Joel Chapter 1
Ayo, this is the message from the Lord that hit Joel, son of Pethuel.
The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
Yo, peep this, all you elders and folks living here. Has anything like this ever gone down in your time or your fam’s era?
Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
Let your kids know about it, and then they can pass the vibes to their kids, and so on.
Tell ye your children of it, and {let} your children {tell} their children, and their children another generation.
What the palmerworm left behind? The locusts rolled in and snatched it; then the cankerworm hit it, and the caterpillar wrapped it up.
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. {That which the palmerworm...: Heb. The residue of the palmerworm}
Rise and shine, you partiers, and start weeping; all you wine lovers, it’s a rough time 'cause the new wine is gone.
Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
A whole squad rolled up on my turf, super strong and never-ending, with teeth like a lion—no cap.
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth {are} the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
They trashed my vine and left my fig tree looking all bare; it’s looking mad sad and pale.
He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast {it} away; the branches thereof are made white. {barked...: Heb. laid my fig tree for a barking}
Wail like a bride in a tough spot 'cause her man is missing.
Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
The offerings are cut off from the Lord’s crib; the priests are out here in straight mourning.
The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn.
The field’s a total mess, the land’s feeling it; the corn’s missing, the new wine is dried out, and the oil’s barely holding on.
The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
Yo, farmers, shame on you; howl, you grape pickers, 'cause the wheat and barley are toast—harvest ain’t showing up.
Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
The vine’s all dried out, the fig tree’s looking beat; the pomegranate, palm, and apple trees are all withered—joy is just outta here for the people.
The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, {even} all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
Get it together and mourn, priests; howl, altar workers; throw on sackcloth all night, my God’s ministers—offerings are on pause from your God’s house.
Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
Set up a fast, gather everyone, get the elders and all the homies to the Lord’s crib, and cry out to Him.
Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders {and} all the inhabitants of the land {into} the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, {solemn...: or, day of restraint}
Yikes, that day is coming! The day of the Lord is near, and it’s gonna be a crazy destruction from the Almighty.
Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD {is} at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Aren’t we seeing the food cut off right in front of us? Joy and gladness are MIA from our God’s house.
Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, {yea}, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
The seeds are rotting below the surface; the storage spots are empty, the barns are falling apart—corn’s all dried out.
The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. {seed: Heb. grains}
The animals are groaning! The cattle are confused 'cause there’s no grass; even the sheep got nothing left.
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
Lord, I'm calling out to you; the fire’s devoured the wilderness pastures, and the flames burned down all the trees.
O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. {pastures: or, habitations}
The wild animals are crying out to you too; the rivers are dried up, and the fire’s wrecked the wilderness pastures.
The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.