以下是耶和華對毗土珥的兒子約珥所說的話。

嚴重的蝗災

長老們啊,請聽我說!
地上的所有居民啊,要留心聽!
在你們或你們祖先的時代可曾發生過這樣的事?
要把這事告訴你們的子子孫孫,
傳到世世代代!

蝗蟲吃剩的,蝻子來吃;
蝻子吃剩的,蚱蜢來吃;
蚱蜢吃剩的,螞蚱來吃[a]

醉漢啊,醒過來哭泣吧!
貪杯的人啊,哀號吧!
你們再無美酒可飲了。
有一群兇猛的蝗蟲侵犯我的國土,
牠們不計其數,
有雄獅的獠牙和母獅的利齒。
牠們毀壞我的葡萄樹和無花果樹,
剝光樹皮,
只留下光禿的樹枝。

我的子民啊,你們要像死了未婚夫的少女,
穿上喪服痛哭哀號。
耶和華殿中的素祭[b]和奠祭[c]都停止了,
事奉耶和華的祭司都哀傷。
10 田園荒廢,遍地淒涼,
五穀盡毀,
再也沒有新酒和油了。

11 農夫啊,你們要憂傷!
照料葡萄園的人啊,
你們要哀號!
因為田間的大麥和小麥全毀了。
12 葡萄樹枯死,
無花果樹凋殘,
石榴樹、棕樹、蘋果樹等田野的一切樹木枯乾。
人間的歡樂消逝了。

13 祭司啊,穿著喪服痛哭吧;
在祭壇前事奉的人啊,要哀號;
我上帝的僕人啊,要披上麻衣過夜;
因為再無素祭和奠祭獻到你們上帝的殿中了。

14 你們要定一個禁食的日子,
舉行莊嚴的聚會,
召集全國的長老和人民,
到你們的上帝耶和華的殿中,
向耶和華呼求。

15 太可怕了!耶和華的日子近了,
那是全能者施行毀滅的日子。
16 我們的糧食斷絕了,
我們上帝殿中的歡樂消失了。

17 種子在土裡腐爛,
五穀乾死,倉庫荒廢,
穀倉被拆毀。

18 牲畜哀鳴,
牛群因找不到草場而四處亂竄,
羊群也受苦。

19 耶和華啊,我向你呼求,
因為火焰吞滅了曠野的草場,
烈火燒光了田野的樹木。
20 田野的走獸向你呼求,
因為溪水已經枯乾,
火也燒盡了曠野的草場。

Footnotes

  1. 1·4 蝗蟲蝻子蚱蜢螞蚱」四個詞希伯來語的確切意思很難考證。
  2. 1·9 素祭就是獻上五穀、麵粉之類的供物,參見利未記2章。
  3. 1·9 奠祭就是獻上新釀的酒。

严重的蝗灾

耶和华的话临到毘土珥的儿子约珥:

老年人哪!你们要听这话。

这地所有的居民啊!你们要留心听。

在你们的日子,

或在你们祖先的日子,

曾有这样的事吗?

你们要把这事传与子,

子传与孙,

孙传与后代。

剪虫剩下的,蝗虫吃了;

蝗虫剩下的,蝻子吃了;

蝻子剩下的,蚂蚱吃了。

酒醉的人哪!你们要醒过来;要哀哭!

所有嗜酒的人哪!你们都要为甜酒哀号,

因为甜酒从你们的口里断绝了。

因为有一民族上来侵犯我的国土,

他们强大又无数;

他们的牙齿像狮子的牙齿,

他们有母狮的大牙。

他们使我的葡萄树荒凉,

折断了我的无花果树,

把树皮剥尽,丢在一旁,

使枝条露白。

劝人民哀哭

你们要哀号,像少女腰束麻布,

为她幼年时许配的丈夫哀号一样。

素祭和奠祭都从耶和华的殿里断绝了,

事奉耶和华的祭司也都悲哀。

10 田野荒废,

土地凄凉,

因为五谷毁坏,

新酒干竭,

油也缺乏。

11 农夫啊!你们要为大麦和小麦羞愧。

修理葡萄园的啊!你们要哀号,

因为田间的庄稼都破坏了。

12 葡萄树枯干,

无花果树衰残;

石榴树、棕树、苹果树,

田野所有的树木都枯干,

因此欢乐从人间消失了。

呼吁人民禁食祷告

13 祭司啊!你们要腰束麻布,并且痛哭。

在祭坛侍候的啊!你们要哀号。

事奉我的 神的啊!你们披上麻布进去过夜吧,

因为素祭和奠祭,

都从你们的 神的殿中止息了。

14 你们要把禁食的日子分别为圣,

召开严肃会,

聚集众长老

和国中所有的居民,

到你们的 神耶和华的殿里,

向耶和华呼求。

15 哀哉那日!

因为耶和华的日子临近了;

那日来到,好象毁灭从全能者临到一样。

16 粮食不是在我们的眼前断绝了吗?

欢喜与快乐不是从我们的 神的殿中止息了吗?

17 谷种在土块底下朽烂,

仓库荒凉,谷仓破烂被拆毁,

因为五谷都枯干了。

18 牲畜发出哀鸣,

牛群到处流荡,

因为没有草场给牠们,

羊群也同样受苦。

19 耶和华啊!我向你呼求,

因为火吞灭了旷野的草场,

火焰烧尽了田间所有的树木。

20 田野的走兽也向你发喘,

因为溪水都干涸了,

火吞灭了旷野的草场。

The word of the Lord that came(A) to Joel(B) son of Pethuel.

An Invasion of Locusts

Hear this,(C) you elders;(D)
    listen, all who live in the land.(E)
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
    or in the days of your ancestors?(F)
Tell it to your children,(G)
    and let your children tell it to their children,
    and their children to the next generation.(H)
What the locust(I) swarm has left
    the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
    the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left(J)
    other locusts[a] have eaten.(K)

Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
    Wail, all you drinkers of wine;(L)
wail because of the new wine,
    for it has been snatched(M) from your lips.
A nation has invaded my land,
    a mighty army without number;(N)
it has the teeth(O) of a lion,
    the fangs of a lioness.
It has laid waste(P) my vines
    and ruined my fig trees.(Q)
It has stripped off their bark
    and thrown it away,
    leaving their branches white.

Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth(R)
    grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
Grain offerings and drink offerings(S)
    are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,(T)
    those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
    the ground is dried up;(U)
the grain is destroyed,
    the new wine(V) is dried up,
    the olive oil fails.(W)

11 Despair, you farmers,(X)
    wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,(Y)
    because the harvest of the field is destroyed.(Z)
12 The vine is dried up
    and the fig tree is withered;(AA)
the pomegranate,(AB) the palm and the apple[b] tree—
    all the trees of the field—are dried up.(AC)
Surely the people’s joy
    is withered away.

A Call to Lamentation

13 Put on sackcloth,(AD) you priests, and mourn;
    wail, you who minister(AE) before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
    you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings(AF)
    are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;(AG)
    call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
    and all who live in the land(AH)
to the house of the Lord your God,
    and cry out(AI) to the Lord.(AJ)

15 Alas for that(AK) day!
    For the day of the Lord(AL) is near;
    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[c](AM)

16 Has not the food been cut off(AN)
    before our very eyes—
joy and gladness(AO)
    from the house of our God?(AP)
17 The seeds are shriveled
    beneath the clods.[d](AQ)
The storehouses are in ruins,
    the granaries have been broken down,
    for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan!
    The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;(AR)
    even the flocks of sheep are suffering.(AS)

19 To you, Lord, I call,(AT)
    for fire(AU) has devoured the pastures(AV) in the wilderness
    and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you;(AW)
    the streams of water have dried up(AX)
    and fire has devoured the pastures(AY) in the wilderness.

Footnotes

  1. Joel 1:4 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
  2. Joel 1:12 Or possibly apricot
  3. Joel 1:15 Hebrew Shaddai
  4. Joel 1:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.