1The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
An invasion of locusts
2Hear this, you elders;
listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?
3Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.
4What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts1:4 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain. have eaten.
5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched from your lips.
6A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;
it has the teeth of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7It has laid waste my vines
and ruined my fig-trees.
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9Grain offerings and drink offerings
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,
those who minister before the Lord.
10The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up,
the olive oil fails.
11Despair, you farmers,
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.
12The vine is dried up
and the fig-tree is withered;
the pomegranate, the palm and the apple1:12 Or possibly apricot tree –
all the trees of the field – are dried up.
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
A call to lamentation
13Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings
are withheld from the house of your God.
14Declare a holy fast;
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
15Alas for that day!
For the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.1:15 Hebrew Shaddai
16Has not the food been cut off
before our very eyes –
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17The seeds are shrivelled
beneath the clods.1:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.
18How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
19To you, Lord, I call,
for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20Even the wild animals pant for you;
the streams of water have dried up
and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.
1Ọ̀rọ̀ Olúwa tí ó tọ Joẹli ọmọ Petueli wá.
Ìṣígun Eṣú
2Ẹ gbọ́ èyí ẹ̀yin àgbàgbà;
ẹ fi etí sílẹ̀ gbogbo ẹ̀yin ènìyàn ará ilẹ̀ náà.
Ǹjẹ́ irú èyí ha wà ní ọjọ́ yín,
tàbí ní ọjọ́ àwọn baba yín?
3Ẹ sọ ọ́ fún àwọn ọmọ yín,
ki àwọn ọmọ yín sọ fún àwọn ọmọ wọn,
ki àwọn ọmọ wọn sọ fún àwọn ìran mìíràn.
4Èyí tí eṣú tí agénijẹ jẹ kù
ní ọ̀wọ́ eṣú ńláńlá ti jẹ,
èyí tí ọ̀wọ́ eṣú ńláńlá jẹ kù
ní eṣú kéékèèkéé jẹ
Èyí tí eṣú kéékèèkéé jẹ kù
ni eṣú apanirun mìíràn jẹ.
5Ẹ jí gbogbo ẹ̀yin ọ̀mùtí kí ẹ sì sọkún
ẹ hu gbogbo ẹ̀yin ọ̀mu-wáìnì;
ẹ hu nítorí wáìnì tuntun
nítorí a gbà á kúrò lẹ́nu yín.
61.6: If 9.8.Nítorí orílẹ̀-èdè kan ti ṣígun sí ilẹ̀ mìíràn
ó ní agbára púpọ̀, kò sì ní òǹkà;
ó ní eyín kìnnìún
ó sì ní èrìgì abo kìnnìún.
7Ó ti pa àjàrà mi run,
ó sì ti ya ẹ̀ka igi ọ̀pọ̀tọ́ mi kúrò,
ó ti bò èèpo rẹ̀ jálẹ̀, ó sì sọ ọ́ nù;
àwọn ẹ̀ka rẹ̀ ni a sì sọ di funfun.
8Ẹ pohùnréré ẹkún bí wúńdíá
tí a fi aṣọ ọ̀fọ̀ dí ni àmùrè, nítorí ọkọ ìgbà èwe rẹ̀.
9A ké ọrẹ jíjẹ́ àti ọrẹ mímu kúrò
ní ilé Olúwa;
àwọn àlùfáà ń ṣọ̀fọ̀, àwọn
ìránṣẹ́ Olúwa,
10Oko di ìgboro, ilẹ̀ ń ṣọ̀fọ̀,
nítorí a fi ọkà ṣòfò:
ọtí wáìnì tuntun gbẹ, òróró ń bùṣe.
11Kí ojú kí ó tì yín, ẹ̀yin àgbẹ̀;
ẹ pohùnréré ẹkún ẹ̀yin olùtọ́jú àjàrà,
nítorí alikama àti nítorí ọkà barle;
nítorí ìkórè oko ṣègbé.
12Àjàrà gbẹ, igi ọ̀pọ̀tọ́ sì rọ̀ dànù;
igi pomegiranate, igi ọ̀pẹ pẹ̀lú,
àti igi apiili, gbogbo igi igbó ni o rọ:
Nítorí náà ayọ̀ ọmọ ènìyàn gbẹ kúrò lọ́dọ̀ wọn.
Ìpè fún ìrònúpìwàdà
13Ẹ di ara yín ni àmùrè,
sí pohùnréré ẹkún ẹ̀yin àlùfáà:
ẹ pohùnréré ẹkún, ẹ̀yin ìránṣẹ́ pẹpẹ:
ẹ wá, fi gbogbo òru dùbúlẹ̀ nínú aṣọ ọ̀fọ̀,
ẹ̀yin ìránṣẹ́ Ọlọ́run mi: nítorí tí a dá ọrẹ-jíjẹ àti ọrẹ
mímu dúró ní ilé Ọlọ́run yín.
14Ẹ yà àwẹ̀ kan sí mímọ́,
ẹ pe àjọ kan tí o ní ìrònú,
ẹ pe àwọn àgbàgbà,
àti gbogbo àwọn ará ilẹ̀ náà
jọ sí ilé Olúwa Ọlọ́run yín,
kí ẹ sí ké pe Olúwa.
15A! Fún ọjọ́ náà,
nítorí ọjọ́ Olúwa kù sí dẹ̀dẹ̀,
yóò de bí ìparun láti ọwọ́ Olódùmarè.
16A kò ha ké oúnjẹ kúrò níwájú
ojú wá yìí,
ayọ̀ àti inú dídùn kúrò nínú ilé
Ọlọ́run wá?
17Irúgbìn bàjẹ́ nínú ebè wọn,
a sọ àká di ahoro, a wó àká palẹ̀;
nítorí tí a mú ọkà rọ.
18Àwọn ẹranko tí ń kérora tó!
Àwọn agbo ẹran dààmú,
nítorí tí wọ́n kò ni pápá oko;
nítòótọ́, àwọn agbo àgùntàn jìyà.
19Olúwa, sí ọ ni èmi o ké pè,
nítorí iná tí run pápá oko tútù aginjù,
ọwọ́ iná sí ti jó gbogbo igi igbó.
20Àwọn ẹranko igbó gbé ojú sókè sí ọ pẹ̀lú:
nítorí tí àwọn ìṣàn omi gbẹ,
iná sí ti jó àwọn pápá oko aginjù run.