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 a solemn 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 and goats 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 orchard.
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.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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

A Call to Mourn and Repent

13 “Put on your mourning clothes, you priests;
    and cry aloud, you ministering servants at the altar!
Come! Stay the night in mourner’s clothes,[a] you ministers of my God,
    because the grain offering and the wine offering is held back from the Temple of your God.
14 Set apart time for a fast!
    Call a solemn assembly!
Gather the elders and everyone living in the land to the Temple of the Lord your God,
    and cry out to the Lord!”

A Lament about the Day of the Lord

15 Oh, no! For the Day of the Lord approaches,
    and like destruction from the Almighty, it will come!
16 Isn’t our food supply cut off right in front of us,[b]
    along with joy and gladness from the Temple of our God?
17 Seeds shrivel within their furrows,
    the storehouses lie empty,
and granaries stand in ruins
    because the grain has withered.
18 Oh, how the livestock groan!
    The herds of cattle[c] wander about
        because they have no pasture.
Even flocks of sheep suffer!

19 To you, Lord, I cry out,
    because fire has devoured the open pastures,
        and has set all the cultivated trees[d] ablaze.
20 The livestock also cries out to you,
    because their water sources have evaporated
        and because fire has consumed the open pastures.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Joel 1:13 Or in sackcloth
  2. Joel 1:16 Lit. cut off before our eyes
  3. Joel 1:18 Or oxen
  4. Joel 1:19 Lit. the trees of the field