Joel 2:3 - Easy To Read Version The army will destroy the land\par like a burning fire.\par In front of them, the land will be like\par the Garden of Eden.\par Behind them, the land will be like\par an empty desert.\par Nothing will escape them.\par More versionsKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 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. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yes, and none has escaped [the ravages of the devouring hordes]. American Standard Version (1901) 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. Common English Bible In front of them a fire consumes; and behind them a flame burns. Land ahead of them is like Eden’s garden, but they leave behind them a barren wasteland; nothing escapes them. Catholic Public Domain Version Before their face is a devouring fire, and behind them is a burning flame. The land before them is like a lush garden, and behind them is a desolate desert, and there is no one who can escape them. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Before the face thereof a devouring fire, and behind it a burning flame: the land is like a garden of pleasure before it, and behind it a desolate wilderness, neither is there any one that can escape it. |
Lot looked and saw the Jordan Valley. Lot saw that there was much water there. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. At that time the Jordan Valley all the way to Zoar was like the Lord’s Garden. This was good land, like the land of Egypt.)
Then the Lord God planted a garden in the East, [10] in a place named Eden. The Lord God put the man he made in that garden.
Our God is coming,\par and he will not keep quiet.\par Fire burns in front of him.\par There is a great storm around him.\par
The locusts covered the ground, and the whole country became dark. The locusts ate every plant on the ground and all of the fruit in the trees that the hail had not destroyed. There weren’t any leaves left on any of the trees or plants anywhere in Egypt.
The locusts will cover the land. There will be so many locusts that you won’t be able to see the ground. Anything that was left from the hailstorm will be eaten by the locusts. The locusts will eat all the leaves from every tree in the field.
Is this the same man that destroyed cities\par and changed the land into a desert?\par Is this the same man that captured people\par in war and would not let them go home?”\par
But Nimrim Brook is dry like a desert.\par All the plants are dead.\par Nothing is green.\par
You people stole things in war. Those things will be taken from you. Many, many people will come and take your wealth. It will be like the times when locusts {\cf2\super [298]} come and eat all your crops.
\{In the same way,\} the Lord will bless Zion. {\cf2\super [417]} The Lord will feel sorry for her and her people, and he will do a great thing for her. The Lord will change the desert. The desert will become a garden like the garden of Eden. That land was empty, but it will become like the Lord’s Garden. People there will be very, very happy. People there will show their joy. They will sing songs about thanks and victory.
Evil is like a small fire. First, the fire burns weeds and thorns. Next, the fire burns the larger bushes in the forest. And finally, it becomes a great fire—and everything goes up in smoke.
The Lord All-Powerful is angry, so the land will be burned. All the people will be burned in that fire. No person will try to save his brother.
Those soldiers will eat all the crops\par that you gathered.\par They will eat all of your food.\par They will eat (destroy) your sons\par and daughters.\par They will eat your flocks and your herds.\par They will eat your grapes and your figs.\par They will destroy your strong cities\par with their swords.\par They will destroy the strong cities\par that you trust in!\par
They will say, ‘In the past, this land was ruined. But now it is like the garden of Eden. The cities were destroyed. They were ruined and empty. But now they are protected, and there are people living in them.’”
The Lord my Master showed these things to me: \{I\} saw the Lord God calling for judgment by fire. The fire destroyed the Great Deep. The fire was beginning to eat up the land.
I will make the Babylonian people a strong nation. Those people are mean and powerful fighters. They will march across the earth. They will take houses and cities that don’t belong to them.
I will bring the other nations against them\par like a storm.\par They didn’t know those nations,\par but the country will be destroyed\par after those nations pass through.\par This pleasant country will be destroyed.”\par