1以下是耶和华对毗土珥的儿子约珥所说的话。
严重的蝗灾
2长老们啊，请听我说！
地上的所有居民啊，要留心听！
在你们或你们祖先的时代可曾发生过这样的事？
3要把这事告诉你们的子子孙孙，
传到世世代代！
4蝗虫吃剩的，蝻子来吃；
蝻子吃剩的，蚱蜢来吃；
蚱蜢吃剩的，蚂蚱来吃1:4 “蝗虫、蝻子、蚱蜢和蚂蚱”四个词希伯来语的确切意思很难考证。。
5醉汉啊，醒过来哭泣吧！
贪杯的人啊，哀号吧！
你们再无美酒可饮了。
6有一群凶猛的蝗虫侵犯我的国土，
它们不计其数，
有雄狮的獠牙和母狮的利齿。
7它们毁坏我的葡萄树和无花果树，
剥光树皮，
只留下光秃的树枝。
8我的子民啊，你们要像死了未婚夫的少女，
穿上丧服痛哭哀号。
9耶和华殿中的素祭1:9 素祭就是献上五谷、面粉之类的供物，参见利未记2章。和奠祭1:9 奠祭就是献上新酿的酒。都停止了，
事奉耶和华的祭司都哀伤。
10田园荒废，遍地凄凉，
五谷尽毁，
再也没有新酒和油了。
11农夫啊，你们要忧伤！
照料葡萄园的人啊，
你们要哀号！
因为田间的大麦和小麦全毁了。
12葡萄树枯死，
无花果树凋残，
石榴树、棕树、苹果树等田野的一切树木枯干。
人间的欢乐消逝了。
13祭司啊，穿着丧服痛哭吧；
在祭坛前事奉的人啊，要哀号；
我上帝的仆人啊，要披上麻衣过夜；
因为再无素祭和奠祭献到你们上帝的殿中了。
14你们要定一个禁食的日子，
举行庄严的聚会，
召集全国的长老和人民，
到你们的上帝耶和华的殿中，
向耶和华呼求。
15太可怕了！耶和华的日子近了，
那是全能者施行毁灭的日子。
16我们的粮食断绝了，
我们上帝殿中的欢乐消失了。
17种子在土里腐烂，
五谷干死，仓库荒废，
谷仓被拆毁。
18牲畜哀鸣，
牛群因找不到草场而四处乱窜，
羊群也受苦。
19耶和华啊，我向你呼求，
因为火焰吞灭了旷野的草场，
烈火烧光了田野的树木。
20田野的走兽向你呼求，
因为溪水已经枯干，
火也烧尽了旷野的草场。
1The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2Hear 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? 3Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. 4That 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.1.4 That which the palmerworm…: Heb. The residue of the palmerworm 5Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. 6For 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. 7He 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.1.7 barked…: Heb. laid my fig tree for a barking
8¶ Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. 9The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD’s ministers, mourn. 10The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. 11Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. 12The 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. 13Gird 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.
14¶ 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,1.14 solemn…: or, day of restraint 15Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 16Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.1.17 seed: Heb. grains 18How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 19O 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.1.19 pastures: or, habitations 20The 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.
