Joel 1

1 The word of Jehovah that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

This is the word of Yahweh that came to Joel son of Pethuel.

2 Hear this, you elders, And listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has this ever happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

Hear this, you elders, and listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?

3 Tell your children about it, and have your children tell their children, and their children, another generation.

Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation.

4 What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten.

What the swarming locust has left the great locust has eaten; what the great locust has left the grasshopper has eaten; and what the grasshopper has left the caterpillar has eaten.

5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep. Wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine, because the sweet wine has been cut off from you.

6 For a nation has come up on my land, strong, and without number. His teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the fangs of a lioness.

For a nation has come up upon my land, strong and without number. His teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the teeth of a lioness.

7 He has laid my vine waste, and stripped my fig tree. He has stripped its bark, and thrown it away. Its branches are made white.

He has made my vineyard into a desolate place and has stripped my fig tree bare. He has stripped its bark and thrown it away; the branches are bare white.

8 Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the death of her young husband.

9 The meal offering and the drink offering are cut off from Jehovah's house. The priests, Jehovah's ministers, mourn.

The grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off from Yahweh's house. The priests, Yahweh's servants, mourn.

10 The field is laid waste. The land mourns, for the grain is destroyed, The new wine has dried up, and the oil languishes.

The fields are ruined, the ground is mourning because the grain has been destroyed. The new wine has dried up, the oil fails.

11 Be confounded, you farmers. Wail, you vineyard keepers; for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field has perished.

Be ashamed, you farmers, and wail, you vine growers, for the wheat and the barley. For the harvest of the fields has perished.

12 The vine has dried up, and the fig tree withered; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all of the trees of the field are withered; for joy has withered away from the sons of men.

The vines have withered and the fig trees have dried up, the pomegranate trees, also the palm trees, and the apple trees— all the trees of the field have withered. For joy has withered away from the descendants of mankind.

13 Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests. Wail, you ministers of the altar. Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, for the meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from your God's house.

Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests! Wail, you servants of the altar. Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you servants of my God. For the grain offering and the drink offering have been withheld from the house of your God.

14 Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of Jehovah, your God, and cry to Jehovah.

Call for a holy fast, and call a holy assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of Yahweh your God, and cry to Yahweh.

15 Alas for the day. For the day of Jehovah is at hand, and it will come as destruction from Shaddai.

Alas for the day! For the day of Yahweh is almost here. With it will come destruction from the Almighty.

16 Isn't the food cut off before our eyes; joy and gladness from the house of our God?

Has not food been cut off from before our eyes, and joy and gladness from the house of our God?

17 The seeds shrivel under their shovels. The storehouses are laid desolate. The granaries are broken down, for the grain has withered.

The seeds rot under their clods, the granaries are desolate, and the barns have been broken down, for the grain has withered.

18 How the animals groan. The herds of livestock are perplexed, because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are suffering because they have no pasture. Also, the flocks of sheep suffer.

19 Jehovah, I cry to you, for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field.

Yahweh, I cry to you. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the fields.

20 Yes, the animals of the field pant to you, for the water brooks have dried up, And the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Even the animals of the fields pant for you, for the water brooks have dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.