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.
Oshipaxu noluteni
1 Ondjovo yOmwene ye uya kuJoel yaPetuel ei: 2 Shi udeni, onye ovakulunhu! Shi pwilikineni, onye oonakukalamo moshilongo! Oshinima sha tya ngaha osha ningwa tuu mbela momafiku eni ile momafiku ooxokulu? 3 Shi hepaululileni ovana veni, novana veni ve shi hepaululile ovana vavo, novana vavo ve shi lombwele oludalo lavo. 4 Eshi sha xupa koshenye, tashi lika komakamuti. Naashi sha efiwa komakamuti otashi lika koshipaxu shanakapipi. Naashi sha efiwa koshipaxu shanakapipi otashi lika kokapuka taka kunya. 5 Pendukeni, nye eengholwe, nye mu lile. Ndele nyikeni oluhodi, onye amushe oonakunwa omaviinyu omolwomaviinyu inaa pya, osheshi a kufwa mo momakanya eni. 6 Osheshi oshiwana sheenghono shihe shii kuvalwa sha pumina moshilongo shange, omayoo asho e li ngaashi onghoshi, noluhamama li li ngaashi longhoshi yonghadi. 7 Osho sha hanauna po omiviinyu dange, osho sha kunya omikwiyu dange, she di kunya omapeta noku a ekelashi, oitai yado ya kukuta.
8 Kema ngaashi okakadona ka djala oshako molwomumati womounyasha waye. 9 Eendjayambo noikunwayambo oya xulifwa mo mongulu yOmwene. Ovapristeli, ovapiya vOmwene ohava nyika oufiye. 10 Omapya a ninga omaputu, edu la nyika oufiye, osheshi oilya ya hanaunwa po. Omaviinyu a kuka, omaadi kae po vali. 11 Ovanamapya va fifwa ohoni, ovanamiviinyu hava kemene oilyavala nomahangu, osheshi oilya yomomapya kai po. 12 Omuviinyu wa kukuta, omukwiyu wa fya, omugranati nomulunga nomuti womuapula omiti adishe domoshilongo oda kukuta. Osheshi ehafo la fifwa ohoni, ola dja po kovana vovanhu.
Ekemo neilikano
13 Djaleni, ndelenee kemeni, nye ovapristeli! Kuweni, nye ovayakuli vopomayambelo! Ileni, nye ovapiya vaKalunga mu nangale oufiku mwa djala eeshako. Osheshi eendjayambo noikunwayambo ya xula mo mongulu yaKalunga keni. 14 Yapuleni efiku lelidiliko. Shiveni oshiongalele. Ongeleni mongulu yOmwene Kalunga keni ovakulunhu noonakukalamo aveshe vomoshilongo, ndele kuweni kOmwene. 15 Woo, efiku olo! Osheshi efiku lOmwene li li popepi, ndele tali uya ngaashi ehanauno hali di kOmunaenghono adishe. 16 Eendja inadi kufwa tuu moipafi yetu nehafo nekuwililo mongulu yaKalunga ketu? 17 Eembuto da hekeshwa. Oipale ya kunghala nomaanda a tekauka po, osheshi oilya oya feta. 18 Woo, oimuna nhumbi tai keme. Noufita weengobe tau endaenda, osheshi kai na apa tai li. Noufita weedi noikombo yo tau fi ondjala. 19 Kwoove, Omwene, handi kuu, osheshi epeya la xwika po oulifilo womofuka; nelaka lomundilo la xwika omiti adishe domoixwa. 20 Noifitukuti yoovene yomoixwa otai kuu kwoove. Osheshi eemholongela domeva da pwinina nepeya la xwika po oulifilo womoixwa.
