1 T he word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. The Land Laid Waste

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

2 H ear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers?

Hear 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?

3 T ell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation.

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

4 W hat the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.

That 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.

5 A wake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth.

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

6 F or a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion.

For 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.

7 H e has laid waste My vine, And ruined My fig tree; He has stripped it bare and thrown it away; Its branches are made white.

He 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.

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

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

9 T he grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the Lord; The priests mourn, who minister to the Lord.

The grain offering and the drink offering of the house of the LORD has perished; the priests, the LORD’s ministers, mourn.

10 T he field is wasted, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails.

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

11 B e ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished.

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

12 T he vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree— All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men. Mourning for the Land

The 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.

13 G ird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God.

Gird 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.

14 C onsecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.

¶ 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.

15 A las for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.

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

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

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

17 T he seed shrivels under the clods, Storehouses are in shambles; Barns are broken down, For the grain has withered.

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

18 H ow the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, Because they have no pasture; Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.

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

19 O Lord, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, And a flame has burned all the trees of the field.

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.

20 T he beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures.

The 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.