Online Bible

The Devastation of Locusts

The ^aword of the LORD that came to ^bJoel, the son of Pethuel:

2 ^aHear this, O ^belders,And listen, all inhabitants of the land.^cHas anything like this happened in your daysOr in your fathers’ days?3 ^aTell your sons about it,And let your sons tell their sons,And their sons the next generation.

4 What the ^agnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;And what the ^bswarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;And what the creeping locust has left, the ^cstripping locust has eaten.5 Awake, ^adrunkards, and weep;And wail, all you wine drinkers,On account of the sweet wineThat is ^bcut off from your mouth.6 For a ^anation has ¹invaded my land,Mighty and without number;^bIts teeth are the teeth of a lion,And it has the fangs of a lioness.7 It has ^amade my vine a wasteAnd my fig tree ¹splinters.It has stripped them bare and cast them away;Their branches have become white.

8 ^aWail like a virgin ^bgirded with sackclothFor the bridegroom of her youth.9 The ^agrain offering and the drink offering are cut offFrom the house of the LORD.The ^bpriests mourn,The ministers of the LORD.10 The field is ^aruined,^bThe land mourns;For the grain is ruined,The new wine dries up,Fresh oil ¹fails.11 ¹^aBe ashamed, O farmers,Wail, O vinedressers,For the wheat and the barley;Because the ^bharvest of the field is destroyed.12 The ^avine dries upAnd the fig tree ¹fails;The ^bpomegranate, the ^cpalm also, and the ²^dapple tree,All the trees of the field dry up.Indeed, ^erejoicing dries upFrom the sons of men.

13 ^aGird yourselves with sackclothAnd lament, O priests;^bWail, O ministers of the altar!Come, ^cspend the night in sackclothO ministers of my God,For the grain offering and the drink offeringAre withheld from the house of your God.

Starvation and Drought

14 ^aConsecrate a fast,Proclaim a ^bsolemn assembly;Gather the eldersAnd all the inhabitants of the landTo the house of the LORD your God,And ^ccry out to the LORD.15 ^aAlas for the day!For the ^bday of the LORD is near,And it will come as ^cdestruction from the ¹Almighty.16 Has not ^afood been cut off before our eyes,Gladness and ^bjoy from the house of our God?17 The ¹^aseeds shrivel under their ²clods;The storehouses are desolate,The barns are torn down,For the grain is dried up.18 How ^athe beasts groan!The herds of cattle wander aimlesslyBecause there is no pasture for them;Even the flocks of sheep ¹suffer.19 ^aTo You, O LORD, I cry;For ^bfire has devoured the pastures of the wildernessAnd the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.20 Even the beasts of the field ¹^apant for You;For the ^bwater brooks are dried upAnd fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

The Locusts Bring Desolation

The ^aword of ¹Yahweh that came to ^bJoel, the son of Pethuel:

2 ^aHear this, O ^belders,And give ear, all inhabitants of the land.^cHas anything like this happened in your daysOr in your fathers’ days?3 ^aRecount about it to your sons,And let your sons recount about it to their sons,And their sons to the next generation.

4 What the ^agnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has consumed;And what the ^bswarming locust has left, the creeping locust has consumed;And what the creeping locust has left, the ^cstripping locust has consumed.5 Awake, ^adrunkards, and weep;And wail, all you wine drinkers,On account of the sweet wineThat is ^bcut off from your mouth.6 For a ^anation has come up against my land,Mighty and without number;^bIts teeth are the teeth of a lion,And it has the fangs of a lioness.7 It has ^amade my vine a desolationAnd my fig tree ¹splinters.It has stripped them bare and cast them away;Their branches have become white.

8 ^aWail like a virgin ^bgirded with sackclothFor the bridegroom of her youth.9 The ^agrain offering and the drink offering are cut offFrom the house of Yahweh.The ^bpriests mourn,The ministers of Yahweh.10 The field is ^adestroyed;^bThe land mourns,For the grain is destroyed,The new wine dries up,Fresh oil ¹fails.11 ¹^aBe ashamed, O farmers,Wail, O vinedressers,For the wheat and the barley,Because the ^bharvest of the field perishes.12 The ^avine dries up,And the fig tree ¹fails;The ^bpomegranate, the ^cpalm also, and the ²^dapple tree,All the trees of the field dry up.Indeed, ^erejoicing dries upFrom the sons of men.

The Day of Yahweh Is Near

13 ^aGird yourselves with sackclothAnd lament, O priests;^bWail, O ministers of the altar!Come, ^cspend the night in sackcloth,O ministers of my God;For the grain offering and the drink offeringAre withheld from the house of your God.14 ^aSet apart a fast as holy,Call for a ^bsolemn assembly;Gather the eldersAnd all the inhabitants of the landTo the house of Yahweh your God,And ^ccry out to Yahweh.15 ^aAlas for the day!For the ^bday of Yahweh is near,And it will come as ^cdestruction from the ¹Almighty.16 Has not ^afood been cut off before our eyes,Gladness and ^bjoy from the house of our God?17 The ¹^aseeds shrivel under their ²clods;The storehouses are desolate;The barns are pulled down,For the grain is dried up.18 How ^athe beasts groan!The herds of cattle wander aimlesslyBecause there is no pasture for them;Even the flocks of sheep ¹suffer.19 ^aTo You, O Yahweh, I cry;For ^bfire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness,And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.20 Even the beasts of the field ¹^apant for You;For the ^bwater brooks are dried up,And fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.