Joel 1
Herrens Ord, som kom til Joel, Petuels søn.
Hør dette, I Ældste, lån Øre, alle, som bor i Landet! Er sligt mon sket i eders eller eders Fædres Dage?
I skal fortælle det til eders Børn, og de igen til deres, og deles til næste Slægt.
Græshoppen åd, hvad Gnaveren levned, Springeren åd, hvad Græshoppen levned, Æderen åd, hvad Springeren levned.
Vågn op, I drukne, og græd; enhver, som drikker Vin, skal jamre over Most, der gik tabt for eders. Mund.
Thi et Folk drog op mod mit Land, vældigt og uden Tal; dets Tænder er Løvetænder, det har Kindtænder som en Løvinde.
Det lagde min Vinstok øde, knækked mit Figentræ, afbarked og hærgede det; dets Grene stritter hvide.
Klag som sørgeklædt Jomfru over sin Ungdoms Brudgom!
Afgrødeoffer og Drikoffer gik tabt for HERRENs Hus; Præsterne, HERRENs Tjenere sørger.
Marken er ødelagt, Jorden sørger; thi Kornet er ødelagt, Mosten slog fejl og Olien hentørres.
Bønder skuffes og Vingårdsmænd jamrer både over Hveden og Byggen; thi Markens Høst gik tabt;
fejl slog Vinstokken, Figentræet tørres; Granatæble, Palme og æbletræ, hvert Markens Træ tørres hen. Ja, med Skam veg Glæde fra Menneskens Børn:
Sørg, I Præster i Sæk, I AIterets Tjenere, jamrer! Gå ind og bær Sæk i Nat, I, som tjener min Gud! Thi Afgrødeoffer og Drikofer unddrages eders Guds Hus.
Helliger en Faste, udråb festlig Samling, I Ældste, kald alle, som bor i Landet, sammen til HERREN eders Guds Hus og råb så til HERREN!
Ak, hvilken Dag! Thi nær er HERRENs Dag, den kommer som Vold fra den Vældige.
Så vi ej Føden gå tabt, vor Guds Hus tømt for Glæde og Jubel?
Sæden skrumper ind i den klumpede Jord; Lader er nedbrudt, Forrådshuse jævnet, thi Kornet er vissent.
Hvor Kvæget dog stønner! Oksernes Hjorde er skræmte, fordi de ikke har Græs; selv Småkvægets Hjorde lider.
Jeg råber til dig, o HERRE; thi Ild har fortæret Ørkenens Græsning, og Luen afsved hvert Markens Træ;
til dig skriger selv Markens Dyr, thi Bækkenes Lejer er tørre, og Ild har fortæret Ørkenens Græsning.
The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
Tell ye your children of it, and {let} your children {tell} their children, and their children another generation.
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. {That which the palmerworm...: Heb. The residue of the palmerworm}
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.
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth {are} the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
He 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. {barked...: Heb. laid my fig tree for a barking}
Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn.
The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
The vine is dried up, 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: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
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 meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders {and} all the inhabitants of the land {into} the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, {solemn...: or, day of restraint}
Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD {is} at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, {yea}, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. {seed: Heb. grains}
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. {pastures: or, habitations}
The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.