| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. | 1The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel: |
| 2Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? | 2Hear this, you elders; listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors? |
| 3Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation. | 3Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation. |
| 4What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. | 4What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten. |
| 5Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth. | 5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you wine drinkers, because of the sweet wine, for it has been taken from your mouth. |
| 6For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion. | 6For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness. |
| 7He has laid waste My vine, And ruined My fig tree; He has stripped it bare and thrown it away; Its branches are made white. | 7It has devastated My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away; its branches have turned white. |
| 8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the husband of her youth. | 8Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth, mourning for the husband of her youth. |
| 9The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the LORD; The priests mourn, who minister to the LORD. | 9Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, who are ministers of the LORD, mourn. |
| 10The field is wasted, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails. | 10The fields are destroyed; the land grieves; indeed, the grain is destroyed; the new wine is dried up; and the olive oil fails. |
| 11Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished. | 11Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. |
| 12The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree— All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men. | 12The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the date palm, and the apple-- all the trees of the orchard--have withered. Indeed, human joy has dried up. |
| 13Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God. | 13Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come and spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. |
| 14Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD. | 14Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. |
| 15Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty. | 15Woe because of that day! For the Day of the LORD is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty. |
| 16Is not the food cut off before our eyes, Joy and gladness from the house of our God? | 16Hasn't the food been cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? |
| 17The seed shrivels under the clods, Storehouses are in shambles; Barns are broken down, For the grain has withered. | 17The seeds lie shriveled in their casings. The storehouses are in ruin, and the granaries are broken down, because the grain has withered away. |
| 18How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, Because they have no pasture; Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. | 18How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander in confusion since they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. |
| 19O LORD, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, And a flame has burned all the trees of the field. | 19I call to You, LORD, for fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have devoured all the trees of the countryside. |
| 20The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures. | 20Even the wild animals cry out to You, for the river beds are dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness. |
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