< Joel 1 >

1 BOEIPA ol tah Pethuel capa Joel taengah pai.
[I am] Joel, the son of Pethuel. [This is] a message that Yahweh gave to me.
2 He he patong rhoek loh ya uh lamtah khohmuen khosa boeih loh hnatun uh. He he nangmih tue neh na pa rhoek tue ah khaw om noek nim?
You leaders [of Israel], and everyone else who lives in this country, listen [to this message]! Nothing [RHQ] like this has ever happened during the time that we have lived or the time when our ancestors lived.
3 Te te na ca rhoek ham neh na ca rhoek kah a ca rhoek ham khaw, a ca rhoek kah cadilcahma patoeng ham khaw daek pah.
Tell your children about it, and tell your children to tell it to their children, and tell your grandchildren to tell it to their children.
4 Lungmul cakcoih te kaisih loh a caak, kaisih cakcoih te lungang loh a caak, lungang cakcoih te phol loh a caak.
[I am talking about] the locusts that have eaten our crops. The first swarm of locusts came and cut [many of the leaves of the crops]; then another swarm came and ate [the rest of the leaves], then another swarm came hopping along, and finally another swarm came and they destroyed [everything else].
5 Yurhui rhoek haenghang uh lamtah rhap uh laeh. Thingtui loh na dang te a koek ham coeng dongah misurtui aka o boeih loh rhung uh laeh.
You people who are drunk, wake up! Wake up and wail loudly, because all the grapes are ruined, and so there will be no new wine [MTY]!
6 Namtom loh ka pilnu khohmuen ah pongpa tih hlangmi na moenih. A no khaw sathueng no coeng tih sathuengnu kah pumcu khaw a khueh.
[Huge swarms of] locusts have entered our country. [They are like] [MET] a powerful army [that has very many soldiers], [with the result that] no one can count them. The locusts have teeth that are [as sharp as] the teeth of lions [DOU]!
7 Ka misur khaw loto la a khueh tih ka thaibu he vahhu la tlaai rhoe tlaai coeng. A baek te bokphae la a voeih.
They have destroyed our grapevines and our fig trees [by] stripping off [and eating all] the bark, with the result that the branches are white [and (bare/have no leaves on them)].
8 A va camoe ham tlamhni aka bai oila bangla rhaloei laeh.
Cry like [SIM] a young woman cries when the young man to whom she was (engaged/promised to marry) has died.
9 BOEIPA im lamkah khocang neh tuisi khaw pat tih BOEIPA bibi khosoih rhoek te kohuet coeng.
There is no grain or wine for us to offer [as sacrifices] at the temple, [so] the priests who serve Yahweh are mourning/weeping.
10 Khohmuen a rhoelrhak tih diklai nguekcoi coeng. Cangpai a rhoelrhak pah tih misur thai khaw kak. Situi khaw ha.
[The crops in] the fields have been ruined; [it is as though] [PRS] the ground is mourning. The grain has been destroyed, there are no [grapes to make] wine, and there is no [more olive] oil.
11 Lopho rhoek yak uh lamtah dumpho rhoek te rhung uh laeh. Cang ham neh cangtun ham khaw lohma cangah paltham coeng.
You farmers, grieve! You who take care of grapevines, wail, because the grain has been destroyed; there is no wheat or barley growing.
12 Misur neh thaibu te rhae coeng. Tale, rhophoe neh thaihthawn khaw huum tih khohmuen thingkung boeih koh. Hlang ca rhoek lamkah omngaihnah khaw daeh coeng.
The grapevines and the fig trees have withered, and the pomegranate [trees] and palm [trees] and apricot [trees] have also dried up. The people are no longer joyful.
13 Khosoih rhoek aw yen uh lamtah rhaengsae uh. Hmueihtuk kah aka thotat rhoek rhung uh laeh. Ka Pathen kah tueihyoeih rhoek kun uh lamtah tlamhni neh rhaeh uh. Na Pathen im lamkah khocang neh tuisi khaw a hloh coeng.
You priests, put on [rough] sack clothes and wail. You who serve God [by offering sacrifices] on the altar, wear those rough sack clothes all night [to show that you are mourning], because there is no grain or wine to be offered at the temple of your God.
14 Yaehnah te ciim uh lamtah pahong khaw hoe uh laeh. Patong rhoek, khohmuen khosa boeih te na Pathen BOEIPA im ah tingtun uh lamtah BOEIPA taengah pang uh.
Tell the people that they should (fast/abstain from eating food). Tell the leaders and the other people to gather at the temple and to cry [out] to Yahweh [there].
15 Ya-oe khohnin aih! BOEIPA kah khohnin yoei coeng tih tlungthang lamloh rhoelrhanah la pai ni.
Terrible things are happening to us! It will soon be the time when Yahweh, [who is] the Almighty God, [will really punish us], [when he] will cause us to experience more disasters.
16 Buh he mamih mikhmuh kah moenih a? Mamih Pathen im lamloh kohoenah neh omngaihnah khaw pat coeng.
Our crops are already gone, and no [one is] rejoicing at all [DOU] at the temple of our God.
17 A tii a muu te a laitling hmuiah ut coeng. Thakvoh khaw pong coeng. Cangpai te pok tih khai koengloeng uh coeng.
[When we plant] seeds, [they do not grow]; they dry up in the ground, so there are no crops to harvest. Our barns/storehouses are empty; there is no grain [to store in them].
18 Rhamsa loh luemnah tal tih mat huei uh. Saelhung tuping rhoek a lukil uh. Amih kongah boiva tuping khaw boe coeng.
Our cattle groan, searching for a pasture with some grass to eat, and the sheep bleat because they are suffering.
19 Khosoek kah toitlim te hmai loh a hlawp tih khohmuen thingkung boeih hmaisai loh a hlawp dongah BOEIPA nang taengah ka puen.
Yahweh, I cry [out] to you, because our pastures and our forests have dried up in the hot sunshine [MET].
20 Kohong rhamsa pataeng sokca tui boeih kak tih khosoek kah a toitlim hmai loh a hlawp pah dongah nang te m'phoe coeng.
[It is as though] even the wild animals cry [out] to you because all the streams have dried up. The rivers and streams are all dry, and the grass in the pastures is all parched.

< Joel 1 >