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 Ndika olyo elaka lyOmuwa, e li pe Joel yaPetuel.
Aantu taa lilile ethekekopo lyiimeno
2 Uvii ko, ne aakuluntu;
shaa ngoka muJuda na pulakene.
Osha ningilwe tuu nale sha fa shika,
muuyuni weni nenge momauyuni goohokulu?
3 Shi hokololeleni aana yeni;
oyo naye shi hokololele oyana,
noyana naye ke shi hokololele oluvalo talu ya.
4 Oshipupu shoombahu tashi landula oshikwawo, osha lambela kiimeno;
shoka sha thigwa po koonakapipi, osha liwa po komakamuti.
5 Ne oonkolwi, tonateni ne mu lile;
takumeni, ne aanwi yomaviinu;
omandjembele gokukolwa omaviinu omape oga yonwa po.
6 Oshipupu shoombahu osha ponokele evi lyetu;
odhi na oonkondo nodhindji tadhi nyengana okuyalulwa;
omayego gadho oga tsa ga fa gonime.
7 Odha yonagula po omiviinu dhetu
nodha li po omikwiyu dhetu.
Odha huula ko omihuya, sigo iitayi ya ningi iitokele to.
8 Yantu ne, lileni ngaashi omukadhona ta lili oosa dhomulumentu ngoka a li e na oku mu hokana.
9 Kaku na we iilya nenge omaviinu okuyambelwa motempeli;
aayambi otaa lili, oshoka kaye na omayambo okuyambela Omuwa.
10 Omapya oge li owala;
evi otali lili, oshoka iilya oya yonagulwa po,
omahila goomviinu oga kukuta, nomiolivi odha ganya.
11 Aanamapya, seni oluhodhi;
lileni ne mboka hamu dhiginine iitsambe yomiviinu,
oshoka osiima niishokelya, eeno, iimeno ayihe oya yonagulwa po.
12 Omiviinu nomikwiyu odha ganya;
omiti adhihe dhiiyimati odha kukuta.
Enyanyu lyoshigwana olya kana.
13 Zaleni omahahi, mu lile,
ne aayambi mboka hamu yakula poshiyambelo!
Indeni motempeli, mu lile uusiku auhe!
Kape na iilya nenge omaviinu okuyambela Kalunga keni.
14 Gandjeni elombwelo lyeidhiliko; hiyeni oshigongi!
Gongeleni aawiliki noshigwana ashihe shaJuda
motempeli yOmuwa Kalunga keni, mu mu galikane.
15 Esiku lyOmuwa oli li popepi;
esiku uuna Omunankondoawike te eta ehanagulo.
Esiku ndyoka otali eta uumbanda u thike peni!
16 Otwa kanitha etegameno,
oshoka iimeno yetu oya lika po.
Motempeli yaKalunga ketu kamu na nando enyanyu.
17 Oombuto otadhi sile mevi ekukutu.
Kape na iilya yokupungulwa,
niigandhi oyi li owala ya hohoka.
18 Iimuna otayi lilagana kuulumbu,
oshoka kayi na oshinapelo;
iigunda yoonzi otayi tala omalwa.
19 Omuwa, otandi ku galikana omolwomanapelo nomiti dha kukuta, ongodha lunguna komulilo.
20 Nokuli iithitukuti otayi ku lilile,
molwashoka omilonga odha pwine.
