Joel 1

1 I am Joel the son of Pethuel.

And this is the message

the Lord gave to me.

Locusts Cover the Land

2 Listen, you leaders

and everyone else

in the land.

Has anything like this

ever happened before?

3 Tell our children!

Let it be told

to our grandchildren

and their children too.

4 Swarm after swarm of locusts*1.4 Swarm … locusts: The Hebrew text lists either four kinds of locusts or locusts in four stages of their development. Locusts are a type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to plant life.

has attacked our crops,

eating everything in sight.

5 Sober up, you drunkards!

Cry long and loud;

your wine supply is gone.

6 *Rev 9.8. A powerful nation*1.6 A powerful nation: The swarms of locusts.

with countless troops

has invaded our land.

They have the teeth and jaws

of powerful lions.

7 Our grapevines and fig trees

are stripped bare;

only naked branches remain.

8 Grieve like a young woman

mourning for the man

she was to marry.

9 Offerings of grain and wine

are no longer brought

to the Lord's temple.

His servants, the priests,

are deep in sorrow.

10 Barren fields mourn;

grain, grapes, and olives

are scorched and shriveled.

11 Mourn for our farms

and our vineyards!

There’s no wheat or barley

growing in our fields.

12 Grapevines have dried up

and so has every tree—

figs and pomegranates,*1.12 pomegranates: A bright red fruit that looks like an apple.

date palms and apples.

All happiness has faded away.

Return to God

13 Mourn, you priests who serve

at the altar of my God.

Spend your days and nights

wearing sackcloth.*1.13 sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.

Offerings of grain and wine

are no longer brought

to the Lord's temple.

14 Tell the leaders and people

to come together

at the temple.

Order them to go without eating*1.14 go without eating: As a way of showing sorrow for their sins.

and to pray sincerely.

15 *Is 13.6. We are in for trouble!

Soon the Lord All-Powerful

will bring disaster.

16 Our food is already gone;

there’s no more celebrating

at the temple of our God.

17 Seeds dry up in the ground;*1.17 Seeds … ground: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

no harvest is possible.

Our barns are in bad shape,

with no grain

to store in them.

18 Our cattle wander aimlessly,

moaning for lack of pasture,

and sheep are suffering.*1.18 sheep are suffering: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

19 I cry out to you, Lord.

Grasslands and forests are eaten

by the scorching heat.

20 Wild animals have no water

because of you;

rivers and streams are dry,

and pastures are parched.