They ¹  charge ²  like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. ³  Each one proceeds on his course; they do not alter ⁴  their path.

biblegateway Joe 2:7

They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they deviate from their paths.

They attack as warriors attack ; they scale walls as men of war do . Each goes on his own path, and they do not change their course.

They run like warriors. They climb walls like soldiers. They march straight ahead. They do not leave their places.

biblegateway Joe 2:7

They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course.

Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths.

bibleoremus Joe 2:7

Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the wall. Each keeps to its own course, they do not swerve from their paths.

Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the walls; each keeps in line with no confusion in the ranks,

biblegateway Joe 2:7

They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks.

They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

biblegateway Joe 2:7

They ¹  charge ²  like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. ³  Each one proceeds on his course; they do not alter ⁴  their path.

¹ sn Since the invaders are compared to warriors, this suggests that they are not actually human, but instead an army of locusts.

² tn Heb “run.”

³ tn Heb “men of battle.”

⁴ tc The translation reads יְעַבְּתוּן (yÿ’abbÿtun) for MT יְעַבְּטוּן (yÿ’abbÿtun). The verb found in MT (עָבַט, ’avat) means “take or give a pledge” (cf. Deut 15:6, 8; 24:10) and does not fit the context. Some scholars have proposed various emendations: (1) יְעָוְּתוּן (yÿ’avvÿtun, “they make crooked”); (2) יָטּוּן (yattun, “they turn aside”); (3) יָעַוּוּן (ya’avvun, “they err”); and (4) יְעָבְּתוּן (adopted in the present translation) from the root I עָבַת (’avat, “to twist, pervert”) or II עָבַת (’avat, “to change, abandon”). KBL adopt the latter option, but the only biblical evidence for this is the problematic reference in Joel 2:7. Another option is to view it as a variant of the root חבט (khavat, “turn aside from”), a meaning attested for the Arabic cognate. The difference in spelling would be due to the interchange of the guttural letters khet (ח) and ayin (ע). This may lay behind LXX rendering ἐκκλίνωσιν (ekklinwsin; cf. Syriac Peshitta nstwn and Vg declinabunt). See S. F. Whitley, “‘bt in Joel 2, 7,” Bib 65 (1984): 101-2.