Online Bible

The Devastation by Locusts

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

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

4 What the ^agnawing locust has left, the ¹swarming 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, ^ayou heavy drinkers, and weep;And wail, all you wine drinkers,Because of the sweet wine,For it has been ^beliminated 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 jaws of a lioness.7 It has ^amade my vine a wasteAnd my fig tree a stump.It has stripped them bare and hurled them away;Their branches have become white.

8 ^aWail like a virgin ^bclothed with sackclothFor the groom of her youth.9 The ^agrain offering and the drink offering have been 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 has dried up,Fresh oil has ¹failed.11 ^aBe ashamed, you farm workers,Wail, you vinedressers,For the wheat and the barley;Because the ^bharvest of the field is destroyed.12 The ^avine has dried upAnd the fig tree has withered;The ^bpomegranate, the ^cpalm also, and the ^dapple tree,All the trees of the field have dried up.Indeed, ^ejoy has dried upFrom the sons of mankind.

13 ^aPut on sackclothAnd mourn, you priests;^bWail, you ministers of the altar!Come, ^cspend the night in sackcloth,You ministers of my God,For the grain offering and the drink offeringHave been 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 ^aWoe for the day!For the ^bday of the LORD is near,And it will come as ^cdestruction from the ¹Almighty.16 Has ^afood not been cut off before our eyes, andJoy and ^brejoicing from the house of our God?17 The ¹^aseeds have dried up under their shovels;The storehouses have become desolate,The grain silos are ruined,Because the grain has dried up.18 How ^athe animals have groaned!The herds of cattle have wandered aimlesslyBecause there is no pasture for them;Even the flocks of sheep have ¹suffered.19 ^aTo You, LORD, I cry out;For ^bfire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.20 Even the animals of the field ¹^apant for You;For the ^bstream beds of water are dried up,And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

The ^aword of the LORD that came to ¹^bJoel, the son of Pethuel.

The Devastation of Locusts

2 ^aHear this, O ^belders,Listen closely, all inhabitants of the land!^cHas such a thing as this occurred in your days,Or even in the days of your fathers?3 ^aTell your children about it,And let your children tell their children,And their children 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 in judgment of Judah.5 Awake from your intoxication, you ^adrunkards, and weep;Wail, all you drinkers of wine,Because of the fresh sweet wineThat is ^bcut off from your mouth.6 For a pagan and hostile ^anation has invaded My land like locusts,Mighty and without number;^bIts teeth are the teeth of a lion,And it has the fangs of a lioness. Rev 9:7, 87 It has ^amade My vine (My people) a waste and object of horror,And splintered and broken My fig tree.It has stripped them completely bare and thrown them away;Their branches have become white. Is 5:5, 6

8 ^aWail like a virgin bride ^bclothed with ¹sackclothFor the bridegroom of her youth who has died.9 The ^adaily grain offering and the drink offering are cut offFrom the house of the LORD;The ^bpriests mournWho minister to the LORD.10 The field is ^aruined,^bThe ground mourns;For the grain is ruined,The new wine is dried up,The fresh oil fails.11 ^aBe ashamed, O farmers;Wail, O vinedressers,For the wheat and for the barley,Because the ^bharvest of the field has perished.12 The ^avine dries upAnd the fig tree fails;The ^bpomegranate, the ^cpalm also, and the ^dapple tree,All the trees of the field dry up,Indeed, ^ejoy dries up and withdrawsFrom the sons of men.

13 ^aClothe yourselves with sackclothAnd lament (cry out in grief) , O priests;^bWail, O ministers of the altar!Come, ^cspend the night in sackcloth and pray without ceasing,O 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 in penitent pleadings.15 ^aAlas for the day!For the judgment ^bday of the LORD is at hand,And it will come upon the nation as a ^cdestruction from the ¹Almighty. Zeph 1:14-1816 Has not the ^afood been cut off before our eyes,^bJoy and gladness from the house of our God?17 The ^aseeds of grain shrivel under the clods,The storehouses are desolate and empty,The barns are in ruinsBecause the grain is dried up.18 How ^athe animals groan!The herds of cattle are bewildered and wander aimlesslyBecause they have no pasture;Even the flocks of sheep suffer.19 O LORD, I cry out ^ato You,For ^bfire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.20 Even the wild animals ^apant in longing for You;For the ^bwater brooks are dried upAnd fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.