They climb upon the houses; They enter in at the windows like a thief.

The earth quaketh before them; The heavens tremble: The sun and the moon are darkened, And the stars withdraw their s.h.i.+ning.

And the Lord uttereth his voice before his army; For his camp is very great; For he is strong and executeth his word: For the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible; And who can abide it?

III

THE LORD WILL PARDON

(If the people turn from evil and repent, and wors.h.i.+p him in the true spirit, the Lord will not send this terrible army of vengeance upon them.)

Yet even now, saith the Lord, Turn ye unto me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: {378} Rend your heart and not your garments, And turn unto the Lord your G.o.d: For he is gracious and full of compa.s.sion, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, And repenteth him of the evil.

IV

A PROPHECY OF PLENTY

(The plea of the prophet was effective. The people repented, and their prophet promised that the Lord would not only forgive his people, but would bless them with abundance.)

Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, And ye shall be satisfied therewith: And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations: But I will remove far off from you the northern army, And will drive him into a land barren and desolate, His vanguard into the eastern sea, And his rearguard into the western sea.

Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice.

For the Lord hath done great things.

Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: For the pastures of the wilderness do spring, For the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your G.o.d: For he giveth you the former rain in just measure, {379} And he causeth to come down for you the rain, The former rain and the latter rain, in the first month.

And the floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, The cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great army which I sent among you.

And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And ye shall praise the name of the Lord your G.o.d, That hath dealt wondrously with you: And my people shall never be ashamed.

And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I am the Lord your G.o.d, and there is none else: And my people shall never be ashamed.

And it shall come to pa.s.s afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days Will I pour out my spirit.

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ZEPHANIAH

(Zephaniah is another of the prophets who tell of the destruction which will come upon the people in the terrible "day of the Lord."

Then his prophecy, like the others, breaks into joyous strains at the close, as he tells of the blessings which will be showered upon the nation when it repents.)

I

THE DAY OF WRATH

The Day of the Lord is near: It is near and hasteth greatly.

Even the voice of the Day of the Lord; The mighty man crieth there bitterly.

That Day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of waste and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities, And against the high battlements.

Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame; Before the decree bring forth, Before the day pa.s.s as the chaff, Before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you.

Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth,