1 ¶ The word of the LORD that went to Joel the son of Pethuel.

The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

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

Hear this, you aged men, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing as this occurred in your days or even in the days of your fathers?

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

Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

4 T hat which the palmerworm has left the locust has eaten; and that which the locust has left the cankerworm has eaten; and that which the cankerworm has left the caterpillar has eaten.

What the crawling locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten; and what the hopping locust left, the stripping locust has eaten.

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

Awake, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet juice, for it is cut off and removed from your mouth.

6 F or a people has come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the molars of a great lion.

For a nation has invaded My land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the jaw teeth of a lioness.

7 H e has laid my vine waste and barked my fig tree: he has made it clean bare and cast it away; its branches are made white.

It has laid waste My vine and barked and broken My fig tree; it has made them completely bare and thrown them down; their branches are made white.

8 ¶ Lament like a young woman girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

9 T he grain offering and the drink offering of the house of the LORD has perished; the priests, the LORD’s ministers, mourn.

The meal or cereal offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn.

10 T he field was destroyed, the land mourns; for the wheat was destroyed; the new wine was dried up, the oil perished.

The field is laid waste, the ground mourns; for the grain is destroyed, the new juice is dried up, the oil fails.

11 B e ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is lost.

Be ashamed, O you tillers of the soil; wail, O you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.

12 T he vine has dried up, and the fig tree has perished; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, have withered: therefore joy has withered away from the sons of men.

The vine is dried up and the fig tree fails; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple or quince tree, even all the trees of the field are withered, so that joy has withered and fled away from the sons of men.

13 G ird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the present and the drink offering is taken away from the house of your God.

Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, for the cereal or meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.

14 ¶ Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the earth into the house of the LORD your God and cry unto the LORD.

Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land in the house of the Lord, your God, and cry to the Lord.

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

Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destructive tempest from the Almighty will it come.

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

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

17 T he seed has rotted under their clods, the storehouses were laid desolate, the barns were destroyed for the wheat is withered.

The seed rots and shrivels under the clods, the garners are desolate and empty, the barns are in ruins because the grain has failed.

18 H ow the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture; the flocks of sheep are condemned.

How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed and huddle together because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment (are forsaken and made wretched).

19 O LORD, to thee will I cry for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field.

O Lord, to You will I cry, for the fire has devoured the pastures and folds of the plain and the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field.

20 T he beasts of the field also cry unto thee for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire has devoured the meadows of the wilderness.

Even the wild beasts of the field pant and cry to You, for the water brooks are dried up and fire has consumed the pastures and folds of the wilderness and the plain.