¹⁸ Ho, ye who are desiring the day of Jehovah, Why `is' this to you -- the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light,

¹⁵ And cry unto Jehovah, `Alas for the day! For near `is' a day of Jehovah, And as destruction from the mighty it cometh.

¹ Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, And shout ye in My holy hill, Tremble do all inhabitants of the earth, For coming is the day of Jehovah, for `it is' near!

² A day of darkness and thick darkness, A day of cloud and thick darkness, As darkness spread on the mountains, A people numerous and mighty, Like it there hath not been from of old, And after it there is not again -- till the years of generation and generation.

⁷ Wo! for great `is' that day, without any like it, Yea, a time of adversity it `is' to Jacob, Yet out of it he is saved.

³⁰ And it howleth against it in that day as the howling of a sea, And it hath looked attentively to the land, And lo, darkness -- distress, And light hath been darkened by its abundance!

¹⁹ Who are saying, `Let Him hurry, Let Him hasten His work, that we may see, And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel Draw near and come, and we know.'

³¹ The sun is turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, Before the coming of the day of Jehovah, The great and the fearful.

¹⁰ and it will come -- the day of the Lord -- as a thief in the night, in which the heavens with a rushing noise will pass away, and the elements with burning heat be dissolved, and earth and the works in it shall be burnt up.

⁴ and saying, `Where is the promise of his presence? for since the fathers did fall asleep, all things so remain from the beginning of the creation;'

¹ For, lo, the day hath come, burning as a furnace, And all the proud, and every wicked doer, have been stubble, And burnt them hath the day that came, Said Jehovah of Hosts, That there is not left to them root or branch,

¹ Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts.

² And who is bearing the day of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing? For he `is' as fire of a refiner, And as soap of a fuller.

¹⁴ Near `is' the great day of Jehovah, Near, and hasting exceedingly, The noise of the day of Jehovah, Bitterly shriek there doth a mighty one.

¹⁵ A day of wrath `is' that day, A day of adversity and distress, A day of waste and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of cloud and thick darkness.

¹⁰ At their face trembled hath the earth, Shaken have the heavens, Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up their shining.

²⁷ `Son of man, lo, the house of Israel are saying, The vision that he is seeing `is' for many days, and of times far off he is prophesying,

²² `Son of man, what `is' this simile to you, concerning the land of Israel, saying, Prolonged are the days, and perished hath every vision?

¹⁵ Lo, they are saying unto me: `Where `is' the word of Jehovah? pray, let it come.'

¹⁵ Because ye have said: `We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'

¹⁶ Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: `Lo, I am laying a foundation in Zion, A stone -- a tried stone, a corner stone precious, a settled foundation, He who is believing doth not make haste.

¹⁷ And I have put judgment for a line, And righteousness for a plummet, And sweep away doth hail the refuge of lies, And the secret hiding-place do waters overflow.

¹⁸ And disannulled hath been your covenant with death, And your provision with Sheol doth not stand, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Then ye have been to it for a treading-place.

¹⁹ From the fulness of its passing over it taketh you, For morning by morning it passeth over, By day and by night, And it hath been only a trembling to consider the report.

²⁰ For shorter hath been the bed Than to stretch one's self out in, And the covering hath been narrower Than to wrap one's self up in.

²¹ For as `at' mount Perazim rise doth Jehovah, As `at' the valley in Gibeon He is troubled, To do His work -- strange `is' His work, And to do His deed -- strange `is' His deed.'

²² And now, show not yourselves scorners, Lest strong be your bands, For a consumption, that is determined, I have heard, by the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, `Is' for all the land.

¹¹ A cry over the wine `is' in out-places, Darkened hath been all joy, Removed hath been the joy of the land.

¹² Left in the city `is' desolation, And `with' wasting is the gate smitten.

¹⁹ In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts Hath the land been consumed, And the people is as fuel of fire; A man on his brother hath no pity,