1 This is the Lord's message to Joel son of Pethuel.
The People Mourn the Destruction of the Crops
2 Pay attention, you older people;
everyone in Judah, listen.
Has anything like this ever happened
in your time or the time of your ancestors?
3 Tell your children about it;
they will tell their children,
who in turn will tell the next generation.
4 Swarm after swarm of locusts settled on the crops;
what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured.
5 Wake up and weep, you drunkards;
cry, you wine-drinkers;
the grapes for making new wine have been destroyed.
6 An army of locusts has attacked our land;
they are powerful and too many to count;
their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion.
7 They have destroyed our grapevines
and chewed up our fig trees.
They have stripped off the bark,
till the branches are white.
8 Cry, you people, like a young woman who mourns the death
of the man she was going to marry.
9 There is no grain or wine to offer in the Temple;
the priests mourn because they have no offerings for the Lord.
10 The fields are bare;
the ground mourns
because the grain is destroyed,
the grapes are dried up,
and the olive trees are withered.
11 Grieve, you farmers;
cry, you that take care of the vineyards,
because the wheat, the barley,
yes all the crops are destroyed.
12 The grapevines and fig trees have withered;
all the fruit trees have wilted and died.
The joy of the people is gone.
13 Put on sackcloth and weep,
you priests who serve at the altar!
Go into the Temple and mourn all night!
There is no grain or wine to offer your God.
14 Give orders for a fast;
call an assembly!
Gather the leaders
and all the people of Judah
into the Temple of the Lord your God
and cry out to him!
15 The day of the Lord is near,
the day when the Almighty brings destruction.
What terror that day will bring!
16 We look on helpless as our crops are destroyed.
There is no joy in the Temple of our God.
17 The seeds die in the dry earth.
There is no grain to be stored,
and so the empty granaries are in ruins.
18 The cattle are bellowing in distress
because there is no pasture for them;
the flocks of sheep also suffer.
19 I cry out to you, Lord,
because the pastures and trees are dried up,
as though a fire had burned them.
20 Even the wild animals cry out to you
because the streams have become dry.
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.
