Yoɛl 1

1 Awurade asɛm a ɛbaa Petuel babarima Yoel so ni.

The word of the Lord which came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

2 Muntie saa asɛm yi, mo mpanyimfo; muntie, mo a mote asase no so nyinaa. Asɛm bi a ɛte sɛɛ asi mo mmere so anaa mo mpanyimfo mmere so pɛn?

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 Monka nkyerɛ mo mma, na mo mma nso nka nkyerɛ wɔn mma na wɔn mma nso nka nkyerɛ awo ntoatoaso a edi so no.

Give the story of it to your children, and let them give it to their children, and their children to another generation.

4 Nea mmoadabikuw no gyawee no, mmoadabi akɛse no awe; nea mmoadabi akɛse no gyawee no, mmoadabi nkumaa no awe; nea mmoadabi nkumaa no gyawee no, mmoadabi afoforo awe.

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 Mo asabowfo, munnyan, na munsu! Mo a monom bobesa nyinaa, muntwa adwo; muntwa adwo, nsa foforo no nti, efisɛ wɔahuam afi mo ano.

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 Ɔman bi atu mʼasase so sa; dɔm a wɔyɛ den na wontumi nkan wɔn; wɔn se te sɛ gyata se na wɔwɔ gyatabere sebɔmmɔfo.

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 Wasɛe me bobe ne me borɔdɔma nnua. Wawaawae nnua no ho bona, atow agu agyaw ne mman ho fitaa.

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 Di awerɛhow sɛ ababaa a ofura atweaatam na ɔresu ne kunu a ɔwaree no ne mmabaabere mu.

Make sounds of grief like a virgin dressed in haircloth for the husband of her early years.

9 Aduan ne ahwiesa afɔrebɔde, wɔayi afi Awurade fi. Asɔfo no retwa adwo, wɔn a wɔsom wɔ Awurade anim no.

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 Mfuw asɛe, asase no so awo wosee aduan no asɛe nsa foforo no ayow ngo nyinaa asa.

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 Mo ani nwu, mo akuafo, muntwa adwo, mo a mudua bobe; Munsi apini mma awi ne atoko, efisɛ otwabere no asɛe.

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 Bobe no akisa na borɔdɔma nnua no awuwu. Atoaa nnua, mmedua, aprɛ ne nnua a ɛwɔ mfuw no so nyinaa ahyew. Nokware, anigye a nnipa wɔ no atu ayera.

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 Mumfura atweaatam na munni awerɛhow, asɔfo; mo a mosom wɔ afɔremuka anim, muntwa adwo. Mumfura atweaatam mmesi pɛ, mo a mosom wɔ Onyankopɔn anim; efisɛ aduan ne ahwiesa afɔrebɔde no to atwa wɔ Onyankopɔn fi.

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 Mommɔ mmuadadi kronkron ho dawuru; momfrɛ nhyiamu kronkron. Momfrɛ mpanyimfo ne wɔn a wɔte asase no so nyinaa mmra Awurade mo Nyankopɔn fi na wommesu mfrɛ Awurade.

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 A, da no de! Awurade da no abɛn; Ɛbɛba sɛ ɔsɛe a efi Otumfo hɔ.

Sorrow for the day! for the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Ruler of all it will come.

16 So aduan ho nkɔɔ wɛn, a yɛani tua, anigye ne ahosɛpɛw to atwa wɔ yɛn Nyankopɔn fi ana?

Is not food cut off before our eyes? joy and delight from the house of our God?

17 Aba no wu wɔ asase wosee mu, adekoradan abubu, aburowpata nso so nni mfaso, efisɛ nnuan no ahyew.

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 Sɛnea anantwi su! na anantwikuw kyinkyin kwa. Nguankuw mpo rebrɛ efisɛ wonni didibea.

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 Awurade, wo na misu frɛ wo, efisɛ ogya ahyew sare so adidibea, na ogyatannaa ahyew mfuw no so nnua nyinaa.

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 Wuram mmoa mpo pere hwehwɛ wo. Nsuwansuwa ayoyow, na ogya ahyew sare so adidibea.

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.