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13 Dress yourselves in burlap and weep, you priests!
    Wail, you who serve before the altar!
Come, spend the night in burlap,
    you ministers of my God.
For there is no grain or wine
    to offer at the Temple of your God.
14 Announce a time of fasting;
    call the people together for a solemn meeting.
Bring the leaders
    and all the people of the land
into the Temple of the Lord your God,
    and cry out to him there.
15 The day of the Lord is near,
    the day when destruction comes from the Almighty.
    How terrible that day will be!

16 Our food disappears before our very eyes.
    No joyful celebrations are held in the house of our God.
17 The seeds die in the parched ground,
    and the grain crops fail.
The barns stand empty,
    and granaries are abandoned.
18 How the animals moan with hunger!
    The herds of cattle wander about confused,
because they have no pasture.
    The flocks of sheep and goats bleat in misery.

19 Lord, help us!
The fire has consumed the wilderness pastures,
    and flames have burned up all the trees.
20 Even the wild animals cry out to you
    because the streams have dried up,
    and fire has consumed the wilderness pastures.

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The Day of Yahweh Is Near

13 (A)Gird yourselves with sackcloth
And lament, O priests;
(B)Wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, (C)spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God;
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Are withheld from the house of your God.
14 (D)Set apart a fast as holy,
Call for a (E)solemn assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
To the house of Yahweh your God,
And (F)cry out to Yahweh.
15 (G)Alas for the day!
For the (H)day of Yahweh is near,
And it will come as (I)destruction from the [a]Almighty.
16 Has not (J)food been cut off before our eyes,
Gladness and (K)joy from the house of our God?
17 The [b](L)seeds shrivel under their [c]clods;
The storehouses are desolate;
The barns are pulled down,
For the grain is dried up.
18 How (M)the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle wander aimlessly
Because there is no pasture for them;
Even the flocks of sheep [d]suffer.
19 (N)To You, O Yahweh, I cry;
For (O)fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness,
And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the beasts of the field [e](P)pant for You;
For the (Q)water brooks are dried up,
And fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 1:15 Heb Shaddai
  2. Joel 1:17 Or dried figs
  3. Joel 1:17 Or shovels
  4. Joel 1:18 Lit bear punishment
  5. Joel 1:20 Lit long for