Joel1

Joel prophesies a devastating plague of locusts, described as an invading nation, which has utterly consumed all vegetation, leaving the land barren. This unprecedented destruction leads to the cessation of temple offerings and widespread mourning among all inhabitants, from drunkards to priests. The prophet calls for a solemn fast and assembly, warning that this calamity signals the imminent "day of the LORD."

Superscription and Call to Attention

1
A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Joel, son of Pethuel:
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Hear this, ye aged ones, And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land, Hath this been in your days? Or in the days of your fathers?
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Concerning it to your sons talk ye, And your sons to their sons, And their sons to another generation.

The Devastation of the Locust Plague

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What is left of the palmer-worm, eaten hath the locust, And what is left of the locust, Eaten hath the cankerworm, And what is left of the cankerworm, Eaten hath the caterpillar.
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Awake, ye drunkards, and weep, And howl all drinking wine, because of the juice, For it hath been cut off from your mouth.
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For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.
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It hath made my vine become a desolation, And my fig-tree become a chip, It hath made it thoroughly bare, and hath cast down, Made white have been its branches.

A Call to Widespread Lamentation

8
Wail, as a virgin girdeth with sackcloth, For the husband of her youth.
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Cut off hath been present and libation from the house of Jehovah, Mourned have the priests, ministrants of Jehovah.
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Spoiled is the field, mourned hath the ground, For spoiled is the corn, Dried up hath been new wine, languish doth oil.
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Be ashamed, ye husbandmen, Howl, vine-dressers, for wheat and for barley, For perished hath the harvest of the field.
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The vine hath been dried up, And the fig-tree doth languish, Pomegranate, also palm, and apple-tree, All trees of the field have withered, For dried up hath been joy from the sons of men.

Priests Commanded to Lead Repentance

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Gird, and lament, ye priests, Howl, ye ministrants of the altar, Come in, lodge in sackcloth, ministrants of my God, For withheld from the house of your God hath been present and libation.
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Sanctify a fast, proclaim a restraint, Gather the elders--all the inhabitants of the land, Into the house of Jehovah your God,

The Prophet's Prayer and the Day of the LORD

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And cry unto Jehovah, `Alas for the day! For near is a day of Jehovah, And as destruction from the mighty it cometh.
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Is not before our eyes food cut off? From the house of our God joy and rejoicing?
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Rotted have scattered things under their clods, Desolated have been storehouses, Broken down have been granaries, For withered hath the corn.
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How have cattle sighed! Perplexed have been droves of oxen, For there is no pasture for them, Also droves of sheep have been desolated.
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Unto Thee, O Jehovah, I do call, For fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness, And a flame hath set on fire all trees of the field.
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Also the cattle of the field long for Thee, For dried up have been streams of water, And fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness!'
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