1 A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Joel, son of Pethuel:

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

2 H ear this, ye aged ones, 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 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?

3 C oncerning it to your sons talk ye, And your sons to their sons, And their sons to another generation.

Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation.

4 W hat is left of the palmer-worm, eaten hath the locust, And what is left of the locust, Eaten hath the cankerworm, And what is left of the cankerworm, Eaten hath the caterpillar.

What 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.

5 A wake, ye drunkards, and weep, And howl all drinking wine, because of the juice, For it hath been cut off from your mouth.

Awake, 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.

6 F or a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.

For 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.

7 I t hath made my vine become a desolation, And my fig-tree become a chip, It hath made it thoroughly bare, and hath cast down, Made white have been its branches.

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

8 W ail, as a virgin girdeth with sackcloth, For the husband of her youth.

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

9 C ut off hath been present and libation from the house of Jehovah, Mourned have the priests, ministrants of Jehovah.

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

10 S poiled is the field, mourned hath the ground, For spoiled is the corn, Dried up hath been new wine, languish doth oil.

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

11 B e ashamed, ye husbandmen, Howl, vine-dressers, for wheat and for barley, For perished hath the harvest of the field.

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

12 T he vine hath been dried up, And the fig-tree doth languish, Pomegranate, also palm, and apple-tree, All trees of the field have withered, For dried up hath been joy from the sons of men.

The 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

13 G ird, and lament, ye priests, Howl, ye ministrants of the altar, Come in, lodge in sackcloth, ministrants of my God, For withheld from the house of your God hath been present and libation.

Gird 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.

14 S anctify a fast, proclaim a restraint, Gather the elders -- all the inhabitants of the land, the house of Jehovah your God,

Consecrate 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.

15 A nd cry unto Jehovah, `Alas for the day! For near a day of Jehovah, And as destruction from the mighty it cometh.

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

16 I s not before our eyes food cut off? From the house of our God joy and rejoicing?

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

17 R otted have scattered things under their clods, Desolated have been storehouses, Broken down have been granaries, For withered hath the corn.

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

18 H ow have cattle sighed! Perplexed have been droves of oxen, For there is no pasture for them, Also droves of sheep have been desolated.

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

19 U nto Thee, O Jehovah, I do call, For fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness, And a flame hath set on fire all trees of the field.

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.

20 A lso the cattle of the field long for Thee, For dried up have been streams of water, And fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness!'

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