Joel 2

2 ¹Blow di ram horn for Zion; make di alarm sound for my holy mountain! Make everybody wey dey live for di land shake, because di day of our Papa dey come—e don near: ^a a v1 Di Day of our Papa wey dey run through Joel na di day our Papa go act — im army dey move for im voice, im judgment dey fall, im rescue dey follow. Di prophets dey carry di same tin as our Papa im decisive move for history.

²Na day of darkness and gloom, day of cloud and thick darkness. Like morning wey dey spread across di mountains, one big and mighty army dey come—notin like am ever dey before, and notin like am go ever come again.

³Fire dey chop for dia front, and flame dey blaze for dia back. Di land for dia front be like di garden of Eden, but for dia back na desolate wilderness—and notin dey escape dem. ⁴Dem look like horse; like war horse dem dey charge. ⁵Like di rumbling of chariot dem dey jump over di mountain-top, like di crackling of flame wey dey chop dry grass, like mighty army wey dem line up for battle.

⁶For dia front di peoples dey twist for pain; every face dey turn pale. ⁷Like warriors dem dey charge; like soldiers dem dey climb di wall. Everyone dey march for line, e no dey turn from im path. ⁸Dem no dey push one anoda; everyone dey keep im own path. Dem dey burst through di weapons and notin dey stop dem. ⁹Dem dey rush di city; dem dey run along di wall. Dem dey climb enter di houses; through di windows dem dey enter like tief. ¹⁰For dia front di earth dey shake, di heavens dey tremble. Di sun and moon dey turn dark, and di stars no dey shine again.

¹¹Our Papa raise im voice for di front of im army; im camp big well-well, and dem wey dey carry out im word na mighty ones. Di day of our Papa big and dey really cause fear—who fit endure am?

Come Back to Your Papa

¹²"But even now," na so our Papa talk, "come back to me with all your heart, with fasting, with crying, and with mourning. ^b b v12 Di Papa imself dey call. "Come back to me with all your heart" no be demand for ritual but our Papa im longing say im pikin dem heart go come home.

¹³"Tear your heart, no be your cloth. Come back to your Papa, because im dey full of grace and tender mercy wey dey pain belle, im no dey quick vex and im love wey no dey change plenty, and im dey hold back from sending disaster. ¹⁴Who know? Maybe im go turn and hold back and leave blessing behind— grain offering and drink offering for your Papa."

¹⁵Blow shofar for Zion; set apart fasting; call holy assembly. ¹⁶Gather di people; set apart di assembly; bring di elders together; gather di children, even di small pikin dem wey still dey suck breast. Make di bridegroom comot from im room, and di bride from her chamber. ¹⁷Make di priests wey dey serve before our Papa cry between di porch and di altar. Make dem talk say, "Spare your people, our Papa, and no make your inheritance turn tin wey people dey scorn, tin wey di nations dey take laugh. Why dem go talk among di peoples say, 'Where dia God dey?'" ^c c v17 Di priests dem stand for di inner court of di Jerusalem temple, between di covered entrance hall and di altar of burnt offering — di heart of di worship place.

Our Papa Go Restore Im People

¹⁸Den our Papa become jealous for im land and im belle pain am for im people.

¹⁹Our Papa answer im people: "Look, I dey send you grain, new wine, and oil, and dem go satisfy you. I no go ever again make you turn tin wey di nations dey scorn."

²⁰"I go drive di northern army far from you, dey push am enter dry and desolate land—im front ranks enter di Dead Sea and im back enter di Mediterranean Sea. Im smell go rise; im bad smell go go up, because e don do terrible tins.

²¹No fear, land; rejoice and dey glad, because our Papa don do great tins! ²²No fear, una animals of di field, because di pastures of di wilderness dey turn green; di tree dey bear im fruit; di fig tree and di vine dey give dia riches. ²³Dey glad, children of Zion, and rejoice for your Papa, because im don give you di autumn rain to show im faithfulness; im dey send down for you plenty showers, di autumn and di spring rains, like before. ²⁴Di threshing floors go full of grain; di vats go overflow with new wine and oil.

²⁵I go pay you back for di years wey di locusts don chop—di swarming locust, di young locust, di destroying locust, and di cutting locust—my great army wey I send among you. ²⁶You go chop belleful and satisfy, and you go praise di name of your Papa, wey don do wonderful tins for you; and I no go ever again make my people carry shame. ^d d v26 For our Papa im voice, im people dey named as im pikin dem — di family name wey im heart dey carry from di start. ²⁷Den you go know say I dey for di middle of Israel, and say na I be your Papa, and no oda one dey; and I no go ever again make my people carry shame.

Di Papa Pour Out Im Spirit

²⁸"And afta, I go pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters go prophesy, your old men go dream dreams, your young men go see visions. ^e e v28 Our Papa dey pour out im Spirit — the Holy Spirit — on im own sons and daughters; di Papa, di Spirit, and di pikin dem na family. ²⁹Even on di male servants and di female servants for those days I go pour out my Spirit.

³⁰I go show wonders for di heavens and on di earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹Di sun go turn to darkness and di moon to blood before di great and awesome day of our Papa come."

³²And na so e go happen: everybody wey call on di name of our Oga Jesus go save; because for Mount Zion and for Jerusalem deliverance go dey, as our Papa don talk, among di survivors wey our Papa call. ^f f v32 Paul take dis verse apply am direct to Jesus — "everybody wey call on di name of di Lord go save" (Romans 10:13). Di name wey we dey call on for rescue na Jesus, our Papa im open invitation to come home.