Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume II: Restoration & Redemption

Lesson 15 Joel & the Day of the LORD
the Book of Joel 1:1–9
the Book of Joel 1:13
the Book of Joel 1:15
the Book of Joel 2:1–6
the Book of Joel 2:10–19
the Book of Joel 2:26–32
the Book of Joel 3:1–21

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
next lesson: Malachi: The Final Prophetic Word in the Old Testament

This online supplemental material coordinates with the lesson on pages 104–109 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

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“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
—the Book of Isaiah 55:10–11 (RSVCE)**

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welcome to Volume II of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume II of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains 23 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 28-lesson Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

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open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Book of Isaiah 56:1–7, the Book of Isaiah 58:4–9, the Book of Isaiah 58:13–14, the Book of Isaiah 59:19–21, the Book of Isaiah 60:1–5, the Book of Isaiah 60:19, the Book of Isaiah 61:1–3, the Book of Isaiah 61:10–11, the Book of Isaiah 62:1–7, the Book of Isaiah 64:1–2, the Book of Isaiah 65:17–25, the Book of Isaiah 66:1–2, and the Book of Isaiah 66:22
Lesson 14 Trito-Isaiah & the Return looks at chapters 55 through 66 in the Book of Isaiah, the section of the work labeled Trito- (Third) Isaiah. In it, the prophet responsible for that writing addresses the situation the descendants of Judah face after returning to Jerusalem at the end of the Babylonian Exile. Worth noting is the LORD’s interest in the salvation of all people, something that shows up early in the Old Testament but then takes a back seat when the descendants of Jacob begin ignoring their responsibility to the covenant. This section of the Book of Isaiah renews the emphasis on the Temple as a house for all and on the LORD as the universal king who reigns from heaven.

map notes—a common problem in the Middle East
The Book of Joel picks up on a familiar threat to the descendants of Jacob, who after settling in the land of Canaan gave up their nomadic background in favor of an agrarian lifestyle. Swarms of locusts were common during biblical times, jeopardizing crops. The prophet Joel identifies a particularly severe assault by locusts as a plague imposed on the descendants of Jacob as a result of sin, and the prophet’s message from God is a familiar one—no matter how terrible their sins have been, the people can escape divine punishment if they return to the LORD. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 109 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

little is known about the prophet Joel—& it doesn’t matter (51:40)
In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses a seldom-mentioned insight we can take away from the Book of Joel concerning why there’s so little biblical information provided about the author. Throughout the Old Testament, the word of the LORD comes to the prophets, and that’s what leads them to understand that they’ve been called to deliver God’s message to his people. While what accompanies this understanding never is the focus of the biblical text, the prophet’s entire existence changes as a result of this calling. He goes from being identified as whoever he had been to being seen as a mouthpiece of the LORD. What the prophet was before being called not only is unimportant, it’s insignificant. All that matters is the message that the prophet is delivering from God. What’s significant for Christians is that through our Baptism all of us also are called to be prophets and deliver God’s message to the world. Every encounter we have with God—each time we participate at Mass or in the sacrament of Reconciliation, for example—is an invitation to radically change our lives.

oops—Matthew misspeaks on the video
On the video overview of this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps identifies the prophetic passage about beating swords into plowshares as being from Deutero- (Second) Isaiah. It is indeed in the Book of Isaiah, but is instead in the section credited to Proto- (First) Isaiah, the prophet who also is known as Isaiah of Jerusalem.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 15, “Joel & the Day of the LORD,” on pages 104–109 in the study book.

locusts reappear in the book of Revelation
Locusts in the ninth chapter in the book of Revelation will show up again in Lesson 22 An Apocalyptic Vision of Christian Tribulation in this study. Unlike the locusts in the Book of Joel, however, the locusts in the book of Revelation are forbidden to destroy living plants. Instead, they’re charged with tormenting humans for five months, the approximate lifespan of a locust. The locusts in both the Book of Joel and the book of Revelation call to mind the eighth plague in the book of Exodus 10:1–15. You can learn more in Lesson 9 Plagues of Boils, Hail & Locusts in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. The purpose of the 10 plagues against Egypt was to free the descendants of Jacob from slavery to Pharaoh so that they could worship God and eventually return to the Promised Land. In Egypt, the locusts were employed against the enemies of God’s people, while in the Book of Joel they’re described as punishment aimed at God’s people. Lesson 10 So the Four Angels Were Released in The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness contains more information about locusts used as an apocalyptic image associated with the end times.

more about trumpets & liturgy
A trumpet appears in the Book of Joel 2:1. Blowing a trumpet on Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year and celebrates Creation. It also signals a 10-day trial before God’s heavenly court. With what other Old Testament events are you familiar in which trumpets play a significant role? Trumpets also appear as a key image throughout the book of Revelation. To learn more about trumpets in liturgy, read “Signs in the Heavens & on the Earth” on page 108 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

what Matthew says—get serious about returning to the LORD
The Book of Joel 2:12–18 is familiar to many Catholics, who hear it read on Ash Wednesday each year.  Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps sees the primary message in that passage telling us that despite our past sins, it’s not too late to turn again to God. God isn’t interested in hearing us say that we’re sorry. An apology without sincere repentance is worthless. This means that if we don’t sincerely intend not to repeat the sins we’re confessing, absolution in the sacrament of Reconciliation is invalid. We can intend not to repeat a habitual sin and still fail, and that’s OK. It’s possible to feel genuine sorrow for sin and fully intend not to repeat the sin—and still end up sinning again at some later time. The thing that establishes whether our confession is valid is the state of our heart at the time we confess our sins to a priest. It’s essential that we regret our sins so much that we’re determined not to repeat them. Whether we succeed is a different matter, but all of the efforts we make in that direction move us closer to God.

there’s no time like the present
According to the prophet Joel, it’s never too late to repent. Lent is an ideal time to start taking our relationship with God very seriously, but it’s by no means the only time. A sense of urgency in regard to the attention we pay to our relationship with God can be seen throughout the Scriptures. It’s this feeling of urgency that contributes to the timeless quality of the prophet’s message in the Book of Joel. (The date of Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, is determined by the date of Easter, which varies from year to year. In 2025, the liturgical season of Lent will begin on March 5.)

repentance—you could look it up in our archives
The theme of the Book of Joel 2:12–18 is repentance. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps looks at the Greek word for “repentance,” μετάνοια (metanoia). This word quite literally means “rethinking.” At the core of the idea of “repentance” is a reexamination of our values and an honest effort to look at our lives. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

a connection to the Christian Pentecost
For Christians, God’s vow to pour out his spirit on all flesh—a promise found in the Book of Joel 2:28–29—undoubtedly is one of the most significant prophecies in the Old Testament. In Acts of the Apostles 2:17–21, Joel’s prescient words are referenced by Peter in his first homily. Ever since then, Christians have associated Joel’s prophecy with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

what Matthew says—the significance of grain, wine & oil
In the Book of Joel 2:19, the LORD announces: “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied.…” As Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps points out on the video that accompanies this lesson, these are rather unusual things for God to choose to send to satisfy the appetites of his people. The point seems to be that grain, wine, and oil are things that are grown from the ground and are needed to fulfill a liturgical function. The descendants of Jacob need these things in order to offer proper worship. It’s after that obligation is met that God will see to our personal needs. God wants us to offer him our best and first, but it seems to be human nature instead to try to get away with giving God whatever is flawed and left over after we’ve taken what we want. This doesn’t apply primarily to money but also to how we spend our time and what absorbs most of our attention. The prophet Joel is making the point that people won’t be fully satisfied unless they’re doing what it takes to maintain and improve their relationship with God. St. Augustine of Hippo, who lived in the late 4th and early 5th century, makes the same point when he writes in his Confessions about humanity’s relationship toward God: “Our hearts are restless until they can find rest in you.”

biblical vocabulary—signs & portents
A change in translation occurs between the way that the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) and the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translate the Book of Joel 2:30. The RSVC2E, which is the translation that we reprint in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, has: “And I will give signs in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.” The RSVCE, an earlier translation that Turning to God’s Word links to online, translates the same verse using the word portents instead of signs: “I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.” Both words—signs and portents—mean roughly the same thing, although portent carries with it a connotation of a threat or an omen, which is related to the English word ominous. Sign is a more neutral word and suggests something that instructs and points toward something else rather than predicts. For comparison, the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) numbers the same verse slightly differently—as the Book of Joel 3:3—and translates it using the word sign.

a somewhat rare instance in which Israel means the Church
In the Book of Joel 3:2, the prophet announces that God intends to enter into judgment with the nations on account of his people and his heritage Israel. Although Israel could be strictly understood to mean the descendants of Jacob, the uncertainty about when the Book of Joel was written and the idea that God’s judgment is related to the day of the LORD, which Christians understand will occur at the end of time, places this event in the future. There’s also no evidence that God already has come to earth and judged the nations at the valley of Jehoshaphat. If the day of the LORD is yet to come, then in this particular instance, Israel would refer to all of God’s people at that time, and would include members of the Church established by Jesus. You can find information about all of the proper nouns that appear in the biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption in the online glossary that accompanies this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study.

test your knowledge of biblical trivia
The Book of Joel 3:2 also refers to the valley of Jehoshaphat as the location where God will come to judge the nations.

?  Do you know the significance of Jehoshaphat in Old Testament history? Learn more in Lesson 5 Judah Also Sins Against the LORD and Lesson 9 Ahab Dies in Battle, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
?  Where is the valley of Jehoshaphat located? You can find the answer by referring to the online glossary that accompanies this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study.
?  What popular cartoon character made frequent reference to “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat”?***

who are the Sabeans?
The Sabeans in the Book of Joel 3:8 are foreigners to whom the children of enemies of the descendants of Judah eventually will be sold as slaves. The Sabeans dwell at some distance from nations that have been enslaving God’s people, so being sold to the Sabeans not only would make slaves of the enemies of God’s people, it would force their relocation away from their homelands. Visit our online glossary to learn more about where the Sabeans are from and the significance of their name. All of the proper nouns in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption are listed in alphabetical order.

a surprising reversal of prophecy
The prophet known as Proto- (First) Isaiah or Isaiah of Jerusalem urged the people to beat their swords into plowshares in the Book of Isaiah 2:4. It usually surprises readers to learn that the Book of Joel 3:10 reverses that prophecy, instead urging the people to beat their plowshares into swords. In explanation, the two prophets appear to be writing about two different times. Proto- (First) Isaiah is writing about a time of peace and prosperity when all nations will come to Zion to worship the LORD. Joel, in contrast, is writing about the day of the LORD, after which there will be no place for the wicked on the earth. In the first instance, the people will have no need for weapons because they will have no enemies during this time of peace, but they will need agricultural tools to grow food. In the second instance, God will provide for them so that they won’t need to worry about crops, but it appears that they will be expected to participate in violence to rid the world of wicked people. What reasons can you suggest that might explain this discrepancy in biblical prophecy? Lesson 20 Isaiah Foresees Immanuel’s Birth and Lesson 23 Hezekiah Consults Isaiah, both in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, include more information about the writings of Proto- (First) Isaiah, a prophet who sometimes is called Isaiah of Jerusalem.

darkness & gloom are coming
In the Book of Joel 2:1–2, the prophet indicates that the day of the LORD will be marked by darkness and gloom, which sounds ominous. While the day of the LORD will be a good thing for God’s allies, it won’t be so good for those who’ve been living in opposition to God. As Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps puts it on the video that accompanies this lesson, “If you’re not on God’s side, when he shows up you’re in for a bad time.”

how is this relevant?
As Christians, we associate the coming of God with light, and Scripture reinforces that idea. In the Gospel According to John 3:19, however, the Evangelist writes: “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Each lesson in the study book Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains commentaries designed to make it easier to reflect on ways that God’s Word applies to present-day Christians.

?  Consider whether there’s any theological middle ground between light and darkness.
?  What are some moral issues that the Church considers black-and-white but that society tends to view as gray areas?
?  Consider what generally happens when people who aren’t ready to see the reality and the truth of God are confronted with the Light that is Christ.
?  Think about a sin that’s difficult for the secular world to eliminate. How might continuing to live in that sin keep someone from developing a closer relationship with God?
?  What help is available through the Church for people who sincerely repent?

the Book of Joel 2:12–13—paragraph 1430
the Book of Joel 3:1–2—paragraph 1287
the Book of Joel 3:1–5—paragraph 715
the Book of Joel 3:4—paragraph 678

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

to learn more, read more Scripture
It can help to check out the cross references listed in Scripture, but looking them up is time-consuming. To make that part easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Book of Joel 1:1–9 (NIV)
the Book of Joel 1:13 (NIV)
the Book of Joel 1:15 (NIV)
the Book of Joel 2:1–6 (NIV)
the Book of Joel 2:10–19 (NIV)
the Book of Joel 2:26–32 (NIV)
the Book of Joel 3:1–21 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps, or you can use the following  prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

Almighty Lord God, you promised to give signs
in the heavens and on earth to announce the coming of your day of judgment,
and to deliver all who call upon your name.
Reconcile us to yourself by pouring out your Spirit
so that all may return to you and no one be put to shame,
for you always deal wondrously with us and give us your blessings.
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
whose coming we await on the final day of the Lord. Amen.

Lesson 16 Malachi: The Final Prophetic Word in the Old Testament—the Book of Malachi 1:1—4:6 Lesson 14 Trito-Isaiah & the Return—the Book of Isaiah 56:1–7, the Book of Isaiah 58:4–9, the Book of Isaiah 58:13–14, the Book of Isaiah 59:19–21, the Book of Isaiah 60:1–5, the Book of Isaiah 60:19, the Book of Isaiah 61:1–3, the Book of Isaiah 61:10–11, the Book of Isaiah 62:1–7, the Book of Isaiah 64:1–2, the Book of Isaiah 65:17–25, the Book of Isaiah 66:1–2, and the Book of Isaiah 66:22

you also may like our study of the book of Revelation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, a 23-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines ways in which our traditional Christian view of heaven is built on Hebrew apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old Testament. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary and takes a close look at the role of the prophets in present-day Christianity. Illustrations by Tami Palladino depict the often-misunderstood images in the book of Revelation. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can find information on this website about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and address any of your concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

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*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of more significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSVCE and RSV2CE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.

**The Book of Isaiah 55:10-11 (RSV2CE) reads: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

***To learn more about Jehoshaphat, including what popular cartoon character made frequent reference to “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat,” visit the online online glossary for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.