1 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;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3 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 nothing shall escape them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, 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 heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.
22 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.
23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
28 (h.3:1) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 (h.3:2) And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 (h.3:3) And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 (h.3:4) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.
32 (h.3:5) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
<html><b>Sound a shophar</b>—to announce to them that they should repent before the evil befalls them. <b>the day of the Lord</b>—which we mentioned above.</html>
<html><b>like the dawn, spread over the mountains</b>—The increasing locusts and the shearing locusts are spread over the mountains as the dawn is spread over the entire world. <b>the like of which has never been</b>—that all these species should come one after the other, but the species of arbeh alone did not equal that of Egypt, concerning which it is stated: (Exodus 10:14) “And after it there shall not be so.”</html>
<html><b>Fire consumes before it</b>—They destroy everything as though a fire consumes before them and a flame blazes after them. <b>like the Garden of Eden</b>—was the land before it came, and, after it goes, it leaves the land like a desert wasteland.</html>
<html><b>Like the appearance of horses is its appearance</b>—I.e., in their running.</html>
<html><b>like the sound of a flame</b>—A flame, consuming stubble, makes noise. <b>arrayed for battle</b> Heb. עֱרוּךְ. Since it is in the construct state, it is vowelized with a “hataf segol.”</html>
<html><b>gather blackness</b> Heb. קִבְּצוּ פָּארוּר. Blackness like a pot, Cf. (Num. 11:8) “And they cooked in a pot (בַּפָּרוּר).” The “aleph” is superfluous, and it is not read.</html>
<html><b>and they do not make… crooked</b> Heb. וְעַבְּטוּן. This has no comparison, but its interpretation according to its context is: they do not make crooked.</html>
<html><b>and upon the swords</b> Heb. וּבְעַד הַשֶּׁלַח, (verse 9) “through the windows (בְּעַד הַחַלוֹנִים).” Upon the weapons they fall and camp. <b>they do not receive monetary gain</b> Heb. לֹא יִבְצָעוּ. They do not receive monetary gain. And <i>Jonathan</i> interpreted it (הַשֶּׁלַח) as an expression of an errand. Because of the errand of the Holy One, blessed be He, they cast themselves down, and they do not receive monetary gain.</html>
<html><b>In the city they clatter</b> Heb. יָשֹׁקּוּ. This is an expression of making a din. Cf. (Isa. 33:4) “like the roaring (כְּמַשַּׁק) of the cisterns”; (Prov. 28: 15) “A growling (שּׁוֹקֵק) bear”; (Zeph. 2:9) “the clattering of (מִמְשַׁק) the thorns.” <i>Jonathan</i>, however, renders it as an expression of arms (נֶשֶק). They are armed.</html>
<html><b>the heavens tremble</b>—Because of the retribution coming upon Israel, they quake and tremble. <b>withdraw their shining</b>—Take in their light.</html>
<html><b>And the Lord gave forth (upon them) His voice</b>—by the statement of His prophets prior to His sending this host of His. <b>for His camp is great</b>—I.e, the camp He will send against you if you do not improve.</html>
<html><b>and not your garments</b>—for I do not pay heed to the rending of your garments. Another explanation: Rend your hearts and you will not need to rend your garments because of mourning. <b>and He repents of the evil</b>—I.e., He turns to another thought.</html>
<html><b>Whoever knows</b>—that he is guilty of iniquity. <b>shall return and repent, and it shall leave</b>—I.e., the hasil and the gazam will leave a blessing after it; through the repentance, a blessing will come in the produce.</html>
<html><b>assemble the elders</b> Heb. קִבְצוּ. This is of the form of (I Kings 18:19) “Send and gather (קְבֹץ) for me,” an expression which is weak and light.</html>
<html><b>a derision</b> Heb. לְחֶרְפָּה <b>for nations to make them an example</b> Heb. לְמְשָׁל, an expression of, (Deut. 28:37) “for an example (מָשָל) and for a conversation piece.”</html>
<html><b>And the Lord was zealous for His land</b> Heb. וַיְקַנֵּא, an expression similar to (Num. 11:29) “Are you zealous (הַמְקַנֵּא) for me?” Their distress entered His heart, and He fought their battle and engaged in their necessities. Our Sages explain it as an expression of warning. He warned the locusts concerning His land. [from <i>Sotah</i> 3a]</html>
<html><b>derision</b> Heb. חֶרְפָּה, a derision, that they will call you ill-provided.</html>
<html><b>And the northerner</b> Heb. הַצְּפוֹנִי. This can be interpreted as referring to the host of locusts, upon which the expression, “and I will drive him to a land barren and desolate,” fits aptly. Another explanation: The people that come from the north, viz., the kings of Assyria. And our Sages (<i>Sukkah </i>52a) state: This is the temptation, which is hidden (צָפוּן) in a person’s heart. <b>the western sea</b> the eastern sea. And our Sages, who interpreted it [i.e., הַצְּפוֹנִי] as a reference to temptation, interpreted these two seas as the First Temple and the Second Temple. I.e, they explain הַקַּדְמוֹנִי as first and הָאַחֲרוֹן as last. And so they explained it: Because he directed his face toward the First Temple and the Second Temple and destroyed them. [God says: I will drive him out to a land barren and desolate, where he will find no one to incite. That will be because he set his sights for the First Temple and for the Second Temple and, because he incited the people to sin, they were destroyed. The two Temples, where everyone would gather during the three Pilgrimage Festivals, are symbolized by the sea, where water of the streams gather.] And, according to the <i>Targum</i>, who explains it as a reference to the king of Assyria, we must explain “his face to the eastern sea, and his end to the western sea” to mean that part of his army I will send to the east and part of it to the west. <b>its ill savor</b> Heb. צַחֲנָתוֹ. The word בָאְשוֹ, its stench, indicates concerning that it is an expression of filth. <b>for it did great things</b>—I.e, it did a great evil, for it stretched forth its hands upon the great.</html>
<html><b>Have no fear, O land</b>—I.e, the land of Israel, when you repent.</html>
<html><b>the teacher for justification</b> Heb. מוֹרֶה. Your prophets who teach you to return to Me, in order to justify you. <b>the early rain and the late rain.</b> Heb. מוֹרֶה, like (Deut. 11:14) “the early rain (יוֹרֶה) and the late rain (וּמַלְקוֹֹש).” <b>in the first month</b>—In Nissan. Although the early rain is the first rain, which falls on the seeds, and that is in Marcheshvan, that year they sowed in Nissan, as is explained in Tractate <i>Taanith</i> (5a) that the grain grew in eleven days.</html>
<html><b>shall roar</b> Heb. וְהֵשִׁיקוּ, an expression of making noise when the stream runs down from the winepress into the vat (הַיֶקֶב), which is the pit before the winepress.</html>
<html><b>And it shall come to pass afterwards</b>—in the future. <b>upon all flesh</b>—I.e, upon anyone whose heart becomes soft as flesh. Comp. (Ezekiel 36:26) “And I will give you a heart of flesh.”</html>
<html><b>and pillars of smoke</b> Heb. וְתִימְרוֹת. Perpendicular pillars of smoke, as tall as a palm tree.</html>
<html><b>shall turn to darkness</b>—to embarrass those who prostrate themselves to the sun.</html>
<html><b>And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call etc. as… said</b>—And where did He say it? (Deut. 28:10), “And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of the Lord is called on you.” [from <i>Mechilta</i>, Ex. 12:25] <b>and among the survivors</b>—And in the remnant that will remain. <b>whom the Lord invites</b> Heb. קֹרֵא, an expression of those invited to a banquet or to the service of the king, an expression of invitation.</html>