An Invasion Of Locusts

1 This is the Lord's message that was given to Joel the son of Pethuel:

1 The (A)word of the Lord that came to (B)Joel, the son of Pethuel:

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

1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Joel son of Pethuel:

1 This message from the LORD came to Pethuel's son Joel.

A Lament Over The Land

2 Listen to this, you elders; pay attention, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life or in the lifetime of your ancestors?

2 (C)Hear this, O (D)elders,And listen, all inhabitants of the land.(E)Has anything like this happened in your daysOr in your fathers’ days?

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,(B) you elders;listen, all you inhabitants of the land.Has anything like this ever happened in your days(C)or in the days of your ancestors?

2 "Hear this, you elders! Listen, all of you residents of the land! Has there ever been anything like this during your lifetime, or even when your ancestors were alive?

3 Tell your children about it, have your children tell their children, and their children the following generation.

3 (F)Tell your sons about it,And let your sons tell their sons,And their sons the next generation.

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

3 Tell your children about it,(D)and let your children tell their children,and their children the next generation.

3 Pass it on to your children, and from your children to their children, and from their children to the following generation.

4 What the gazam-locust left the 'arbeh-locust consumed, what the 'arbeh-locust left the yeleq-locust consumed, and what the yeleq-locust left the hasil-locust consumed!

4 What the (G)gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;And what the (H)swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;And what the creeping locust has left, the (I)stripping locust has eaten.

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 devouring locust(E) has left,the swarming locust has eaten;what the swarming locust has left,the young locust(F) has eaten;and what the young locust has left,the destroying locust(G) has eaten.

4 Whatever the devouring locust left behind the locust swarm has consumed! Whatever the locust swarm has left behind, the young locust has consumed! Whatever the young locust has left behind, the ravaging locust has consumed!"

5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you wine drinkers, because the sweet wine has been taken away from you.

5 Awake, (J)drunkards, and weep;And wail, all you wine drinkers,On account of the sweet wineThat is (K)cut off from your mouth.

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, you drunkards,(H) and weep;wail, all you wine drinkers,because of the sweet wine,for it has been taken from your mouth.

5 "Wake up, you drunkards! Cry aloud and howl, you wine drinkers, because your supply of new wine has been snatched from you.

6 For a nation has invaded our land. There are so many of them they are too numerous to count. Their teeth are like those of a lion; they tear apart their prey like a lioness.

6 For a (L)nation has (a)invaded my land,Mighty and without number;(M)Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,And it has the fangs of a lioness.

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 For a nation has invaded My land,(I)powerful and without number;its teeth are the teeth of a lion,and it has the fangs of a lioness.(J)

6 Indeed, a nation has invaded my land it is strong and its population is too large to count with teeth like a lion and fangs like a lioness.

7 They have destroyed our vines; they have turned our fig trees into mere splinters. They have completely stripped off the bark and thrown them aside; the twigs are stripped bare.

7 It has (N)made my vine a wasteAnd my fig tree (b)splinters.It has stripped them bare and cast them away;Their branches have become white.

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 devastated My grapevineand splintered My fig tree.It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away;its branches have turned white.

7 That nation laid waste my vines, and stripped bare my fig tree, discarding it. It stripped off its bark.

8 Wail like a young virgin clothed in sackcloth, lamenting the death of her husband-to-be.

8 (O)Wail like a virgin (P)girded with sackclothFor the bridegroom of her youth.

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

8 Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth,(K)mourning for the husband of her youth.

8 "Grieve like a virgin, who, dressed in her mourner's clothes, cries out in memory of the man she was going to marry.

9 No one brings grain offerings or drink offerings to the temple of the Lord anymore. So the priests, those who serve the Lord, are in mourning.

9 The (Q)grain offering and the drink offering are cut offFrom the house of the Lord.The (R)priests mourn,The ministers of the Lord.

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 have been cut off(L)from the house of the Lord;the priests, who are ministers of the Lord, mourn.(M)

9 Both grain offering and wine offering have been removed from the LORD's Temple; the priests and ministering servants of the LORD are mourning."

10 The crops of the fields have been destroyed. The ground is in mourning because the grain has perished. The fresh wine has dried up; the olive oil languishes.

10 The field is (S)ruined,(T)The land mourns;For the grain is ruined,The new wine dries up,Fresh oil (c)fails.

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 destroyed;(N)the land grieves;indeed, the grain is destroyed;the new wine is dried up;(O)and the olive oil fails.(P)

10 "The fields lie in ruins and the ground is dried up. Indeed, the grain is ruined, the new wine has evaporated, and the olive oil has run out.

11 Be distressed, farmers; wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley. For the harvest of the field has perished.

11 (d)(U)Be ashamed, O farmers,Wail, O vinedressers,For the wheat and the barley;Because the (V)harvest of the field is destroyed.

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 Be ashamed, you farmers,(Q)wail, you vinedressers,(a)over the wheat and the barley,because the harvest of the field has perished.(R)

11 Be dismayed, you farmers! Cry aloud, you vintners, for the wheat and barley, because the harvest in your fields has been lost.

12 The vine has dried up; the fig tree languishes -- the pomegranate, date, and apple as well. In fact, all the trees of the field have dried up. Indeed, the joy of the people has dried up!

12 The (W)vine dries upAnd the fig tree (e)fails;The (X)pomegranate, the (Y)palm also, and the (f)(Z)apple tree,All the trees of the field dry up.Indeed, (AA)rejoicing dries upFrom the sons of men.

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 grapevine is dried up,(S)and the fig tree is withered;the pomegranate,(T) the date palm,(U) and the apple(V)all the trees of the orchard—have withered.Indeed, human joy has dried up.(W)

12 The grapevine is shriveled and the fig tree is withered, along with the pomegranate tree, the palm tree, the apple tree and all of the cultivated trees. Truly, joy has evaporated from Adam's children."

A Call To Lamentation

13 Get dressed and lament, you priests! Wail, you who minister at the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God, because no one brings grain offerings or drink offerings to the temple of your God anymore.

13 (AB)Gird yourselves with sackclothAnd lament, O priests;(AC)Wail, O ministers of the altar!Come, (AD)spend the night in sackclothO ministers of my God,For the grain offering and the drink offeringAre withheld from the house of your God.

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 Dress in sackcloth and lament,(X) you priests;(Y)wail,(Z) you ministers of the altar.Come and spend the night in sackcloth,(AA)you ministers of my God,because grain and drink offeringsare withheld from the house of your God.

13 "Put on your mourning clothes, you priests; and cry aloud, you ministering servants at the altar! Come! Stay the night in mourner's clothes, you ministers of my God, because the grain offering and the wine offering is held back from the Temple of your God.

14 Announce a holy fast; proclaim a sacred assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

14 (AE)Consecrate a fast,Proclaim a (AF)solemn assembly;Gather the eldersAnd all the inhabitants of the landTo the house of the Lord your God,And (AG)cry out to the Lord.

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 Announce a sacred fast;(AB)proclaim an assembly!Gather the elders(AC)and all the residents of the landat the house of the Lord your God,(AD)and cry out to the Lord.(AE)

14 Set apart time for a fast! Call a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and everyone living in the land to the Temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD!"

15 How awful that day will be! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come as destruction from the Divine Destroyer.

15 (AH)Alas for the day!For the (AI)day of the Lord is near,And it will come as (AJ)destruction from the (g)Almighty.

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 Woe because of that day!(AF)For the Day of the Lord is nearand will come as devastation from the Almighty.(AG)

15 Oh, no! For the Day of the LORD approaches, and like destruction from the Almighty, it will come!

16 Our food has been cut off right before our eyes! There is no longer any joy or gladness in the temple of our God!

16 Has not (AK)food been cut off before our eyes,Gladness and (AL)joy from the house of our God?

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

16 Hasn’t the food been cut offbefore our eyes,(AH)joy and gladness(AI)from the house of our God?

16 Isn't our food supply cut off right in front of us, along with joy and gladness from the Temple of our God?

17 The grains of seed have shriveled beneath their shovels. Storehouses have been decimated and granaries have been torn down, for the grain has dried up.

17 The (h)(AM)seeds shrivel under their (i)clods;The storehouses are desolate,The barns are torn down,For the grain is dried up.

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 seeds lie shriveled in their casings.(b)(AJ)The storehouses are in ruin,and the granaries are broken down,because the grain has withered away.

17 Seeds shrivel within their furrows, the storehouses lie empty, and granaries stand in ruins because the grain has withered.

18 Listen to the cattle groan! The herds of livestock wander around in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

18 How (AN)the beasts groan!The herds of cattle wander aimlesslyBecause there is no pasture for them;Even the flocks of sheep (j)suffer.

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 animals groan!(AK)The herds of cattle wander in confusionsince they have no pasture.Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.

18 Oh, how the livestock groan! The herds of cattle wander about because they have no pasture. Even flocks of sheep suffer!

19 To you, O Lord, I call out for help, for fire has burned up the grassy pastures, flames have razed all the trees in the fields.

19 (AO)To You, O Lord, I cry;For (AP)fire has devoured the pastures of the wildernessAnd the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.

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 I call to You, Lord,(AL)for fire has consumedthe pastures of the wilderness,(AM)and flames have devouredall the trees of the countryside.

19 To you, LORD, I cry out, because fire has devoured the open pastures, and has set all the cultivated trees ablaze.

20 Even the wild animals cry out to you; for the river beds have dried up; fire has destroyed the grassy pastures.

20 Even the beasts of the field (k)(AQ)pant for You;For the (AR)water brooks are dried upAnd fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

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 the wild animals cry out to(c) You,(AN)for the river beds are dried up,(AO)and fire has consumedthe pastures of the wilderness. >

20 The livestock also cries out to you, because their water sources have evaporated and because fire has consumed the open pastures.

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