1 T he word of Jehovah that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

This is the word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. The Land Is Destroyed

2 H ear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

Hear this, you old men. Listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this happened in your days or in your fathers’ days?

3 T ell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

Tell your sons about it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons tell the next sons-to-come.

4 T hat which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker-worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

What the chewing locust has left, the flying locust has eaten. What the flying locust has left, the jumping locust has eaten. And what the jumping locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.

5 A wake, ye drunkards, and weep; and wail, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

Wake up and cry, you who drink too much. Cry in a loud voice, all you who drink wine, for the sweet wine has been taken from your lips.

6 F or a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.

A nation has come to fight against my land. Its army is powerful, with too many to number. Its teeth are the teeth of a lion. It has the long, sharp teeth of a female lion.

7 H e hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig-tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

It has made my vine a waste, and has broken my fig tree to pieces. It has torn off their covering and thrown it away. Their branches have become white.

8 L ament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

Cry in sorrow like a young, pure woman dressed in cloth made from hair because the man she was going to marry is dead.

9 T he meal-offering and the drink-offering are cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, Jehovah's ministers, mourn.

The grain gifts and drink gifts have been cut off from the house of the Lord. The religious leaders who served the Lord are full of sorrow.

10 T he field is laid waste, the land mourneth; for the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

The fields are laid waste and the land is full of sorrow. The grain is destroyed, the new wine dries up, and the oil wastes away.

11 B e confounded, O ye husbandmen, wail, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field is perished.

Be troubled, you farmers! Cry in a loud voice, you who take care of the vines! Cry for the wheat and the barley, because what was gathered from the field is destroyed.

12 T he vine is withered, and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, even all the trees of the field are withered: for joy is withered away from the sons of men.

The vine dries up and the fig tree wastes away. The pomegranate, the palm, the apple tree, and all the trees of the field dry up. And the people’s joy dries up.

13 G ird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament, ye priests; wail, ye ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meal-offering and the drink-offering are withholden from the house of your God.

Dress in cloth made from hair, and cry in sorrow, you religious leaders! Cry in a loud voice, you who serve at the altar! Come, spend the night in cloth made from hair, you who serve my God. For the grain gifts and drink gifts are kept from the house of your God.

14 S anctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the old men and all the inhabitants of the land unto the house of Jehovah your God, and cry unto Jehovah.

Set apart a time when no food will be eaten. Call together a holy meeting. Gather the leaders and all the people of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

15 A las for the day! for the day of Jehovah is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

What a bad day it will be! The day of the Lord is near, when the All-powerful God will come to destroy.

16 I s not the food cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

Do you see how our food has been taken from us? Has not happiness and joy been cut off from the house of our God?

17 T he seeds rot under their clods; the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the grain is withered.

The seeds dry up under the ground. The store-houses are laid waste. The buildings where the grain was kept are torn down, for the grain is destroyed.

18 H ow do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

How the animals cry inside themselves! The cattle go from place to place because there is no food for them. Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

19 O Jehovah, to thee do I cry; for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.

I cry to You, O Lord. For fire has destroyed the fields of the desert. All the trees of the field have burned up.

20 Y ea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee; for the water brooks are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Even the animals of the field cry to You. For the rivers are dried up, and fire has burned up the fields of the desert.