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Joel, 1

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

1. This is the word of Yahweh that came to Joel, son of Pethuel. The attack of the locusts

2. Hear 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?

2. Hear this, you elders! Listen, all you, land dwellers! Has such happened in your days or in the days of your fathers?

3. Tell ye your children of it, and [let] your children [tell] their children, and their children another generation.

3. Tell it to your children, then your children to their children, and then their children to the next generation.

4. That 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.

4. What the cutting locusts left, the swarming locusts ate. What the swarming locusts left, the hopping locusts ate. What the hopping locusts left, the destroying locusts ate.

5. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

5. Wake up, drunkards, and weep! Wail, drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine withheld from your mouths.

6. For 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.

6. A nation numerous and mighty has invaded my country. It has the teeth of a lion and the fangs of a lioness.

7. He 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.

7. It has destroyed my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and left white their branches.

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

8. Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.

9. The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn.

9. Grain and drink offerings are not found in the House of Yahweh. The priests who minister before Yahweh are in mourning.

10. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

10. The fields are in ruin, the earth mourns, for the grain is destroyed; the wine fails and the oil dries up.

11. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

11. Grieve, O you farmers; wail, O you vine growers, over the barley and the wheat, for the harvest of the field has perished.

12. The 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.

12. The vine withers, the fig tree wilts away; pomegranate, palm and apple - all the trees of the field dry up. Oh, how joy has faded away among all these people!

13. Gird 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.

13. Gird yourselves, O priests, and weep; mourn, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! For the house of your God is deprived of grain and drink offering.

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,

14. Proclaim a fast, call an assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land into the house of your God, and cry out to Yahweh,

15. Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD [is] at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

15. "What a dreadful day - the day of Yahweh that draws near and comes as ruin from the Almighty!"

16. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, [yea], joy and gladness from the house of our God?

16. Has not the food been taken away from us before our very eyes, and joy and gladness too from the house of our God?

17. The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

17. The seed under the clods lies shriveled; the granaries are in ruins, the barns are broken down, for the harvest has dried up.

18. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

18. How the cattle groan! The herds wander and moan, for they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

19. O 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.

19. To you, Yahweh, I call. Fire has razed the open pasture; flames have burned the trees.

20. The 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.

20. Even wild beasts cry out to you for the streams have dried up, for the pastures have been devoured by fire.



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Footnotes:

1:1-3 - The prophet Joel begins his book with an urgent call for the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to heed God's message. The destruction caused by the locust plague is used as a symbol of divine judgment, highlighting the gravity of sin and the need for repentance (see also Amos 4:6-8 and Jeremiah 2:19).

1:4-7 - The locust plague is described as a total devastation, affecting the land and its crops. This judgment from God serves as a warning to the people of Israel about the consequences of turning away from God and failing to repent (see also Exodus 10:12-15 and Revelation 9:3-6).

1:8-12 - Joel's lament over the devastation of the crops and the famine reflects the impact of divine judgment on everyday life. The land is in mourning, and God's abundance has been replaced by famine due to the people's sin (see also Deuteronomy 28:38-40 and Lamentations 5:10-11).

1:13-14 - The call to fasting and prayer by priests and spiritual leaders is a summons to seek God's mercy in the midst of disaster. This time of crisis is an opportunity for spiritual reflection and repentance (see also 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Isaiah 58:6-7).

1:15-20 - Joel warns of the "day of the Lord," a day of impending judgment and great calamity. The people's lament is heightened by the loss of resources and the pain of affliction, but it is also a call to reflect on their behavior before God (see also Isaiah 13:6-9 and Zephaniah 1:14-18).

Verses related to Joel, 1:

Joel chapter 1 announces imminent judgment through a plague of locusts. How does God use natural disasters to call His people to repentance? This vivid text describes unprecedented devastation, calling the people to mourn and pray. The chapter addresses topics such as national calamity, the call to repentance and God's sovereignty over nature. Joel 1 sets the tone of urgency that permeates the entire book. Explore with us five biblical passages that correlate with the central themes of this alarming chapter.

Revelation 9:3: "And locusts came out of the smoke upon the earth, and power was given to them, like the power of the scorpions of the earth." - This verse evokes the image of the locust plague described in Joel 1, using it as a metaphor for divine judgment.

Amos 4:9: "I struck you with burning and with rust; the multitude of your gardens, and of your vineyards, and of your fig trees, and of your olive trees, has been devoured by the locust; but you have not converted to me, says the Lord." - Amos describes a plague similar to that mentioned in Joel 1, showing a recurring theme in the minor prophets.

Deuteronomy 28:38: "You will take a lot of seed to the field; but you will gather little, because the locust will consume it." - This verse from the Mosaic law predicts a curse similar to the plague described in Joel 1, showing the continuity of this theme in biblical tradition.

Psalms 105:34-35: "He spoke, and locusts and aphids came in innumerable numbers, and ate up all the grass of his land, and devoured the fruit of his fields." - This psalm recalls the plagues of Egypt, using language similar to that of Joel 1 to describe the devastation caused by the locusts.

Habakkuk 3:17: "Even if the fig tree does not blossom, nor is there fruit on the vine; the produce of the olive tree lies, and the fields yield no food; the sheep are taken from the fold, and there are no cattle in the pens," - Habakkuk describes a scene of agricultural devastation similar to that in Joel 1, reflecting the common theme of desolation as a sign of divine judgment.

FAQ:

What does the plague of locusts symbolize in Joel 1?

The plague of locusts in Joel 1 symbolizes God's judgment on Israel's sin and decay, showing how sin can destroy the people's prosperity and joy. (Joel 1:4)

What is Joel's call to the people regarding the calamity?

Joel calls the people to repentance, asking them to turn to God in fasting, prayer, and lamentation, seeking His mercy to avert judgment. (Joel 1:13-14)

How is the land of Israel described in Joel chapter 1?

The land is described as devastated and dry, with crops destroyed, reflecting the severity of the plague and God's punishment on the people. (Joel 1:10-12)

What does the prophet Joel ask the people to do in response to the crisis?

Joel urges the leaders and the people to repent, cry out to God for forgiveness, and restore their relationship with Him so that the judgment will not be final. (Joel 1:14)

What is the role of the priest during the crisis mentioned in Joel 1?

The priest's role is to intercede before God, offering prayers and fasting on behalf of the people, seeking divine restoration. (Joel 1:9)


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