1 I am Joel the son of Pethuel.
And this is the message
the Lord gave to me.
Locusts Cover the Land
2 Listen, you leaders
and everyone else
in the land.
Has anything like this
ever happened before?
3 Tell our children!
Let it be told
to our grandchildren
and their children too.
4 Swarm after swarm of locusts
has attacked our crops,
eating everything in sight.
5 Sober up, you drunkards!
Cry long and loud;
your wine supply is gone.
6 A powerful nation
with countless troops
has invaded our land.
They have the teeth and jaws
of powerful lions.
7 Our grapevines and fig trees
are stripped bare;
only naked branches remain.
8 Grieve like a young woman
mourning for the man
she was to marry.
9 Offerings of grain and wine
are no longer brought
to the Lord's temple.
His servants, the priests,
are deep in sorrow.
10 Barren fields mourn;
grain, grapes, and olives
are scorched and shriveled.
11 Mourn for our farms
and our vineyards!
There's no wheat or barley
growing in our fields.
12 Grapevines have dried up
and so has every tree—
figs and pomegranates,
date palms and apples.
All happiness has faded away.
Return to God
13 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.
14 Tell the leaders and people
to come together
at the temple.
Order them to go without eating
and to pray sincerely.
15 We are in for trouble!
Soon the Lord All-Powerful
will bring disaster.
16 Our food is already gone;
there's no more celebrating
at the temple of our God.
17 Seeds dry up in the ground;
no harvest is possible.
Our barns are in bad shape,
with no grain
to store in them.
18 Our cattle wander aimlessly,
moaning for lack of pasture,
and sheep are suffering.
19 I cry out to you, Lord.
Grasslands and forests are eaten
by the scorching heat.
20 Wild animals have no water
because of you;
rivers and streams are dry,
and pastures are parched.
1 Indji oyo ombuze ya Muhona ku Joel, omuzandu wa Petuel.
Ovandu mave ririre omanyoneno wovikunwa
2 Zuveye, eṋe vanene, nu purateneye,
eṋe vature vehi ra Juda amuhe!
Pena indu pa tjitirwe otjiṋa tji tja sana ngwi
moruveze rweṋu poo momayuva wooiho are?
3 Otjiṋa hi serekarereye kovanatje veṋu,
nowo ve serekarere kovanatje vawo,
nu imba ve serekarere kozondekurona
nḓu maaze ya kombunda.
4 Tji tja sewa po i ovikondambahu
tja riwa i ehapu rozombahu,
nu tji tja sewa po i ovitukambahu
tja riwa i ovinyonambahu,
mbya kombozora avihe.
5 Yanḓimukeye, vaṱe vomeva wamururu,
nu mu rire! Ureye amuhe,
vanwe vomavinu,
tjinga amwa yekwa omeva
womandjembere omape.
6 Orondu otjiwaṋa tjorive otjinamasa
notjihinatjivaro matji rwisa ehi retu;
omayo watjo ye ri tjimuna owongeyama
nu ozongunḓe zomayo watjo ze ri
tjimuna ozongeyama ozonḓenḓu.
7 Otjo tja hahaura omivite vyetu
natji teya omikuyu vyetu;
tja tatura ovitatu vyavyo atji vi yumbu pehi,
notutavi atu rire otuvapa.
8 Rireye, eṋe tjiwaṋa, otja omusuko
nguri moruhoze romuvareke we!
9 Kape na ovikokotwa poo omavinu
okupunguhirwa mondjuwo ya Muhona;
ovapristeri, ovakarere va Muhona,
ve ri moruhoze.
10 Omahi womakunino ya sewa tjo,
nehi ehapise ri ri mondjenda,
ovikokotwa tjinga avya nyonwa,
nomandjembere tjinga aya kamba,
nomiti vyomaze womiṋinga tjinga avya kukuta.
11 Kareye moruhoze, va ungure vehi,
ureye, va ungure vomivite,
ovikokotwa novirya ovinikorwa avihe mokuti
tjinga avya nyonwa.
12 Omivite vya kukuta nomikuyu
kavi eta omakuyu rukwao;
omiti avihe ngamwa vyokuti mbi eta ovihape
vya kukuta nu vya koka.
Ovandu kave tji nenyando rukwao.
13 Zareye ozombanda zokupirika nu mu rire,
vapristeri mbu mu karera potjipunguhiro!
Indjeye mu rare amwa pirike ouṱuku auhe,
vakarere va Ndjambi wandje!
Kape novikokotwa nomavinu
okupunguhirwa mondjuwo ya Ndjambi weṋu.
14 Zikamiseye eyuva romeritjaerero kovikurya;
raereye kutja pe tjitwe eyuva rongumbiro!
Woronganisireye ovanane notjiwaṋa atjihe
tja Juda mondjuwo ya Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu,
mu kwe ku ye.
15 Owee, Eyuva ra Muhona ndo ri ri popezu;
oro mari ya otja omayandekero
ngu maye zu kOmunamasaaehe.
16 Oviparure kavi nyonenwe
momeho wetu oveni are?
Enyando nondjoroka kavi manukire
mondjuwo ya Ndjambi wetu are?
17 Ozondwi za kakatera movitumbehi,
omatuwo womapwikiro ya teyewa,
novipwikiro vya hahaurwa,
ovikokotwa tjinga avi he tji ri po.
18 Tara, ovinamuinyo mavi tjeme nokuvandara!
Tjinga atu hi nomaryo,
notupanda twozonḓu wina twa hepauka.
19 Ami me ku kove, Muhona,
tjinga omaryo nomiti avya kukuta,
nomuriro wa nyosa omiti avihe mokuti.
20 Nandarire ovipuka vyokuti mavi ku kove,
omipupo tjinga avya pwira,
notjipyu tjomutenya atja perura omaryo wokuti.
