Yoɛl 1

1 Awurade asɛm a ɛbaa Petuel babarima Yoɛl so nie.

The Lord’s message that came to Joel, son of Pethuel.

2 Montie saa asɛm yi, mo mpanimfoɔ; montie, mo a mote asase no so nyinaa. Asɛm bi a ɛte sɛi asi mo mmerɛ so anaa mo mpanimfoɔ mmerɛ so pɛn?

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

3 Monka nkyerɛ mo mma, na mo mma nso nka nkyerɛ wɔn mma na wɔn mma nso nka nkyerɛ awoɔ ntoatoasoɔ a ɛdi soɔ no.

Recount it to your children; let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the generation that follows.

4 Deɛ ntutummɛ kuo no gyaeɛ no ntutummɛ akɛseɛ no awe deɛ ntutummɛ akɛseɛ no gyaeɛ no ntutummɛ nkumaa no awe deɛ ntutummɛ nkumaa no gyaeɛ no ntutummɛ afoforɔ awe.

That which the cutting locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten, that which the swarming locust has left, the hopping locust has eaten, and that which the hopping locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.

5 Mo asabofoɔ, monyane, na monsu! Mo a monom bobesa nyinaa, montwa adwo; montwa adwo ɛfiri sɛ nsã foforɔ no wɔayi afiri mo ano.

Awake, drunkards, and weep, and wail, all drinkers of wine; the new wine is cut off from your mouth.

6 Ɔman bi atu mʼasase so sa ɛdɔm a wɔyɛ den na wɔntumi nkane wɔn; wɔn se te sɛ gyata se na wɔwɔ gyatabereɛ sebɔmmɔfoɔ.

For a nation has come up on my land, powerful, and numberless; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its jaw-teeth are like those of a lioness.

7 Wɔasɛe me bobe ne me borɔdɔma nnua. Wawaawae nnua no ho bona, ato agu agya ne mman a ayɛ fitaa hɔ.

It has laid waste my vines, and barked my fig tree; it has peeled and cast it away, bleached are the branches.

8 Di awerɛhoɔ sɛ ababaawa a ɔfira ayitoma na ɔresu ne kunu a ɔwaree no ne mmabaawaberɛ mu.

Wail as a bride, clad in sack-cloth, for the husband of her youth.

9 Aduane ne ahwiesa afɔrebɔdeɛ, wɔayi afiri Awurade efie. Asɔfoɔ no retwa adwoɔ, wɔn a wɔsom wɔ Awurade anim no.

Cut off are the cereal and drink-offerings from the house of the Lord; in mourning are the priests, who minister at the Lord’s altar.

10 Mfuo asɛe, asase no so awo wesee aduane no asɛe nsã foforɔ no awe ngo nyinaa asa.

The fields are blasted, the land is in mourning, for ruined is the grain, the new wine fails and the oil is dried up.

11 Mo ani nwu, mo akuafoɔ, mo ntwa adwo, mo a modua bobe; Monsi apinie mma ayuo ne atokoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ otwaberɛ no asɛe.

Be dismayed, farmers; wail, vine-dressers. For the wheat and the barley; for the harvest is lost from the fields.

12 Bobe no akusa na borɔdɔma nnua no awuwu. Ateaa nnua, mmɛdua, aperɛ ne nnua a ɛwɔ mfuo no so nyinaa ahye. Nokorɛm, anigyeɛ a nnipa wɔ no atu ayera.

The vine fails to bear fruit, and the fig tree is drooping; the pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are dried up. The people’s joy withers.

13 Momfira ayitoma na monni awerɛhoɔ, Ao asɔfoɔ; mo a mosom afɔrebukyia anim, montwa adwo. Momfira ayitoma mmɛsiri pɛ mo a mosom Onyankopɔn anim; ɛfiri sɛ aduane ne ahwiesa afɔrebɔdeɛ no ɛto atwa wɔ Onyankopɔn efie.

Put on sackcloth, and beat your breasts, priests; wail, ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sack-cloth, ministers of God; for cereal-offering and drink-offering are cut off from the house of your God.

14 Mommɔ mmuadadie kronkron ho dawuro; momfrɛ nhyiamu kronkron. Monfrɛ mpanimfoɔ ne wɔn a wɔte asase no so nyinaa mmra Awurade mo Onyankopɔn efie na wɔmmesu mfrɛ Awurade.

Sanctify a fast, summon an assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, cry to the Lord:

15 Ɛda no aba! Awurade ɛda no abɛn; Ɛbɛba sɛ ɔsɛeɛ a ɛfiri Otumfoɔ hɔ.

Alas for the day! Near at hand is the day of the Lord, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

16 Yɛnnhunuu sɛ aduane ho ayɛ na, sɛ anigyeɛ ne ahosɛpɛ nso to atwa wɔ yɛn Onyankopɔn efie anaa?

Is not food cut off from before us, gladness and joy from the house of our God?

17 Aba no wu wɔ asase wesee mu, adekoradan abubu, aburopata nso ho nni mfasoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ nnuane no ahye.

The grains shrivel under their hoes, the storehouses are desolate, the barns broken down, for the grain is withered.

18 Sɛdeɛ anantwie su! Na anantwikuo kyinkyini kwa. Nnwankuo mpo rebrɛ ɛfiri sɛ wɔnni adidibea.

How the herds of cattle bellow in distress, for they have no pasture! The flocks of sheep are forlorn.

19 Awurade, wo na mesu frɛ wo, ɛfiri sɛ ogya ahye ɛserɛ so adidibea na ogyaframa ahye mfuo no so nnua nyinaa.

To you, the Lord, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has scorched all the trees of the field.

20 Wiram mmoa mpo pere hwehwɛ wo. Nsuwansuwa awewe, na ogya ahye ɛserɛ so adidibea.

The wild animals also look up to you longingly, for the water-courses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.