< Joeli 1 >

1 Ĩno nĩyo ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova, ĩrĩa yakinyĩrĩire Joeli mũrũ wa Pethueli.
[I am] Joel, the son of Pethuel. [This is] a message that Yahweh gave to me.
2 Ta iguai ũhoro, inyuĩ athuuri; o na inyuĩ inyuothe arĩa mũtũũraga bũrũri ũyũ thikĩrĩriai. Kũrĩ gwekĩka ũndũ ta ũyũ matukũ-inĩ manyu, o na kana matukũ-inĩ ma maithe manyu ma tene?
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 Heei ciana cianyu ũhoro ũcio, na mũreke ciana cianyu ciĩre ciana ciacio, nacio ciana ciacio ikeera rũciaro rũrĩa rũkaarũmĩrĩra.
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 Kĩndũ kĩrĩa gĩtigĩtio nĩ mũrumbĩ wa ngigĩ-rĩ, nĩkĩrĩtwo nĩ ngigĩ iria nene; kĩrĩa gĩtigĩtio nĩ ngigĩ iria nene-rĩ, nĩkĩrĩtwo nĩ itono; kĩrĩa itono icio itigĩtie-rĩ, nĩkĩrĩtwo nĩ ngigĩ ingĩ.
[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 Arahũkai, inyuĩ arĩĩu aya mũrĩre! Girĩkai, inyuothe anyui a ndibei; girĩkai nĩ ũndũ wa ndibei ya mũhihano, nĩgũkorwo nĩĩhurĩtio kuuma tũnua-inĩ twanyu.
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 Harĩ rũrĩrĩ rũtharĩkĩire bũrũri wakwa, rũrĩrĩ rũrĩ hinya na rũtangĩtarĩka; rũrĩ na magego mahaana ta ma mũrũũthi, magego manene ta ma mũrũũthi wa mũgoma.
[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 Nĩ rwanangĩte mĩthabibũ yakwa, na rũgathũkia mĩkũyũ yakwa. Nĩrũmĩũnũrĩte makoni rũkamate, rũgatiga honge ciayo irĩ nyũnũre.
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 Cakayai ta mũirĩtu gathirange ehumbĩte nguo ya ikũnia, akĩrĩrĩra mũthuuriwe wa wĩthĩ wake.
Cry like [SIM] a young woman cries when the young man to whom she was (engaged/promised to marry) has died.
9 Maruta ma ngano, o na maruta ma kũnyuuo nĩmatigĩte kũrehwo nyũmba-inĩ ya Jehova. Athĩnjĩri-Ngai nĩmaracakaya, o acio matungatagĩra Jehova.
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 Mĩgũnda nĩmĩthũkie, nayo thĩ ĩkooma; ngano nĩnyanange, ndibei ya mũhihano nĩĩniarĩte, o namo maguta magathira.
[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 Ũrwoi nĩ hinya, inyuĩ arĩmi, na mũgirĩke, inyuĩ arĩa mũkũragia mĩthabibũ; mwĩthikĩrei nĩ ũndũ wa ngano na cairi, tondũ magetha ma mĩgũnda nĩmanangĩtwo.
You farmers, grieve! You who take care of grapevines, wail, because the grain has been destroyed; there is no wheat or barley growing.
12 Mĩthabibũ nĩyũmĩte, nayo mĩkũyũ ĩkahooha; mĩkomamanga, na mĩtende, na mĩcungwa: ĩĩ, mĩtĩ yothe ya mũgũnda nĩyũmĩte. Ti-itherũ gĩkeno kĩa andũ a thĩ nĩgĩthirĩte.
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 Mwĩhumbei nguo cia makũnia, inyuĩ athĩnjĩri-Ngai, na mũcakae; girĩkai, inyuĩ mũtungataga kĩgongona-inĩ. Ũkai, mũraare mwĩhumbĩte nguo cia makũnia, inyuĩ mũtungatagĩra Ngai wakwa; nĩgũkorwo maruta ma ngano, na maruta ma kũnyuuo-rĩ, nĩmagĩte gũtwarwo nyũmba-inĩ ya Ngai wanyu.
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 Anĩrĩrai gĩathĩ kĩamũre gĩa kwĩhinga kũrĩa irio; ĩtanai kĩũngano gĩtheru. Tũmanĩrai athuuri na andũ arĩa othe matũũraga bũrũri ũyũ moke nyũmba ya Jehova Ngai wanyu, nĩguo mũkaĩre Jehova.
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 Wũi, kaĩ mũthenya ũcio ũrĩ na haaro-ĩ! Nĩgũkorwo mũthenya wa Jehova ũrĩ hakuhĩ; mũthenya ũcio ũgooka ta mwanangĩko uumĩte kũrĩ Mwene-Hinya-Wothe.
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 Githĩ irio itithirĩte o tũkĩĩonagĩra na maitho maitũ: gĩkeno na gũcanjamũka igathira kuuma kũu nyũmba ya Ngai witũ?
Our crops are already gone, and no [one is] rejoicing at all [DOU] at the temple of our God.
17 Mbeũ nĩkũbutha irabuthĩra tĩĩri-inĩ kũrĩa ihaandĩtwo. Nyũmba cia kũigwo indo nĩnyanange, namo makũmbĩ ma irio makamomorwo, nĩgũkorwo ngano nĩyũmĩte.
[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 Kaĩ ngʼombe nĩicaaĩte-ĩ. Ndũũru cia ngʼombe iroorũũra o ũguo, tondũ itirĩ na gwa kũrĩithio; o nacio ndũũru cia ngʼondu nĩirathĩĩnĩka.
Our cattle groan, searching for a pasture with some grass to eat, and the sheep bleat because they are suffering.
19 Wee Jehova, nĩwe ndĩrakaĩra, nĩgũkorwo mwaki nĩũniinĩte ũrĩithio wa werũ-inĩ, nacio nĩnĩmbĩ igacina mĩtĩ yothe ya gĩthaka.
Yahweh, I cry [out] to you, because our pastures and our forests have dried up in the hot sunshine [MET].
20 O na nyamũ cia gĩthaka nĩirakwanĩria; tũrũũĩ nĩtũhwĩte, naguo mwaki nĩũniinĩte ũrĩithio wa werũ-inĩ.
[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.

< Joeli 1 >