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 Yaawe* la kumoo, meŋ naata Yoweli kaŋ, Petuweli dinkewo:
Kuntiŋolu ye bankoo kasaara
2 Alitolu alifaalu, ali i lamoyi ñiŋ na.
Ali ali tuloo loo, bankoo siilaalu bee!
Fo ñiŋ siifaa nene keta ali tiloo la le baŋ,
waraŋ ali mumuñolu tiloo la?
3 Ali a saata ali diŋolu ye,
ali diŋolu fanaa ye a saata ì diŋolu ye,
wolu fanaa si a saata jamaani naalaa ye.
4 Kuntiŋolu mennu ka kunturoo ke,
wolu ye too meŋ tu,
kuntiŋ koorewolu ye wo domo.
Kuntiŋ koorewolu ye too meŋ tu,
kuntiŋ podilaalu ye wo domo.
Kuntiŋ podilaalu ye too meŋ tu,
kuntiŋ tiñaarilaalu ye wo domo.
5 Ali wuli, alitolu siiratoolu, ali ye kumboo,
alitolu wayini* minnaalu bee,
ali wayini timiyaariŋo woosii,
kaatu ali la a miŋo kuntuta le.
6 Kuntiŋ kooree baa le boyita n na bankoo kaŋ,
ì semboo warata, ì buka yaatee noo,
ì ñiŋo mu jata ñiŋo le ti,
jata saliŋo be ì la.
7 Ì ye n na wayini yiroolu kenseŋo londi,
ì ye n na sooto suŋolu faraŋ-faraŋ,
ì ye ì fatoolu woto ka ì fayi duuma,
fo ì buloolu koyita.
8 Ali woosii ko sunkutoo,
meŋ ye booto funtoo duŋ niikuyaa kamma la,
ka kewo la saayaa kumboo,
a ñanta futuu la meŋ ye.
9 Siimaŋ sadaa* niŋ miŋ feŋ sadaa kuntuta
Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo* to.
Piriisoolu* woosiita, Yaawe la dookuulaalu.
10 Kunkoolu tiñaata,
senebankoo kumboota,
siimaŋ kesoolu tiñaata,
wayini yiridiŋolu jaata,
olifu* tuloo ye ǹ tu kooma.
11 Alitolu senelaalu, ali sunu,
ali lemba, alitolu wayini yiri topatoolaalu.
Ali wiiti* niŋ baali* siimaŋo kumboo,
siimaŋ katoo danta.
12 Wayini yiroo jaata, sooto suŋo norota,
roomaani* suŋo, tamarewo aniŋ pomu suŋo,
yiroolu bee le jaata.
Tooñaa, moolu la seewoo danta.
Kiliroo, tuubiseyoo niŋ Alla batoo kaŋ
13 Alitolu piriisoolu, ali booto funtoo duŋ, ali ye woosii,
ali kumboo, alitolu Alla la sadaabolaalu.
Alitolu, n na Alla la dookuulaalu,
ali naa, ali ye suutoo bee ke booto funtoo kono.
Siimaŋ sadaa niŋ miŋ feŋ sadaa danta
ali la Alla Batudulaa Buŋo to.
14 Ali suŋ sahayaariŋo londi,
ali ye beŋo kili.
Ali alifaalu bendi
Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo to, ali la Alla,
aniŋ bankoo siilaalu bee,
ali ye woosii Yaawe ye.
15 Kooroo luŋ, luŋ koleŋ baa!
Yaawe la luŋo sutiyaata naŋ ne,
luŋo meŋ Alla Tallaa be kasaaroo naati la naŋ.
16 Fo domoroo maŋ daŋ m̀ faŋo ñaa koto baŋ,
kontaanoo niŋ seewoo danta ǹ na Alla Batudulaa Buŋo to?
17 Fiifeŋ kesoolu tolita bankoo kono,
buntuŋolu kenseŋo loota,
maaboridulaalu boyita,
kaatu siimaŋ kesoo ye moolu tu kooma le.
18 Beeyaŋolu ŋuntaŋñaa!
Ninsi koorewolu ka yaayi,
kaatu ì maŋ daañini dulaa soto,
hani saajii koorewolu faŋo be toorariŋ.
19 Yaawe, m be woosii kaŋ ite le ye.
Dimbaa le ye beeyaŋ daañini dulaa bee jani,
dimbaa neŋo ye wuloo yiroo bee jani.
20 Hani wulakono daafeŋolu be ñaaniriŋ ite Yaawe la le,
kaatu jii siloolu jaata le,
dimbaa ye beeyaŋ daañini dulaa bee jani.
