| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. | 1This is the word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel: |
| 2Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? | 2Hear this, O elders; and give ear, all who dwell in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your fathers? |
| 3Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation. | 3Tell it to your children; let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. |
| 4What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. | 4What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten. |
| 5Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth. | 5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth. |
| 6For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion. | 6For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness. |
| 7He has laid waste My vine, And ruined My fig tree; He has stripped it bare and thrown it away; Its branches are made white. | 7It has laid waste My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off the bark and thrown it away; the branches have turned white. |
| 8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the husband of her youth. | 8Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth. |
| 9The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the LORD; The priests mourn, who minister to the LORD. | 9Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD. |
| 10The field is wasted, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails. | 10The field is ruined; the land mourns. For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails. |
| 11Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished. | 11Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. |
| 12The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree— All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men. | 12The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple—all the trees of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried up. |
| 13Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God. | 13Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. |
| 14Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD. | 14Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. |
| 15Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty. | 15Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty. |
| 16Is not the food cut off before our eyes, Joy and gladness from the house of our God? | 16Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes—joy and gladness from the house of our God? |
| 17The seed shrivels under the clods, Storehouses are in shambles; Barns are broken down, For the grain has withered. | 17The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods; the storehouses are in ruins; the granaries are broken down, for the grain has withered away. |
| 18How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, Because they have no pasture; Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. | 18How the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering. |
| 19O LORD, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, And a flame has burned all the trees of the field. | 19To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field. |
| 20The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures. | 20Even the beasts of the field pant for You, for the streams of water have dried up, and fire has consumed the open pastures. |
|
