New International Version NIV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
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The word of ADONAI that came to Yo'el the son of P'tu'el:
2 Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?
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"Hear this, you leaders! Listen, all who live in the land! Has anything like this ever happened in your days, or in your ancestors' days?
3 Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.
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Tell your children about it, and have them tell it to theirs, and have them tell the next generation.
4 What the locust 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 other locusts have eaten.
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What the cutter-worms left, the locusts ate; what the locusts left, the grasshoppers ate; what the grasshoppers left, the shearer-worms ate.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips.
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Wake up, drunkards, and weep! wail, all you who drink wine, because the juice of the grape will be withheld from your mouth.
6 A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness.
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For a mighty and numberless nation has invaded my land. His teeth are lion's teeth; his fangs are those of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.
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He has reduced my vines to waste, my fig trees to splinters - he plucked them bare, stripped their bark and left their branches white."
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
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Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the husband of her youth!
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.
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Grain offering and drink offering are cut off from the house of ADONAI. The cohanim are mourning, those who are serving ADONAI.
10 The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the olive oil fails.
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The fields are ruined, the ground is grieving; for the grain is ruined, the new wine dried up, and the olive oil is wretched.
11 Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed.
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Despair, you farmers; lament, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley - the harvest from the fields is lost.
12 The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree— all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away.
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The vines have withered, the fig trees wilted, also the pomegranate, date-palm and apple tree - all the trees in the fields have withered, and the people's joy has withered away.
13 Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
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Cohanim, put on sackcloth, and weep! Wail, you who serve at the altar! Come, lie in sackcloth all night long, you who serve my God! For the grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
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Proclaim a holy fast, call for a solemn assembly, gather the leaders and all who live in the land to the house of ADONAI your God, and cry out to ADONAI,
15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
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"Oh no! The Day! The Day of ADONAI is upon us! As destruction from Shaddai it is coming!
16 Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?
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The food is cut off before our very eyes, also joy and gladness from the house of our God.
17 The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods.The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up.
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The seed-grain is rotting in its furrows; the granaries are deserted, the barns in ruins; because the grain has withered.
18 How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
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How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture. The flocks of sheep bear the punishment, too.
19 To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
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ADONAI, I cry out to you! For the fire has consumed the pastures in the desert, and the flame set ablaze all the trees in the fields.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.
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Even the wild animals come to you, panting, because the streambeds have dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures in the desert."
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.