1I am Joel, the son of Pethuel. This is a message that Yahweh gave to me.
2You leaders of Israel, and everyone else who lives in this country, listen to this message!
3Tell your children about it,
4I am talking about the locusts that have eaten our crops.
5You people who are drunk, wake up!
6Huge swarms of locusts have entered our country.
7They have destroyed our grapevines and our fig trees
8Cry like [SIM] a young woman cries
9There is no grain or wine for us to offer as sacrifices at the temple,
10The crops in the fields have been ruined;
11You farmers, grieve!
12The grapevines and the fig trees have withered,
13You priests, put on rough sack clothes and wail.
14Tell the people that they should ◄fast/abstain from eating food►.
15Terrible things are happening to us!
16Our crops are already gone,
17When we plant seeds, they do not grow;
18Our cattle groan, searching for a pasture with some grass to eat,
19Yahweh, I cry out to you,
20It is as though even the wild animals cry out to you