The prophet foretells the terrible day of the Lord : exhorts sinners to a sincere conversion : and comforts God’s people with promises of future blessings under Christ.

¹ Blow the trumpet in Zion, wail on my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land be stirred up. For the day of the Lord is on its way; for it is near:¹

1. 2:1The day of the Lord: That is, the time when he will execute justice upon sinners.(Challoner)

² a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and whirlwinds. Like the morning reaching over the mountains, they are a numerous and strong people. Nothing like them has existed since the beginning, nor will exist after them, even in the years of generation upon generation.¹

1. 2:2A numerous and strong people: The Assyrians, or Chaldeans. Others understand all this of an army of locusts laying waste the land.(Challoner)

³ 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.¹

1. 2:3The pronoun used in the Latin to refer to the ‘numerous and strong people’ of the previous verse is singular in Latin. However, in English, when we use a pronoun to refer to a group, we use the plural. For example: a group of people entered the building, and they sat down. So ‘eum’ is translated in the plural here.(Conte)

⁴ Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and they will rush forward like horsemen.

⁵ Like the sound of a four-horse chariot, they will leap over the tops of the mountains. Like the sound of a burning flame devouring stubble, they are as a strong people prepared for battle.

⁶ Before their face, the people will be tortured; each one’s appearance will retreat, as if into a jar.¹²

1. 2:6There are two ideas expressed in the last part of this verse. The first refers to the reaction of each person and their facial expression, which becomes withdrawn or driven back, as if into a jar. The second meaning refers to the losses in battle of those who oppose them. Their appearance (in battle) is driven back as if into a jar. All opposition is driven back by them, whether personal opposition shown even by facial expression, or forceful opposition with weapons.(Conte)
2. 2:6This entire passage can be interpreted to refer to the coming war (World War III) between the Arab nations of the Middle East and the Western nations (U.S. and Europe). It can also refer to much later battles, whereby the Antichrist conquers the world.(Conte)

⁷ They will rush forward, as if they were strong. Like valiant warriors, they will ascend the wall. The men will advance, each one on his own way, and they will not turn aside from their path.

⁸ And each one will not hem in his brother; every one will walk in his own rough path. Moreover, they will drop through the breach and not be harmed.¹

1. 2:8Literally, the text says, ‘they will fall through the windows,’ but the context is warfare, so the translation uses ‘drop’ instead of ‘fall’ and ‘breach’ instead of ‘window.’ In other words, during battle, they will break through the breach point (narrow opening) in order to advance militarily.(Conte)

⁹ They will advance into the city; they will rush through the wall. They will scale the houses; they will go in through the windows, like a thief.

¹⁰ Before their face, the earth has trembled, the heavens have been moved. The sun and moon have been obscured, and the stars have retracted their splendor.¹

1. 2:10Here the text does not say that the sun and the moon go dark, but are lessened in their light. Similarly, the stars do not go dark, they reduce their shining beauty.(Conte)

¹¹ And the Lord has bestowed his voice before the face of his army. For its military camps are very numerous; for they are strong and they carry out his word. For the day of the Lord is great and so very terrible, and who can withstand it?

¹² Now, therefore, the Lord says: “Be converted to me with your whole heart, in fasting and weeping and mourning.”

¹³ And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and convert to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and merciful, patient and full of compassion, and steadfast despite ill will.¹

1. 2:13Or, ‘excelling over ill will.’ Or, ‘....steadfastly rising above ill will.’ Or, ‘excelling above malice.’(Conte)

¹⁴ Who knows if he might convert and forgive, and bequeath a blessing after him, a sacrifice and a libation to the Lord your God?

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call an assembly.

¹⁶ Gather the people, sanctify the church, unite the elders, gather together the little ones and infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom depart from his bed, and the bride from her bridal chamber.

¹⁷ Between the vestibule and the altar, the priests, the ministers of the Lord, will weep, and they will say: “Spare, O Lord, spare your people. And do not bequeath your inheritance into disgrace, so that the nations would rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

¹⁸ The Lord has been zealous for his land, and he has spared his people.

¹⁹ And the Lord responded, and he said to his people: “Behold, I will send you grain and wine and oil, and you will again be filled with them. And I will no longer give you disgrace among the Gentiles.¹

1. 2:19In the Christian view of this text, the ‘Gentiles’ are those who are non-Christian and non-Jews, those who do not believe in the teachings of the Bible. And grain, wine, and oil represent the Sacraments, which make use of these things.(Conte)

²⁰ And he who is from the North, I will drive far from you. And I will expel him into an impassable land, and into the desert, with his face opposite the Eastern sea, and his furthest part towards the furthest sea. And his stench will ascend, and his rottenness will ascend, because he has acted arrogantly.¹²

1. 2:20This verse is about the Antichrist, who will first take power in the kingdom of the North (as the Book of Daniel says). The phrase ‘extremum eius ad mare novissimum’ could be interpreted to mean ‘with his back towards the furthest sea.’ The word ‘novissimum’ can mean ‘newest,’ but it can also mean furthest, since the newest troops are the last in the line of troops and the furthest away. This phrase is something of a play on words, since his furthest part, his extremity, is towards the furthest sea.(Conte)
2. 2:20The northern enemy: Some understand this of Holofernes and his army: others, of the locusts.(Challoner)

²¹ Earth, do not be afraid. Exult and rejoice. For the Lord has great esteem for what he has done.¹

1. 2:21This last phrase does not actually say, ‘For the Lord has done great things.’ It says, ‘because the Lord has greatly esteemed that which he has done.’(Conte)

²² Animals of the countryside, do not be afraid. For the beauty of the wilderness has sprung forth. For the tree has borne its fruit. The fig tree and the vine have bestowed their virtue.¹

1. 2:22Or, ‘The fig tree and the vine have given their strength.’ The virtue of the fig tree and the vine is in their fruits, but these are also symbols of the true fruits of Creation, such as virtue and the other gifts of God’s grace.(Conte)

²³ And you, sons of Zion, exult and rejoice in the Lord your God. For he has given you a teacher of justice, and he will make the early and the late rains descend to you, just as it was in the beginning.¹

1. 2:23In Israel, it rains a little in the fall and a little in the spring. Most of the rain falls in the winter. The early and late rains, at the start and finish of the planting season (from fall to spring) can make the difference between a crop that succeeds and one that fails.(Conte)

²⁴ And the threshing floors will be filled with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and oil.

²⁵ And I will repay you for the years which the locust, and the beetle, and the mildew, and the caterpillar consumed: my great strength which I sent upon you.

²⁶ And you will eat with enjoyment, and you will be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked miracles with you, and my people will not be confounded forever.

²⁷ And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, and there is no other, and my people will not be confounded forever.

²⁸ And after this, it will happen that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your elders will dream dreams, and your youths will see visions.¹

1. 2:28Here is an example of a verse where the Challoner Douay-Rheims version translation refers to men: ‘old men,’ and ‘young men,’ but the text itself is fairly gender inclusive. The word ‘senes’ is masculine, but if the text wanted to refer specifically to men, it could easily have been worded with the word ‘vir.’ And the same can be said for ‘juvenes,’ (juveniles or youths). This translation (the CPDV) is certainly NOT an inclusive language or gender neutral version. Instead, the text is translated with whatever words most closely fit the Latin text, even if at times it might seem to be inclusive language. Notice also that the text actually says ‘sons and daughters’ in the Latin. Therefore, when the text only says ‘sons,’ a translation of ‘sons and daughters’ or ‘people’ would not be justified.(Conte)

²⁹ Moreover, in those days I will pour out my spirit upon my servants and handmaids.

³⁰ And I will grant wonders in the sky and on earth: blood and fire and the vapor of smoke.

³¹ The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall arrive.

³² And it will happen that everyone who will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. For on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and in the remnant whom the Lord will call, there will be salvation, just as the Lord has said.