I am Joel the son of Pethuel. And this is the message the Lord gave to me.

Swarm after swarm of locusts has attacked our crops, eating everything in sight.

Sober up, you drunkards! Cry long and loud; your wine supply is gone.

Our grapevines and fig trees are stripped bare; only naked branches remain.

Grieve like a young woman mourning for the man she was to marry.

Offerings of grain and wine are no longer brought to the Lord's temple. His servants, the priests, are deep in sorrow.

Barren fields mourn; grain, grapes, and olives are scorched and shriveled.

Grapevines have dried up and so has every tree— figs and pomegranates, date palms and apples. All happiness has faded away.

Return to God

Mourn, you priests who serve at the altar of my God. Spend your days and nights wearing sackcloth. Offerings of grain and wine are no longer brought to the Lord's temple.

Tell the leaders and people to come together at the temple. Order them to go without eating and to pray sincerely.

We are in for trouble! Soon the Lord All-Powerful will bring disaster.

Seeds dry up in the ground; no harvest is possible. Our barns are in bad shape, with no grain to store in them.

Our cattle wander aimlessly, moaning for lack of pasture, and sheep are suffering.

I cry out to you, Lord. Grasslands and forests are eaten by the scorching heat.

Wild animals have no water because of you; rivers and streams are dry, and pastures are parched.

Locusts and an Enemy Army

Sound the trumpet on Zion, the Lord's sacred hill. Warn everyone to tremble! The judgment day of the Lord is coming soon.

It will be dark and gloomy with storm clouds overhead. Troops will cover the mountains like thunderclouds. No army this powerful has ever been gathered before or will be gathered again.

Fiery flames surround them; no one escapes. Before they invaded, the land was like Eden; now only a desert remains.

They roar over mountains like noisy chariots, or a mighty army ready for battle. They are a forest fire that feasts on straw.

The very sight of them is frightening.

They charge straight ahead, without pushing each other; even arrows and spears cannot make them retreat.

They swarm over city walls and enter our homes; they crawl in through windows, just like thieves.

They make the earth tremble and the heavens shake; the sun and moon turn dark, and stars stop shining.

The Lord God leads this army of countless troops, and they obey his commands. The day of his judgment is so terrible that no one can stand it.

The Lord's Invitation

The Lord said: It isn't too late. You can still return to me with all your heart. Start crying and mourning! Go without eating.