Joel 2

¹ Blow the trumpet on top Zion. Shout warning on top my holy mountain, make all the people wey dey live for the land shake with fear. God special day dey come; e don near.

² E go be dark day. E go be dark and cloudy day. When sun rise, una go see plenty army on top mountains. E go be great and powerful army. Nothing like that never happen before, and nothing like am go happen again.

³ The army go destroy the land like burning fire. For their front, the land go be like Garden of Eden. For their back, the land go be like empty desert. Nothing go fit escape them.

⁴ Dem look like horses. Dem run like war horses.

⁵ Make una hear them, e be like noise of chariots wey dem dey ride on top mountains. E be like noise of flames wey dey burn chaff. Dem be powerful people, wey dey ready for war.

⁶ For front of this army, people dey shake with fear. Their faces don red because of fear.

⁷ Dem attack like warriors; dem climb over the walls like soldiers. Dem all dey match straight ahead and dem no change direction.

⁸ Dem no touch each other. Each soldier dey walk for him own path. If one of the soldiers fall down, others dey march dey go.

⁹ Dem run enter the city. Dem quickly climb the wall. Dem climb enter houses. Dem climb through the window like thief.

¹⁰ For their front, earth and sky dey shake. The sun and the moon dey become dark, and star dey stop to dey shine.

¹¹ God call him army loudly. Him camp big. The army dey obey him commands. Him army dey very powerful. God special day na great and terrible day. Nobody fit stop am .

¹² Na God message be this: “Now make una come to me with all una heart. Make una cry and mourn, no chop anything. Make una show say una no happy for bad things wey una don do.

¹³ Make una tear una hearts, no be una cloths. Come back to the lord una God. He dey kind and merciful. He no dey quick vex. He get great love. Maybe he go change him mind about the bad punishment wey him don plan.

¹⁴ He fit change him mind make e leave blessing for una. Then una fit offer grain and wine offering to the LORD una God.

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet on top Mount Zion; Declare holy fasting. Call for special meeting.

¹⁶ Gather the people together. Call for special meeting. Bring the old men, children, and small pikin wey still dey suck their mama breast together. Even people wey just marry, make dem leave their room and come.

¹⁷ Make priests wey be God servant, cry and pray between altar and entrance of Temple. Make all of them say: “Have mercy on your people, God. No allow your people dey for shame. No let other people begin dey joke about your people. No allow other nations begin dey laugh at us say, ‘Where their God dey?”

¹⁸ And God show mercy on him land; he get mercy on him people.

¹⁹ He answer them: Now I go give una corn and wine and olive oil, and una go get plenty. Other nation no go fit laugh una.

²⁰ I go remove the locust army wey come from the north, and I go drive some of dem enter desert. I go pursue their leaders enter dead sea, their followers enter Mediterranean. Their dead body go sink. I go destroy them because of all the thing wey dem don do una.

²¹ Land, make una no fear. Make una dey joyful and glad, because of all the things wey God don do for una.

²² Animals, make una no fear. The grass dey green; the trees dey bear their fruit, and figs and grapes go plenty.

²³ Him dey good and him go give una rain. E go send the early rains and the late rains as him dey do before.

²⁴ The floor go dey full of corn, and the barrels go over flow with wine and crops.

²⁵ I go give back wetin una don lose for the year wey plenty locust chop una crops, Na me send the army against una.

²⁶ Now, una go get plenty to eat, and una go be satisfied. Una go praise the name of the Lord una God. He don do wonderful things for una. My people no go dey shame again.

²⁷ Una go know say I dey with Israel. Una go know say I be the LORD una God. And another God no dey. My people no go dey rejected again.

²⁸ After this, I go pour my spirit on all kind people. Una sons and daughters go prophesy, una old men go dream and una young men go see visions.

²⁹ For those days, I go pour out my spirit on top servants, both men and women.

³⁰ I go work wonders for the sky and on top the earth. Blood go flow, fire go rain and smoke go cover the sky.

³¹ The sun go dey dark, and the moon go turn red like blood. And the great and fearful day of God go come.

³² But everyone wey trust God go dey safe. As God don talk am, ‘Some people wey dey Jerusalem go escape; and those wey I chose go survive.’”