א דְּבַר יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל יוֹאֵל בֶּן פְּתוּאֵל. ב שִׁמְעוּ זֹאת הַזְּקֵנִים וְהַאֲזִינוּ כֹּל יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ הֶהָיְתָה זֹּאת בִּימֵיכֶם וְאִם בִּימֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם. ג עָלֶיהָ לִבְנֵיכֶם סַפֵּרוּ וּבְנֵיכֶם לִבְנֵיהֶם וּבְנֵיהֶם לְדוֹר אַחֵר. ד יֶתֶר הַגָּזָם אָכַל הָאַרְבֶּה וְיֶתֶר הָאַרְבֶּה אָכַל הַיָּלֶק וְיֶתֶר הַיֶּלֶק אָכַל הֶחָסִיל. ה הָקִיצוּ שִׁכּוֹרִים וּבְכוּ וְהֵילִלוּ כָּל שֹׁתֵי יָיִן עַל עָסִיס כִּי נִכְרַת מִפִּיכֶם. ו כִּי גוֹי עָלָה עַל אַרְצִי עָצוּם וְאֵין מִסְפָּר שִׁנָּיו שִׁנֵּי אַרְיֵה וּמְתַלְּעוֹת לָבִיא לוֹ. ז שָׂם גַּפְנִי לְשַׁמָּה וּתְאֵנָתִי לִקְצָפָה חָשֹׂף חֲשָׂפָהּ וְהִשְׁלִיךְ הִלְבִּינוּ שָׂרִיגֶיהָ. ח אֱלִי כִּבְתוּלָה חֲגֻרַת שַׂק עַל בַּעַל נְעוּרֶיהָ. ט הָכְרַת מִנְחָה וָנֶסֶךְ מִבֵּית יְהוָה אָבְלוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתֵי יְהוָה. י שֻׁדַּד שָׂדֶה אָבְלָה אֲדָמָה כִּי שֻׁדַּד דָּגָן הוֹבִישׁ תִּירוֹשׁ אֻמְלַל יִצְהָר. יא הֹבִישׁוּ אִכָּרִים הֵילִילוּ כֹּרְמִים עַל חִטָּה וְעַל שְׂעֹרָה כִּי אָבַד קְצִיר שָׂדֶה. יב הַגֶּפֶן הוֹבִישָׁה וְהַתְּאֵנָה אֻמְלָלָה רִמּוֹן גַּם תָּמָר וְתַפּוּחַ כָּל עֲצֵי הַשָּׂדֶה יָבֵשׁוּ כִּי הֹבִישׁ שָׂשׂוֹן מִן בְּנֵי אָדָם. יג חִגְרוּ וְסִפְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים הֵילִילוּ מְשָׁרְתֵי מִזְבֵּחַ בֹּאוּ לִינוּ בַשַּׂקִּים מְשָׁרְתֵי אֱלֹהָי כִּי נִמְנַע מִבֵּית אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מִנְחָה וָנָסֶךְ. יד קַדְּשׁוּ צוֹם קִרְאוּ עֲצָרָה אִסְפוּ זְקֵנִים כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ בֵּית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְזַעֲקוּ אֶל יְהוָה. טו אֲהָהּ לַיּוֹם כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם יְהוָה וּכְשֹׁד מִשַׁדַּי יָבוֹא. טז הֲלוֹא נֶגֶד עֵינֵינוּ אֹכֶל נִכְרָת מִבֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ שִׂמְחָה וָגִיל. יז עָבְשׁוּ פְרֻדוֹת תַּחַת מֶגְרְפֹתֵיהֶם נָשַׁמּוּ אֹצָרוֹת נֶהֶרְסוּ מַמְּגֻרוֹת כִּי הֹבִישׁ דָּגָן. יח מַה נֶּאֶנְחָה בְהֵמָה נָבֹכוּ עֶדְרֵי בָקָר כִּי אֵין מִרְעֶה לָהֶם גַּם עֶדְרֵי הַצֹּאן נֶאְשָׁמוּ. יט אֵלֶיךָ יְהוָה אֶקְרָא כִּי אֵשׁ אָכְלָה נְאוֹת מִדְבָּר וְלֶהָבָה לִהֲטָה כָּל עֲצֵי הַשָּׂדֶה. כ גַּם בַּהֲמוֹת שָׂדֶה תַּעֲרוֹג אֵלֶיךָ כִּי יָבְשׁוּ אֲפִיקֵי מָיִם וְאֵשׁ אָכְלָה נְאוֹת הַמִּדְבָּר.
v1 This is the *Lord’s message that came to Joel, Pethuel’s son.
v2 You older men, listen to this! Listen, all people that live in this country.
Nothing like this has happened while you have been alive.
Nothing like this happened while your fathers were alive.
v3 Tell this to your children,
and let them tell it to their children.
And let their children tell it to their own children.
v4 The older *locusts have eaten what the young *locusts left.
The oldest *locusts have eaten what the older *locusts left.
Other *locusts have eaten what the oldest *locusts left.
v5 Wake up, you drunks.
Weep, all people who drink *wine!
Weep, because you will have no new *wine.
Someone has taken it away from you.
v6 *Locusts have come to fill my country.
They are powerful and they are very many.
They have teeth like strong animals’ teeth.
Their teeth are long and dangerous.
v7 They have broken my *vines
and they have destroyed my *fig trees.
They bit off all the skin from the stems.
Then they threw the bare stems away.
They have left the branches white.
v8 Weep like a girl that no man ever had sex with.
The man who promised to be her husband is dead. That is why she is weeping.
v9 Nobody can give food or drink for the *Lord’s house.
The *priests, the *Lord’s servants,
are very, very sad.
v10 The fields are no good.
They are all dry.
The new *wine has dried up.
The oil has all gone.
v11 Weep, you farmers! Yes, weep!
You who grow *vines, weep!
Be sad about the seeds that have not become food.
Be sad because the fields are dry. And the plants have died.
v12 The *vine has dried up
and the *fig tree is dead.
The apple trees and the other fruit trees have dried up.
All the trees have dried up.
Men have no more joy.
It has all gone.
v13 You *priests and servants of God, wear special clothes to show that you are sad.
Even sleep in those clothes.
Cry, you *priests!
Cry, you who serve God at his *altar.
Cry about the food and drink that came as gifts.
Cry, because they do not come to the house of your God any more.
v14 Tell everyone to eat no food.
Instead, call all the people together to hear the *Lord.
Call the older leaders.
And call all the people who live in this country.
They must come to the house of the *Lord, your God.
They must cry out to the *Lord there.
v15 Be afraid of that day,
because the Day of the *Lord is near.
It will be as if the great God wants to destroy all things.
v17 The seeds under the earth are dry.
The places where people stored seeds have fallen down.
Someone has broken those places up
because the seed does not grow.
