1:1 This ¹  is the Lord’s message ²  that was given ³ 

to Joel ⁴  the son of Pethuel:

1:2 Listen to this, you elders; ⁵ 

pay attention, ⁶  all inhabitants of the land.

Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life ⁷ 

or in the lifetime ⁸  of your ancestors? ⁹ 

1:3 Tell your children ¹⁰  about it,

have your children tell their children,

and their children the following generation. ¹¹ 

1:4 What the gazam-locust left the ‘arbeh-locust consumed, ¹² 

what the ‘arbeh-locust left the yeleq-locust consumed,

and what the yeleq-locust left the hasil-locust consumed! ¹³ 

1:5 Wake up, you drunkards, ¹⁴  and weep!

Wail, all you wine drinkers, ¹⁵ 

because the sweet wine ¹⁶  has been taken away ¹⁷  from you. ¹⁸ 

1:6 For a nation ¹⁹  has invaded ²⁰  our ²¹  land.

There are so many of them they are too numerous to count. ²² 

Their teeth are like those ²³  of a lion;

they tear apart their prey like a lioness. ²⁴ 

1:7 They ²⁵  have destroyed our ²⁶  vines; ²⁷ 

they have turned our ²⁸  fig trees into mere splinters.

They have completely stripped off the bark ²⁹  and thrown them aside;

the ³⁰  twigs are stripped bare. ³¹ 

1:8 Wail ³²  like a young virgin ³³  clothed in sackcloth,

lamenting the death of ³⁴  her husband-to-be. ³⁵ 

1:9 No one brings grain offerings or drink offerings

to the temple ³⁶  of the Lord anymore. ³⁷ 

So the priests, those who serve the Lord, are in mourning.

1:10 The crops of the fields ³⁸  have been destroyed. ³⁹ 

The ground is in mourning because the grain has perished.

The fresh wine has dried up;

the olive oil languishes.

1:11 Be distressed, ⁴⁰  farmers;

wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley.

For the harvest of the field has perished.

1:12 The vine has dried up;

the fig tree languishes –

the pomegranate, date, and apple ⁴¹  as well.

In fact, ⁴²  all the trees of the field have dried up.

Indeed, the joy of the people ⁴³  has dried up!

1:13 Get dressed ⁴⁴  and lament, you priests!

Wail, you who minister at the altar!

Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God,

because no one brings grain offerings or drink offerings

to the temple of your God anymore. ⁴⁵ 

1:14 Announce a holy fast; ⁴⁶ 

proclaim a sacred assembly.

Gather the elders and ⁴⁷  all the inhabitants of the land

to the temple of the Lord your God,

and cry out to the Lord.

1:15 How awful that day will be! ⁴⁸ 

For the day of the Lord is near;

it will come as destruction from the Divine Destroyer. ⁴⁹ 

1:16 Our food has been cut off right before our eyes! ⁵⁰ 

There is no longer any joy or gladness in the temple of our God! ⁵¹ 

1:17 The grains of seed ⁵²  have shriveled beneath their shovels. ⁵³ 

Storehouses have been decimated

and granaries have been torn down, for the grain has dried up.

1:18 Listen to the cattle groan! ⁵⁴ 

The herds of livestock wander around in confusion ⁵⁵ 

because they have no pasture.

Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

1:19 To you, O Lord, I call out for help, ⁵⁶ 

for fire ⁵⁷  has burned up ⁵⁸  the grassy pastures, ⁵⁹ 

flames have razed ⁶⁰  all the trees in the fields.

1:20 Even the wild animals ⁶¹  cry out to you; ⁶² 

for the river beds ⁶³  have dried up;

fire has destroyed ⁶⁴  the grassy pastures. ⁶⁵