THE JOY OF MANKIND IS WITHERED AWAY
Key verse: 19a
NIV
1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Joel(B) son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts
2 Hear this,(C) you elders;(D)
listen, all who live in the land.(E)
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?(F)
3 Tell it to your children,(G)
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.(H)
4 What the locust(I) swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left(J)
other locusts[a] have eaten.(K)
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;(L)
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched(M) from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;(N)
it has the teeth(O) of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste(P) my vines
and ruined my fig trees.(Q)
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth(R)
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings(S)
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,(T)
those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;(U)
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine(V) is dried up,
the olive oil fails.(W)
11 Despair, you farmers,(X)
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,(Y)
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.(Z)
12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;(AA)
the pomegranate,(AB) the palm and the apple[b] tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.(AC)
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
A Call to Lamentation
13 Put on sackcloth,(AD) you priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister(AE) before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings(AF)
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;(AG)
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land(AH)
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out(AI) to the Lord.(AJ)
15 Alas for that(AK) day!
For the day of the Lord(AL) is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[c](AM)
16 Has not the food been cut off(AN)
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness(AO)
from the house of our God?(AP)
17 The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods.[d](AQ)
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;(AR)
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.(AS)
Footnotes
Cross references
- Joel 1:1 : S Jer 1:2
- Joel 1:1 : Ac 2:16
- Joel 1:2 : Hos 5:1
- Joel 1:2 : Joel 2:16
- Joel 1:2 : S Hos 4:1
- Joel 1:2 : Joel 2:2
- Joel 1:3 : S Ex 10:2
- Joel 1:3 : S Ps 71:18
- Joel 1:4 : S Ex 10:14
- Joel 1:4 : S Ex 10:5
- Joel 1:4 : S Ex 10:15; S Dt 28:39; Am 7:1; Na 3:15
- Joel 1:5 : Joel 3:3
- Joel 1:5 : S Isa 24:7
- Joel 1:6 : Ps 105:34; Joel 2:2, 11, 25
- Joel 1:6 : Rev 9:8
- Joel 1:7 : Isa 5:6
- Joel 1:7 : Am 4:9
- Joel 1:8 : ver 13; Isa 22:12; Am 8:10
- Joel 1:9 : S Hos 9:4
- Joel 1:9 : S Isa 22:12
- Joel 1:10 : S Isa 5:6; S 24:4; S Jer 3:3
- Joel 1:10 : S Hos 9:2
- Joel 1:10 : S Nu 18:12
- Joel 1:11 : S Job 6:20; Am 5:16
- Joel 1:11 : S Ex 9:31
- Joel 1:11 : S Isa 17:11
- Joel 1:12 : S Isa 15:6
- Joel 1:12 : S Ex 28:33
- Joel 1:12 : S Isa 16:8; Hag 2:19
- Joel 1:13 : S Ge 37:34; S Jer 4:8
- Joel 1:13 : Joel 2:17
- Joel 1:13 : ver 9; S Hos 9:4; Joel 2:14
- Joel 1:14 : S 2Ch 20:3
- Joel 1:14 : S Hos 4:1
- Joel 1:14 : Jnh 3:8
- Joel 1:14 : 2Ch 20:4
- Joel 1:15 : S Isa 2:12; Jer 30:7; S 46:10; S Eze 30:3; Mal 4:5
- Joel 1:15 : Joel 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Am 5:18; Zep 1:14; Zec 14:1
- Joel 1:15 : S Ge 17:1
- Joel 1:16 : Isa 3:7
- Joel 1:16 : S Ps 51:8
- Joel 1:16 : Dt 12:7
- Joel 1:17 : S Isa 17:10-11
- Joel 1:18 : S Ge 47:4
- Joel 1:18 : S Jer 9:10
- Joel 1:19 : Ps 50:15
- Joel 1:19 : S Ps 97:3; Am 7:4
- Joel 1:19 : S Jer 9:10
- Joel 1:20 : S Ps 42:1; S 104:21
- Joel 1:20 : 1Ki 17:7
- Joel 1:20 : Joel 2:22
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:
An Invasion of Locusts
2 (A)Hear this, (B)you elders;
give ear, (C)all inhabitants of the land!
(D)Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
3 (E)Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.
4 What (F)the cutting locust left,
(G)the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
(H)the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
(I)the destroying locust has eaten.
5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and (J)wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of (K)the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For (L)a nation has come up against my land,
(M)powerful and beyond number;
(N)its teeth are lions' teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my (O)fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.
8 Lament like a virgin[a] (P)wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
9 (Q)The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the Lord.
(R)The priests mourn,
(S)the ministers of the Lord.
10 The fields are destroyed,
(T)the ground mourns,
because (U)the grain is destroyed,
(V)the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.
11 (W)Be ashamed,[b] O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
(X)because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The vine dries up;
(Y)the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and (Z)gladness dries up
from the children of man.
A Call to Repentance
13 (AA)Put on sackcloth and lament, (AB)O priests;
(AC)wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, (AD)pass the night in sackcloth,
(AE)O ministers of my God!
(AF)Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 (AG)Consecrate a fast;
(AH)call a solemn assembly.
Gather (AI)the elders
and (AJ)all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
15 Alas for the day!
(AK)For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty[c] it comes.
16 Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
(AL)joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 (AM)The seed shrivels under the clods;[d]
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because (AN)the grain has dried up.
18 How (AO)the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.[e]
19 To you, (AP)O Lord, I call.
(AQ)For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
(AR)and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
20 Even the beasts of the field (AS)pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
(AT)and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.
Footnotes
Cross references
- Joel 1:2 : [Hos. 5:1]
- Joel 1:2 : ver. 14
- Joel 1:2 : ver. 14
- Joel 1:2 : [ch. 2:2]
- Joel 1:3 : [Ps. 78:4]
- Joel 1:4 : ch. 2:25; Amos 4:9
- Joel 1:4 : [Amos 7:1]; See Ex. 10:4
- Joel 1:4 : ch. 2:25; Ps. 105:34; Nah. 3:15
- Joel 1:4 : ch. 2:25; Ps. 78:46
- Joel 1:5 : [Isa. 24:11]
- Joel 1:5 : ch. 3:18; Isa. 49:26; Amos 9:13
- Joel 1:6 : ch. 2:2
- Joel 1:6 : ch. 2:2
- Joel 1:6 : [Rev. 9:7, 8]
- Joel 1:7 : [ver. 12]
- Joel 1:8 : [ver. 13]; See 2 Sam. 3:31
- Joel 1:9 : ver. 13; ch. 2:14
- Joel 1:9 : ch. 2:17; [Isa. 61:6; Ezek. 45:4]
- Joel 1:9 : ch. 2:17; [Isa. 61:6; Ezek. 45:4]
- Joel 1:10 : See Hos. 4:3
- Joel 1:10 : [Hos. 2:9]
- Joel 1:10 : [Hos. 2:9]
- Joel 1:11 : [Jer. 14:4]
- Joel 1:11 : ver. 17
- Joel 1:12 : [ver. 7]
- Joel 1:12 : Isa. 24:11; Jer. 48:33
- Joel 1:13 : [ver. 8; Jer. 4:8]
- Joel 1:13 : [See ver. 9 above]; ch. 2:17; [Isa. 61:6; Ezek. 45:4]
- Joel 1:13 : [ver. 8; Mic. 1:8]
- Joel 1:13 : [ver. 8; Jer. 4:8]
- Joel 1:13 : [See ver. 9 above]; ch. 2:17; [Isa. 61:6; Ezek. 45:4]
- Joel 1:13 : ver. 9; ch. 2:14
- Joel 1:14 : ch. 2:15, 16; See 2 Chr. 20:3
- Joel 1:14 : ch. 2:15, 16; See 2 Chr. 20:3
- Joel 1:14 : ver. 2
- Joel 1:14 : ver. 2
- Joel 1:15 : ch. 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Isa. 13:6, 9; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 30:2, 3; Amos 5:18; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:14, 15; Zech. 14:1; 2 Pet. 3:10
- Joel 1:16 : [Deut. 12:6, 7; 16:14, 15]
- Joel 1:17 : [Mal. 2:3]
- Joel 1:17 : ver. 11
- Joel 1:18 : ch. 2:22; [Jer. 12:4; Hos. 4:3]
- Joel 1:19 : Ps. 50:15
- Joel 1:19 : Jer. 9:10
- Joel 1:19 : Jer. 9:10
- Joel 1:20 : [Job 38:41; Ps. 104:21; 145:15]
- Joel 1:20 : [See ver. 19 above]; Jer. 9:10
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
INTRODUCTION TO JOEL
The Prophet Joel is mentioned by name only here and in the book of Acts. His name means 'The Lord is God.' It is probable that he lived in Judah, since he mentions Judah and Jerusalem in his book. He is possibly writing after the people returned from Babylonian captivity, since there is no mention of a king, and life seems to be centered around the temple. He writes against the background of a devastating plague of locusts, followed by a drought. He sees this as God's warning to his people to repent and restore their relationship with God. The materialistic, self-indulgent lifestyle of the people displeased God. God blessed the land, but, instead of seeking God, the people became pleasure-seeking. The locust plague is a warning of the coming Day of the Lord. The prophet promises that God's people will be restored after repentance, and those who harassed and persecuted them will be judged on the Day of the Lord.
Peter quotes Joel in his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2, and points out that Joel prophesied about the coming of the Holy Spirit on all flesh.
The book may be divided into 2 parts:
I. The locust plague--God's warning (1:1-2:17)
II. The Day of the Lord--God's judgment on the nations (2:18-3:21)
1. The joy of mankind is withered (1-12)
In Joel's time there was an invasion of locusts such as had never been before in Judah. It was like the invasion of a foreign army (6,7). The locusts stripped the bark from the trees; they laid waste the vines and devoured the grain in the fields. A drought followed the locust. Drunkards mourned because there was no wine; priests, because there was no grain for offerings. Farmers despaired. The joy of mankind had withered away. Natural disaster reminds us that God's blessings should not be taken for granted.
2. A call to repentance (13-2
)
The day of the Lord is a time of God's decisive intervention in human history. God's acts of judgment are to call people to repent. The invasion of locusts was not an accident. It was the Lord's invitation to repent and call on the Lord. So the prophet calls to the Lord for mercy and help; even the wild animals pant for the Lord (19,2
). God's wrath and love are two sides of the same coin.
Prayer: You, O Lord, are the source of all blessings. I call on you with a repentant and thankful heart.
One Word: Repent and call on the Lord