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13 Priests, put on your rough cloth and cry to show your sadness.
    Servants of the altar, cry out loud.
Servants of my God,
    keep your rough cloth on all night to show your sadness.
Cry because there will be no more grain or drink offerings
    to offer in the Temple of your God.
14 Call for a day when everyone fasts!
    Tell everyone to stop work!
Bring the elders
    and everyone who lives in the land
to the Temple of the Lord your God,
    and cry out to the Lord.
15 What a terrible day it will be!
    The Lord’s day of judging is near,
when punishment will come
    like a destroying attack from the Almighty.

16 Our food is taken away
    while we watch.
Joy and happiness are gone
    from the Temple of our God.
17 Though we planted fig seeds,
    they lie dry and dead in the dirt.
The barns are empty and falling down.
    The storerooms for grain have been broken down,
    because the grain has dried up.
18 The animals are groaning!
    The herds of cattle wander around confused,
because they have no grass to eat;
    even the flocks of sheep suffer.
19 Lord, I am calling to you for help,
    because fire has burned up the open pastures,
    and flames have burned all the trees in the field.
20 Wild animals also need your help.
    The streams of water have dried up,
    and fire has burned up the open pastures.

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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.