Joel 1

1The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Phatuel.

2Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land: did this ever happen in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

3Tell ye of this to your children, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.

4That which the palmerworm hath left, the locust hath eaten: and that which the locust hath left, the bruchus hath eaten: and that which the bruchus hath left, the mildew hath destroyed.

5Awake, ye that are drunk, and weep, and mourn all ye that take delight in drinking sweet wine: for it is cut off from your mouth.

6For a nation is come up upon my land, strong and without number: his teeth are like the teeth of a lion: and his cheek teeth as of a lion’s whelp.

7He hath laid my vineyard waste, and hath pilled off the bark of my fig tree: he hath stripped it bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

9Sacrifice and libation is cut off from the house of the Lord: the priests, the Lord’s ministers, have mourned:

10The country is destroyed, the ground hath mourned: for the corn is wasted, the wine is confounded, the oil hath languished.

11The husbandmen are ashamed, the vinedressers have howled for the wheat, and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished.

12The vineyard is confounded, and the fig tree hath languished: the pomegranate tree, and the palm tree, and the apple tree, and all the trees of the field are withered: because joy is withdrawn from the children of men.

13Gird yourselves, and lament, O ye priests, howl, ye ministers of the altars: go in, lie in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: because sacrifice and libation is cut off from the house of your God.

14Sanctify ye a fast, call an assembly; gather together the ancients, all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God: and cry ye to the Lord:

15Ah, ah, ah, for the day: because the day of the Lord is at hand, and it shall come like destruction from the mighty.

16Is not your food cut off before your eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

17The beasts have rotted in their dung, the barns are destroyed, the storehouses are broken down: because the corn is confounded.

18Why did the beast groan, why did the herds of cattle low? because there is no pasture for them: yea, and the flocks of sheep are perished.

19To thee, O Lord, will I cry: because fire hath devoured the beautiful places of the wilderness, and the flame hath burnt all the trees of the country.

20Yea and the beasts of the field have looked up to thee, as a garden bed that thirsteth after rain, for the springs of waters are dried up, and fire hath devoured the beautiful places of the wilderness.

1Verbum Domini, quod factum est ad Joël, filium Phatuel.

2[Audite hoc, senes, et auribus percipite, omnes habitatores terræ: si factum est istud in diebus vestris, aut in diebus patrum vestrorum?

3Super hoc filiis vestris narrate, et filii vestri filiis suis, et filii eorum generationi alteræ.

4Residuum erucæ comedit locusta, et residuum locustæ comedit bruchus, et residuum bruchi comedit rubigo.

5Expergiscimini, ebrii, et flete et ululate, omnes qui bibitis vinum in dulcedine, quoniam periit ab ore vestro.

6Gens enim ascendit super terram meam, fortis et innumerabilis: dentes ejus ut dentes leonis, et molares ejus ut catuli leonis.

7Posuit vineam meam in desertum, et ficum meam decorticavit; nudans spoliavit eam, et projecit: albi facti sunt rami ejus.

8Plange quasi virgo accincta sacco super virum pubertatis suæ.

9Periit sacrificium et libatio de domo Domini; luxerunt sacerdotes, ministri Domini.

10Depopulata est regio, luxit humus, quoniam devastatum est triticum, confusum est vinum, elanguit oleum.

11Confusi sunt agricolæ, ululaverunt vinitores super frumento et hordeo, quia periit messis agri.

12Vinea confusa est, et ficus elanguit; malogranatum, et palma, et malum, et omnia ligna agri aruerunt, quia confusum est gaudium a filiis hominum.

13Accingite vos, et plangite, sacerdotes: ululate, ministri altaris; ingredimini, cubate in sacco, ministri Dei mei, quoniam interiit de domo Dei vestri sacrificium et libatio.

14Sanctificate jejunium, vocate cœtum, congregate senes, omnes habitatores terræ in domum Dei vestri, et clamate ad Dominum:

15A, a, a, diei ! quia prope est dies Domini, et quasi vastitas a potente veniet.

16Numquid non coram oculis vestris alimenta perierunt de domo Dei nostri, lætitia et exsultatio?

17Computruerunt jumenta in stercore suo, demolita sunt horrea, dissipatæ sunt apothecæ, quoniam confusum est triticum.

18Quid ingemuit animal, mugierunt greges armenti? quia non est pascua eis; sed et greges pecorum disperierunt.

19Ad te, Domine, clamabo, quia ignis comedit speciosa deserti, et flamma succendit omnia ligna regionis.

20Sed et bestiæ agri, quasi area sitiens imbrem, suspexerunt ad te, quoniam exsiccati sunt fontes aquarum, et ignis devoravit speciosa deserti.]

1The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

2Listen to this, elders, and pay close attention, all inhabitants of the land. Did this ever happen in your days or in the days of your fathers?

3Talk this over with your sons, and your sons with their sons, and their sons with another generation.

4The locust has eaten what the caterpillar has left, and the beetle has eaten what the locust has left, and the mildew has eaten what the beetle has left.

5Rouse yourselves, you drunkards, and weep and wail, all you who delight in drinking wine; for it has been cut off from your mouth.

6For a nation has ascended over my land: strong and without number. His teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and his molars are like that of a lion’s young.

7He has put my vineyard into desolation, and he has pulled off the bark of my fig tree. He has stripped it bare and cast it away; its branches have become white.

8Lament like a betrothed virgin, wrapped in sackcloth at the loss of the husband of her youth.

9Sacrifice and libation have perished from the house of the Lord; the priests who are ministers of the Lord have mourned.

10The region has been depopulated, the soil has mourned. For the wheat has been devastated, the wine has been disfigured, the oil has languished.

11The farmers have been confounded, the vineyard workers have wailed over the crop and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.

12The vineyard is in ruin, and the fig tree has languished. The pomegranate tree, and the palm tree, and the fruit tree, and all the trees of the field have withered. For joy has been thrown into disorder before the sons of men.

13Priests, gird yourselves and lament. Ministers of the altars, wail. Enter, ministers of my God, lie in sackcloth. For sacrifice and libation have passed away from the house of your God.

14Sanctify a fast, call an assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God. And cry out to the Lord:

15“Ah, ah, ah, the day!” For the day of the Lord is near, and it will arrive, like a devastation, before the powerful.

16Has not your nourishment perished from before your eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

17The mules have rotted in their own manure, the barns have been demolished, the wine cellars have been destroyed, because the grain has been ruined.

18Why have the animals groaned, the herds of cattle bellowed? because there is no pasture for them. Yes, and even the flocks of sheep have been lost.

19To you, O Lord, I will cry out, because fire has devoured the beauty of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the countryside.

20Yes, and even the beasts of the field have gazed up at you, like the dry ground thirsting for rain, because the fountains of waters have dried up, and fire has devoured the beauty of the wilderness.