Joeli 1
1 Neno la Bwana ambalo lilimjia Yoeli mwana wa Pethueli.
The word of the Lord which came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.
2 Sikilizeni hili, enyi wazee; sikilizeni, ninyi nyote mnaoishi katika nchi. Je, jambo kama hili lilishawahi kutokea katika siku zenu au katika siku za babu zenu?
Give ear to this, you old men, and take note, you people of the land. Has this ever been in your days, or in the days of your fathers?
3 Waelezeni watoto wenu, na watoto wenu wawaambie watoto wao, na watoto wao kwa kizazi kitakachofuata.
Give the story of it to your children, and let them give it to their children, and their children to another generation.
4 Kilichosazwa na kundi la tunutu nzige wakubwa wamekula, kilichosazwa na nzige wakubwa parare wamekula, kilichosazwa na parare madumadu wamekula.
What the worm did not make a meal of, has been taken by the locust; and what the locust did not take, has been food for the plant-worm; and what the plant-worm did not take, has been food for the field-fly.
5 Amkeni, enyi walevi, mlie! Pigeni yowe enyi wanywaji wote wa mvinyo, pigeni yowe kwa sababu ya mvinyo mpya, kwa kuwa mmenyangʼanywa kutoka midomoni mwenu.
Come out of your sleep, you who are overcome with wine, and give yourselves to weeping; give cries of sorrow, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it has been cut off from your mouths.
6 Taifa limevamia nchi yangu, lenye nguvu tena lisilo na idadi; lina meno ya simba, magego ya simba jike.
For a nation has come up over my land, strong and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the back teeth of a great lion.
7 Limeharibu mizabibu yangu na kuangamiza mitini yangu. Limebambua magome yake na kuyatupilia mbali, likayaacha matawi yake yakiwa meupe.
By him my vine is made waste and my fig-tree broken: he has taken all its fruit and sent it down to the earth; its branches are made white.
8 Omboleza kama bikira aliyevaa nguo ya gunia anayehuzunika kwa ajili ya mume wa ujana wake.
Make sounds of grief like a virgin dressed in haircloth for the husband of her early years.
9 Sadaka za nafaka na sadaka za kinywaji zimekatiliwa mbali kutoka nyumba ya Bwana. Makuhani wanaomboleza, wale wanaohudumu mbele za Bwana.
The meal offering and the drink offering have been cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord's servants, are sorrowing.
10 Mashamba yameharibiwa, ardhi imekauka; nafaka imeharibiwa, mvinyo mpya umekauka, mafuta yamekoma.
The fields are wasted, the land has become dry; for the grain is wasted, the new wine is kept back, the oil is poor.
11 Kateni tamaa, enyi wakulima, lieni, enyi mlimao mizabibu; huzunikeni kwa ajili ya ngano na shayiri, kwa sababu mavuno ya shambani yameharibiwa.
The farmers are shamed, the workers in the vine-gardens give cries of grief, for the wheat and the barley; for the produce of the fields has come to destruction.
12 Mzabibu umekauka na mtini umenyauka; mkomamanga, mtende na mtofaa, miti yote shambani, imekauka. Hakika furaha yote ya mwanadamu imeondoka.
The vine has become dry and the fig-tree is feeble; the pomegranate and the palm-tree and the apple-tree, even all the trees of the field, are dry: because joy has gone from the sons of men.
13 Vaeni nguo ya gunia, enyi makuhani, muomboleze; pigeni yowe, enyi mnaohudumu madhabahuni. Njooni, vaeni nguo ya gunia usiku kucha, enyi mnaohudumu mbele za Mungu wangu; kwa kuwa sadaka za nafaka na sadaka za kinywaji zimezuiliwa kufika katika nyumba ya Mungu wenu.
Put haircloth round you and give yourselves to sorrow, you priests; give cries of grief, you servants of the altar: come in, and, clothed in haircloth, let the night go past, you servants of my God: for the meal offering and the drink offering have been kept back from the house of your God.
14 Tangazeni saumu takatifu; liiteni kusanyiko takatifu. Iteni wazee na wote waishio katika nchi waende katika nyumba ya Bwana Mungu wenu, wakamlilie Bwana.
Let a time be fixed for going without food, have a holy meeting, let the old men, even all the people of the land, come together to the house of the Lord your God, crying out to the Lord.
15 Ole kwa siku hiyo! Kwa kuwa siku ya Bwana iko karibu; itakuja kama uharibifu kutoka kwa Mwenyezi.
Sorrow for the day! for the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Ruler of all it will come.
16 Je, chakula hakikukatiliwa mbali mbele ya macho yetu: furaha na shangwe kutoka nyumba ya Mungu wetu?
Is not food cut off before our eyes? joy and delight from the house of our God?
17 Mbegu zinakauka chini ya mabonge ya udongo. Ghala zimeachwa katika uharibifu, ghala za nafaka zimebomolewa, kwa maana hakuna nafaka.
The grains have become small and dry under the spade; the store-houses are made waste, the grain-stores are broken down; for the grain is dry and dead.
18 Jinsi gani ngʼombe wanavyolia! Makundi ya mifugo yanahangaika kwa sababu hawana malisho; hata makundi ya kondoo yanateseka.
What sounds of pain come from the beasts! the herds of cattle are at a loss because there is no grass for them; even the flocks of sheep are no longer to be seen.
19 Kwako, Ee Bwana, naita, kwa kuwa moto umeteketeza malisho ya mbugani na miali ya moto imeunguza miti yote shambani.
O Lord, my cry goes up to you: for fire has put an end to the grass-lands of the waste, and all the trees of the field are burned with its flame.
20 Hata wanyama wa porini wanakuonea shauku; vijito vya maji vimekauka, na moto umeteketeza malisho yote ya mbugani.
The beasts of the field are turning to you with desire: for the water-streams are dry and fire has put an end to the grass-lands of the waste.
