1A message from the Lord came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. Here is what Joel said.
Locusts Attack the Land
2Elders, listen to me.
Pay attention, all you who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life?
Did it ever happen to your people
who lived long ago?
3Tell your children about it.
Let them tell their children.
And let their children tell it
to those who live after them.
4The giant locusts have eaten
what the common locusts have left.
The young locusts have eaten
what the giant locusts have left.
And other locusts have eaten
what the young locusts have left.
5Get up and weep, you people who drink too much!
Cry, all you who drink wine!
Cry because the fresh wine
has been taken away from you.
6The locusts are like a mighty army
that has marched into our land.
There are so many of them
they can’t even be counted.
Their teeth are as sharp as a lion’s teeth.
They are like the fangs of a female lion.
7The locusts have completely destroyed our vines.
They have wiped out our fig trees.
They’ve stripped off the bark and thrown it away.
They’ve left the branches bare.
8My people, mourn like a virgin
who is dressed in the clothes of sadness.
She is sad because she has lost
the young man she was going to marry.
9No one brings grain offerings and drink offerings
to the Lord’s house anymore.
So the priests who serve the Lord
are filled with sorrow.
10Our fields are wiped out.
The ground is dried up.
The grain is destroyed.
The fresh wine is gone.
And there isn’t any more olive oil.
11Farmers, be sad.
Cry, you who grow vines.
Mourn because the wheat and barley are gone.
The crops in the fields are destroyed.
12The vines and fig trees are dried up.
The pomegranate, palm and apple trees
don’t have any fruit on them.
In fact, all the trees in the fields are dried up.
And my people’s joy has faded away.
A Call to Mourn
13Priests, put on the clothing of sadness and mourn.
Cry, you who serve at the altar.
Come, you who serve my God in the temple.
Spend the night dressed in the clothes of sadness.
Weep because no one brings grain offerings and drink offerings
to the house of your God anymore.
14Announce a holy fast.
Tell the people not to eat anything.
Gather them together for a special service.
Send for the elders
and all who live in the land.
Have them come to the house of the Lord your God.
And pray to him.
15The day of the Lord is near.
How sad it will be on that day!
The Mighty One is coming to destroy you.
16Our food has been taken away
right in front of our eyes.
There isn’t any joy or gladness
in the house of our God.
17The seeds have dried up in the ground.
The grain is also gone.
The storerooms have been destroyed.
The barns are broken down.
18Listen to the cattle groan!
The herds wander around.
They don’t have any grass to eat.
The flocks of sheep are also suffering.
19Lord, I call out to you.
Fire has burned up the desert grasslands.
Flames have destroyed all the trees in the fields.
20Even the wild animals cry out to you for help.
The streams of water have dried up.
Fire has burned up the desert grasslands.
1Awurade asɛm a ɛbaa Petuel babarima Yoel so ni.
Mmoadabi San Tue
2Muntie saa asɛm yi, mo mpanyimfo;
muntie, mo a mote asase no so nyinaa.
Asɛm bi a ɛte sɛɛ asi mo mmere so
anaa mo mpanyimfo mmere so pɛn?
3Monka nkyerɛ mo mma,
na mo mma nso nka nkyerɛ wɔn mma
na wɔn mma nso nka nkyerɛ awo ntoatoaso a edi so no.
4Nea mmoadabikuw no gyawee no,
mmoadabi akɛse no awe;
nea mmoadabi akɛse no gyawee no,
mmoadabi nkumaa no awe;
nea mmoadabi nkumaa no gyawee no,
mmoadabi afoforo awe.
5Mo asabowfo, munnyan, na munsu!
Mo a monom bobesa nyinaa, muntwa adwo;
muntwa adwo, nsa foforo no nti,
efisɛ wɔahuam afi mo ano.
6Ɔman bi atu mʼasase so sa;
dɔm a wɔyɛ den na wontumi nkan wɔn;
wɔn se te sɛ gyata se
na wɔwɔ gyatabere sebɔmmɔfo.
7Wasɛe me bobe
ne me borɔdɔma nnua.
Wawaawae nnua no ho bona,
atow agu
agyaw ne mman ho fitaa.
8Di awerɛhow sɛ ababaa a ofura atweaatam
na ɔresu ne kunu a ɔwaree no ne mmabaabere mu.
9Aduan ne ahwiesa afɔrebɔde,
wɔayi afi Awurade fi.
Asɔfo no retwa adwo,
wɔn a wɔsom wɔ Awurade anim no.
10Mfuw asɛe,
asase no so awo wosee
aduan no asɛe
nsa foforo no ayow
ngo nyinaa asa.
11Mo ani nwu, mo akuafo,
muntwa adwo, mo a mudua bobe;
Munsi apini mma awi ne atoko,
efisɛ otwabere no asɛe.
12Bobe no akisa
na borɔdɔma nnua no awuwu.
Atoaa nnua, mmedua, aprɛ ne
nnua a ɛwɔ mfuw no so nyinaa ahyew.
Nokware, anigye a nnipa wɔ no
atu ayera.
13Mumfura atweaatam na munni awerɛhow, asɔfo;
mo a mosom wɔ afɔremuka anim, muntwa adwo.
Mumfura atweaatam mmesi pɛ,
mo a mosom wɔ Onyankopɔn anim;
efisɛ aduan ne ahwiesa afɔrebɔde no
to atwa wɔ Onyankopɔn fi.
14Mommɔ mmuadadi kronkron ho dawuru;
momfrɛ nhyiamu kronkron.
Momfrɛ mpanyimfo
ne wɔn a wɔte asase no so nyinaa
mmra Awurade mo Nyankopɔn fi
na wommesu mfrɛ Awurade.
15A, da no de!
Awurade da no abɛn;
Ɛbɛba sɛ ɔsɛe a efi Otumfo hɔ.
16So aduan ho nkɔɔ wɛn, a yɛani tua,
anigye ne ahosɛpɛw to atwa
wɔ yɛn Nyankopɔn fi ana?
17Aba no wu wɔ asase wosee mu,
adekoradan abubu,
aburowpata nso so nni mfaso,
efisɛ nnuan no ahyew.
18Sɛnea anantwi su!
na anantwikuw kyinkyin kwa.
Nguankuw mpo rebrɛ
efisɛ wonni didibea.
19Awurade, wo na misu frɛ wo,
efisɛ ogya ahyew sare so adidibea,
na ogyatannaa ahyew mfuw no so nnua nyinaa.
20Wuram mmoa mpo pere hwehwɛ wo.
Nsuwansuwa ayoyow,
na ogya ahyew sare so adidibea.