18-20. At that, God went into action to get his land back.He took pity on his people.God answered and spoke to his people,“Look, listen—I’m sending a gift:Grain and wine and olive oil.The fast is over—eat your fill!I won’t expose you any longerto contempt among the pagans.I’ll head off the final enemy coming out of the northand dump them in a wasteland.Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea,the other half in the Mediterranean.There they’ll rot, a stench to high heaven.The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!”
21-24. Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!God has done great things.Fear not, wild animals!The fields and meadows are greening up.The trees are bearing fruit again:a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!Children of Zion, celebrate!Be glad in your God.He’s giving you a teacherto train you how to live right—Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of wordsto refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain,casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
25-27. “I’ll make up for the years of the locust,the great locust devastation—Locusts savage, locusts deadly,fierce locusts, locusts of doom,That great locust invasionI sent your way.You’ll eat your fill of good food.You’ll be full of praises to your God,The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder.Never again will my people be despised.You’ll know without questionthat I’m in the thick of life with Israel,That I’m your God, yes, your God,the one and only real God.Never again will my people be despised.
28-32. “And that’s just the beginning: After that—“I will pour out my Spiriton every kind of people:Your sons will prophesy,also your daughters.Your old men will dream,your young men will see visions.I’ll even pour out my Spirit on the servants,men and women both.I’ll set wonders in the sky aboveand signs on the earth below:Blood and fire and billowing smoke,the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,Before the Judgment Day of God,the Day tremendous and awesome.Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!’gets help.On Mount Zion and in Jerusalemthere will be a great rescue—just as God said.Included in the survivorsare those that God calls.”