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Joel 1:2-2:11
English Standard Version
Joel 1:2-2:11
English Standard Version
An Invasion of Locusts
2 (A)Hear this, (B)you elders;
give ear, (C)all inhabitants of the land!
(D)Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
3 (E)Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.
4 What (F)the cutting locust left,
(G)the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
(H)the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
(I)the destroying locust has eaten.
5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and (J)wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of (K)the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For (L)a nation has come up against my land,
(M)powerful and beyond number;
(N)its teeth are lions' teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my (O)fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.
8 Lament like a virgin[a] (P)wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
9 (Q)The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the Lord.
(R)The priests mourn,
(S)the ministers of the Lord.
10 The fields are destroyed,
(T)the ground mourns,
because (U)the grain is destroyed,
(V)the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.
11 (W)Be ashamed,[b] O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
(X)because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The vine dries up;
(Y)the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and (Z)gladness dries up
from the children of man.
A Call to Repentance
13 (AA)Put on sackcloth and lament, (AB)O priests;
(AC)wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, (AD)pass the night in sackcloth,
(AE)O ministers of my God!
(AF)Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 (AG)Consecrate a fast;
(AH)call a solemn assembly.
Gather (AI)the elders
and (AJ)all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
15 Alas for the day!
(AK)For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty[c] it comes.
16 Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
(AL)joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 (AM)The seed shrivels under the clods;[d]
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because (AN)the grain has dried up.
18 How (AO)the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.[e]
19 To you, (AP)O Lord, I call.
(AQ)For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
(AR)and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
20 Even the beasts of the field (AS)pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
(AT)and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.
The Day of the Lord
2 (AU)Blow a trumpet in (AV)Zion;
sound an alarm on (AW)my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for (AX)the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 (AY)a day of darkness and gloom,
(AZ)a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
(BA)a great and powerful people;
(BB)their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
3 (BC)Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like (BD)the garden of Eden before them,
but (BE)behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
4 (BF)Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
5 (BG)As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of (BH)a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
(BI)like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
6 Before them peoples are in anguish;
(BJ)all faces grow pale.
7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;
(BK)each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
9 (BL)They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
(BM)they climb up into the houses,
(BN)they enter through the windows (BO)like a thief.
10 (BP)The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
(BQ)The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 (BR)The Lord utters his voice
before (BS)his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
(BT)he who executes his word is powerful.
(BU)For the day of the Lord is (BV)great and very awesome;
(BW)who can endure it?
Joel 1:2-2:11
New International Version
Joel 1:2-2:11
New International Version
An Invasion of Locusts
2 Hear this,(A) you elders;(B)
listen, all who live in the land.(C)
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?(D)
3 Tell it to your children,(E)
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.(F)
4 What the locust(G) 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(H)
other locusts[a] have eaten.(I)
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;(J)
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched(K) from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;(L)
it has the teeth(M) of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste(N) my vines
and ruined my fig trees.(O)
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth(P)
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings(Q)
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,(R)
those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;(S)
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine(T) is dried up,
the olive oil fails.(U)
11 Despair, you farmers,(V)
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,(W)
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.(X)
12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;(Y)
the pomegranate,(Z) the palm and the apple[b] tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.(AA)
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
A Call to Lamentation
13 Put on sackcloth,(AB) you priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister(AC) before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings(AD)
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;(AE)
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land(AF)
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out(AG) to the Lord.(AH)
15 Alas for that(AI) day!
For the day of the Lord(AJ) is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[c](AK)
16 Has not the food been cut off(AL)
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness(AM)
from the house of our God?(AN)
17 The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods.[d](AO)
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;(AP)
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.(AQ)
19 To you, Lord, I call,(AR)
for fire(AS) has devoured the pastures(AT) in the wilderness
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you;(AU)
the streams of water have dried up(AV)
and fire has devoured the pastures(AW) in the wilderness.
An Army of Locusts
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord(BA) is coming.
It is close at hand(BB)—
2 a day of darkness(BC) and gloom,(BD)
a day of clouds(BE) and blackness.(BF)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army(BG) comes,
such as never was in ancient times(BH)
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3 Before them fire(BI) devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,(BJ)
behind them, a desert waste(BK)—
nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses;(BL)
they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots(BM)
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire(BN) consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;(BO)
every face turns pale.(BP)
7 They charge like warriors;(BQ)
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,(BR)
not swerving(BS) from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;(BT)
like thieves they enter through the windows.(BU)
10 Before them the earth shakes,(BV)
the heavens tremble,(BW)
the sun and moon are darkened,(BX)
and the stars no longer shine.(BY)
11 The Lord(BZ) thunders(CA)
at the head of his army;(CB)
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;(CC)
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?(CD)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.