< יואל 1 >
דבר יהוה אשר היה אל יואל בן פתואל | 1 |
[I am] Joel, the son of Pethuel. [This is] a message that Yahweh gave to me.
שמעו זאת הזקנים והאזינו כל יושבי הארץ ההיתה זאת בימיכם ואם בימי אבתיכם | 2 |
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.
עליה לבניכם ספרו ובניכם לבניהם ובניהם לדור אחר | 3 |
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.
יתר הגזם אכל הארבה ויתר הארבה אכל הילק ויתר הילק אכל החסיל | 4 |
[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].
הקיצו שכורים ובכו והיללו כל שתי יין על עסיס כי נכרת מפיכם | 5 |
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]!
כי גוי עלה על ארצי עצום ואין מספר שניו שני אריה ומתלעות לביא לו | 6 |
[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]!
שם גפני לשמה ותאנתי לקצפה חשף חשפה והשליך הלבינו שריגיה | 7 |
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)].
אלי כבתולה חגרת שק על בעל נעוריה | 8 |
Cry like [SIM] a young woman cries when the young man to whom she was (engaged/promised to marry) has died.
הכרת מנחה ונסך מבית יהוה אבלו הכהנים משרתי יהוה | 9 |
There is no grain or wine for us to offer [as sacrifices] at the temple, [so] the priests who serve Yahweh are mourning/weeping.
שדד שדה אבלה אדמה כי שדד דגן הוביש תירוש אמלל יצהר | 10 |
[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.
הבישו אכרים הילילו כרמים על חטה ועל שערה כי אבד קציר שדה | 11 |
You farmers, grieve! You who take care of grapevines, wail, because the grain has been destroyed; there is no wheat or barley growing.
הגפן הובישה והתאנה אמללה רמון גם תמר ותפוח כל עצי השדה יבשו--כי הביש ששון מן בני אדם | 12 |
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.
חגרו וספדו הכהנים הילילו משרתי מזבח--באו לינו בשקים משרתי אלהי כי נמנע מבית אלהיכם מנחה ונסך | 13 |
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.
קדשו צום קראו עצרה--אספו זקנים כל ישבי הארץ בית יהוה אלהיכם וזעקו אל יהוה | 14 |
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].
אהה ליום כי קרוב יום יהוה וכשד משדי יבוא | 15 |
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.
הלוא נגד עינינו אכל נכרת מבית אלהינו שמחה וגיל | 16 |
Our crops are already gone, and no [one is] rejoicing at all [DOU] at the temple of our God.
עבשו פרדות תחת מגרפתיהם--נשמו אצרות נהרסו ממגרות כי הביש דגן | 17 |
[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].
מה נאנחה בהמה נבכו עדרי בקר--כי אין מרעה להם גם עדרי הצאן נאשמו | 18 |
Our cattle groan, searching for a pasture with some grass to eat, and the sheep bleat because they are suffering.
אליך יהוה אקרא כי אש אכלה נאות מדבר ולהבה להטה כל עצי השדה | 19 |
Yahweh, I cry [out] to you, because our pastures and our forests have dried up in the hot sunshine [MET].
גם בהמות שדה תערוג אליך כי יבשו אפיקי מים ואש אכלה נאות המדבר | 20 |
[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.