Joel 1 - World English Bible (WEB)

1 Yahweh’s[a] word that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

2 Hear this, you elders,
And listen, all you inhabitants of the land.
Has this ever happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell your children about it,
and have your children tell their children,
and their children, another generation.
4 What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten.
What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten.
What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine;
for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For a nation has come up on my land, strong, and without number.
His teeth are the teeth of a lion,
and he has the fangs of a lioness.
7 He has laid my vine waste,
and stripped my fig tree.
He has stripped its bark, and thrown it away.
Its branches are made white.
8 Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth! 9 The meal offering and the drink offering are cut off from Yahweh’s house.
The priests, Yahweh’s ministers, mourn.
10 The field is laid waste.
The land mourns, for the grain is destroyed,
The new wine has dried up,
and the oil languishes.
11 Be confounded, you farmers!
Wail, you vineyard keepers;
for the wheat and for the barley;
for the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The vine has dried up, and the fig tree withered;
the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree,
even all of the trees of the field are withered;
for joy has withered away from the sons of men.
13 Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests!
Wail, you ministers of the altar.
Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God,[b]
for the meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from your God’s house.
14 Sanctify a fast.
Call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders,
and all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of Yahweh, your God,
and cry to Yahweh.
15 Alas for the day!
For the day of Yahweh is at hand,
and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
16 Isn’t the food cut off before our eyes,
joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seeds rot under their clods.
The granaries are laid desolate.
The barns are broken down, for the grain has withered.
18 How the animals groan!
The herds of livestock are perplexed, because they have no pasture.
Yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
19 Yahweh, I cry to you,
For the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
and the flame has burned all the trees of the field.
20 Yes, the animals of the field pant to you,
for the water brooks have dried up,
And the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.
  2. 1:13 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

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Joel 1 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Joel, son of Pethuel: 2 Hear this, ye aged ones, And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land, Hath this been in your days? Or in the days of your fathers? 3 Concerning it to your sons talk ye, And your sons to their sons, And their sons to another generation....
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Joel 1 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

1 The word of the Lord is this, that was made to Joel, the son of Pethuel. 2 Eld men, hear ye this, and all dwellers of the land, perceive ye with ears. If this thing was done in your days, either in the days of your fathers. (Old men, hear ye this, and all the inhabitants of the land, listen! Was s...
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Joel 1 - World English Bible (WEB)

1 Yahweh’s[a] word that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, you elders, And listen, all you inhabitants of the land.Has this ever happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children about it, and have your children tell their children, and their children, another ge...
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Joel 1 - The Voice (VOICE)

1 This is the word of the Eternal One that came to Joel, Pethuel’s son: 2 Hear this, elders and leaders. All who live in the land should pay close attention.Has anything like this ever happened? No, not in your lifetimes or your fathers’.3 So be sure to tell this story to your sons and daughters. Yo...
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Joel 1 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

1 The word of Adonai that came to Joel the son of Pethuel: Mourn the Land’s Destruction2 Hear this, elders!Give ear, all inhabitants of the land.Has this ever happened in your days,or even in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children about it—your children to their children,their children to ano...
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Joel 1 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethu′el: Lament over the Ruin of the Country2 Hear this, you aged men, give ear, all inhabitants of the land!Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their child...
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Joel 1 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethu′el: Lament over the Ruin of the Country2 Hear this, you aged men, give ear, all inhabitants of the land!Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their child...
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Joel 1 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel: Lament over the Ruin of the Country2 Hear this, O elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the land!Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your ancestors?3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and...
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Joel 1 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel: Lament over the Ruin of the Country2 Hear this, O elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the land!Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your ancestors?3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and...
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Joel 1 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel:(A)Lament over the Ruin of the Country2 Hear this, O elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land!Has such a thing happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?(B)3 Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children,...
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Joel 1 - New Living Translation (NLT)

1 The Lord gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel. Mourning over the Locust Plague2 Hear this, you leaders of the people. Listen, all who live in the land.In all your history, has anything like this happened before?3 Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell thei...
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Joel 1 - New Life Version (NLV)

1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. The Land Is Destroyed2 Hear this, you old men. Listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this happened in your days or in your fathers’ days? 3 Tell your sons about it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons ...
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Joel 1 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Locust Plague in Judah1 The word of the Lord that came to (A)Joel the son of Pethuel. The Land Laid Waste(B)2 Hear this, you elders,And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!(C)Has anything like this happened in your days,Or even in the days of your fathers?3 (D)Tell your children about it,L...
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Joel 1 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel. An invasion of locusts2 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?3 Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and...
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Joel 1 - New International Version (NIV)

1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Joel(B) son of Pethuel. An Invasion of Locusts2 Hear this,(C) you elders;(D) listen, all who live in the land.(E)Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?(F)3 Tell it to your children,(G) and let your children tell it t...
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Joel 1 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

1 A message from the Lord came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. Here is what Joel said. Locusts Attack the Land2 Elders, listen to me. Pay attention, all you who live in the land.Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life? Did it ever happen to your people who lived long ago?3 Tell your chi...
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Joel 1 - New English Translation (NET)

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