The wordof the LORDthatcametoJoelthe sonof Pethuel. Hearthis, ye old men, and give ear, allye inhabitantsof the land. Hath thisbeenin your days, or evenin the daysof your fathers? Tellye your childrenofit, and let your children tell their children, and their childrenanothergeneration. That which the palmerwormhath lefthath the locusteaten; and that which the locusthath lefthath the cankerwormeaten; and that which the cankerwormhath lefthath the caterpillareaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, allye drinkersof wine, because ofthe new wine; forit is cut offfrom your mouth. Fora nationis come upuponmy land, strong, and withoutnumber, whose teeth are the teethof a lion, and he hath the cheek teethof a great lion. He hath laidmy vinewaste, and barkedmy fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branchesthereof are made white. Lamentlike a virgingirdedwith sackclothforthe husbandof her youth. The meat offeringand the drink offeringis cut offfrom the houseof the LORD; the priests, the LORD's ministers, mourn. The fieldis wasted, the landmourneth; forthe cornis wasted: the new wineis dried up, the oillanguisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, forthe wheatand forthe barley; becausethe harvestof the fieldis perished. The vineis dried up, and the fig treelanguisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm treealso, and the apple tree, even allthe treesof the field, are withered: becausejoyis withered awayfromthe sonsof men. Girdyourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministersof the altar: come, lie all nightin sackcloth, ye ministersof my God: forthe meat offeringand the drink offeringis withheldfrom the houseof your God. Sanctifyye a fast, calla solemn assembly, gatherthe elders and allthe inhabitantsof the land into the houseof the LORDyour God, and cryuntothe LORD, Alasfor the day! forthe dayof the LORD is at hand, and as a destructionfrom the Almightyshall it come. Is notthe meatcut offbeforeour eyes, yea , joyand gladnessfrom the houseof our God? The seedis rottenundertheir clods, the garnersare laid desolate, the barnsare broken down; forthe cornis withered. Howdo the beastsgroan! the herdsof cattleare perplexed, becausethey have nopasture; yea, the flocksof sheepare made desolate. O LORD, tothee will I cry: forthe firehath devouredthe pasturesof the wilderness, and the flamehath burnedallthe treesof the field. The beastsof the fieldcryalsountothee: forthe riversof watersare dried up, and the firehath devouredthe pasturesof the wilderness.