13 Dress in sackcloth and lament,(A) you priests;(B)
wail,(C) you ministers of the altar.
Come and spend the night in sackcloth,(D)
you ministers of my God,
because grain and drink offerings
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Announce a sacred fast;(E)
proclaim an assembly!
Gather the elders(F)
and all the residents of the land
at the house of the Lord your God,(G)
and cry out to the Lord.(H)

The Day of the Lord

15 Woe because of that day!(I)
For the Day of the Lord is near
and will come as devastation from the Almighty.(J)
16 Hasn’t the food been cut off
before our eyes,(K)
joy and gladness(L)
from the house of our God?
17 The seeds lie shriveled in their casings.[a](M)
The storehouses are in ruin,
and the granaries are broken down,
because the grain has withered away.
18 How the animals groan!(N)
The herds of cattle wander in confusion
since they have no pasture.
Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.
19 I call to You, Lord,(O)
for fire has consumed
the pastures of the wilderness,(P)
and flames have devoured
all the trees of the countryside.
20 Even the wild animals cry out to[b] You,(Q)
for the river beds are dried up,(R)
and fire has consumed
the pastures of the wilderness.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 1:17 Or clods; Hb obscure
  2. Joel 1:20 Or animals pant for; Hb obscure

13 Gird yourselves and lament, O priests!
    Wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come spend the night in sackcloth,
    O ministers of my God,
because offering and libation
    are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Solemnize a fast!
    Call an assembly!
Gather the elders,
    all of the inhabitants of the land
in the house of Yahweh your God,
    and cry out to Yahweh.
15 Ah! For the day!
For the day of Yahweh is near.
    It will come like destruction from Shaddai.[a]
16 Is not food cut off
    before our eyes,
from the house of our God,
    joy and gladness?
17 The seeds shrivel under their clods;
    the storehouses are desolate.
The grain storage places are destroyed
    because grain has dried out.
18 How the beasts[b] groan;
    the herds of cattle wander around
because there is no pasture for them;
    the flocks of sheep are in distress.
19 To you, O Yahweh, I cry out,
because fire has devoured
    the pastures of the desert,
and flames[c] burned
    all the trees of the field.
20 Also, the beasts of the field
    long for you,
because the courses of water
    are dried up,
and fire has devoured
    the pastures of the desert.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 1:15 Often translated “the Almighty”
  2. Joel 1:18 Hebrew “beast”
  3. Joel 1:19 Hebrew “flame”

A Call to Lamentation

13 Put on sackcloth,(A) you priests, and mourn;
    wail, you who minister(B) before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
    you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings(C)
    are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;(D)
    call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
    and all who live in the land(E)
to the house of the Lord your God,
    and cry out(F) to the Lord.(G)

15 Alas for that(H) day!
    For the day of the Lord(I) is near;
    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[a](J)

16 Has not the food been cut off(K)
    before our very eyes—
joy and gladness(L)
    from the house of our God?(M)
17 The seeds are shriveled
    beneath the clods.[b](N)
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;(O)
    even the flocks of sheep are suffering.(P)

19 To you, Lord, I call,(Q)
    for fire(R) has devoured the pastures(S) in the wilderness
    and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you;(T)
    the streams of water have dried up(U)
    and fire has devoured the pastures(V) in the wilderness.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 1:15 Hebrew Shaddai
  2. Joel 1:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.