¹ Tämä on Herran sana, joka tapahtui Joelille Petuelin pojalle.

² Kuulkaat tätä vanhimmat, ja ottakaat korviinne kaikki maan asuvaiset; onko tämä teidän eli teidän isäinne aikana tapahtunut.

³ Sanokaat siitä teidän lapsillenne, ja antakaat teidän lastenne sitä lapsillensa sanoa, ja nekin lapset muille jälkeentulevaisillensa.

⁴ Mitä ruohomato jättää, sen heinäsirkka syö, ja mitä heinäsirkka jättää, sen lehtimato syö, ja mitä lehtimato jättää, sen jyvämato syö.

⁵ Herätkäät juopuneet, ja itkekäät ja ulvokaat kaikki viinan juomarit nuoren viinan tähden; sillä se on temmattu pois teidän suustanne.

⁶ Sillä väkevä kansa menee pois minun maani päälle, joka on lukematoin; hänen hampaansa ovat niinkuin jalopeuran hampaat, ja syömähampaat niinkuin julmalla jalopeuralla.

⁷ He hävittivät minun viinamäkeni, ja minun fikunapuuni kaivoivat, kuorivat ja heittivät pois, että sen oksat valkiana ovat.

⁸ Valita niinkuin neitsyt, joka säkin yllensä pukee nuoruutensa yljän tähden.

⁹ Sillä ruokauhri ja juomauhri on pois Herran huoneesta; ja papit Herran huoneesta; ja papit Herran palveliat murehtivat.

¹⁰ Pelto on hävitetty, maa on murheissansa, että jyvät ovat turmellut, viina on kuivunut pois, ja öljy puuttunut.

¹¹ Peltomiehet katsovat huonosti, ja viinamäen miehet parkuvat nisuin ja ohrain tähden, ettei vainiossa ole mitään tuloa.

¹² Viinapuu kuivettui ja fikunapuu on lahonnut; granatipuu, palmupuu, omenapuu ja kaikki kedon puut ovat kuivettuneet; sillä ihmisten riemu on surkeudeksi tullut.

¹³ Sonnustakaat teitänne ja valittakaat, te papit! parkukaat, te alttarin palveliat, menkäät (templiin), ja levätkäät, te minun Jumalani palveliat, säkeissä oli yötä; sillä ruokauhri ja juomauhri on pois teidän Jumalanne huoneesta.

¹⁴ Pyhittäkäät paasto, kutsukaat seurakunta kokoon, ja kootkaat vanhimmat, ja kaikki maakunnan asuvaiset, Herran teidän Jumalanne huoneesen, ja huutakaat Herran tykö:

¹⁵ Voi, voi sitä päivää! sillä Herran päivä on juuri läsnä, ja tulee niinkuin kadotus Kaikkivaltiaalta.

¹⁶ Eikö ruoka oteta pois meidän silmäimme edestä, ja meidän Jumalamme huoneesta ilo ja riemu?

¹⁷ Siemenet mätänivät maassa, jyväaitat ovat hävitetyt, riihet ovat hajoitetut; sillä elo on kuivunut pois.

¹⁸ Voi, kuinka karja huokaa, ja laumat ammuvat! ettei heillä ole laidunta, ja lammaslaumat nääntyvät.

¹⁹ Herra, sinun tykös minä huudan, että kulo on polttanut laitumet korvessa, ja liekki on kaikki puut vainiossa sytyttänyt.

²⁰ Metsän eläimet myös sinun tykös huutavat, että vesi-ojat kuivuneet ovat, ja että kulo on polttanut laitumet korvessa.

¹ Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.

² He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,

³ and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don't go away from your servant.

⁴ Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

⁵ I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."

⁶ Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly prepare three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes."

⁷ Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.

⁸ He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

⁹ They asked him, "Where is Sarah, your wife?" He said, "See, in the tent."

¹⁰ He said, "I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

¹² Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

¹³ Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?'

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son."

¹⁵ Then Sarah denied, saying, "I didn't laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

¹⁶ The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.

¹⁷ Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do,

¹⁸ since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

¹⁹ For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

²⁰ Yahweh said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,

²¹ I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know."

²² The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.

²³ Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?

²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?

²⁵ Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?"

²⁶ Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."

²⁷ Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.

²⁸ What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

²⁹ He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty found there?" He said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake."

³⁰ He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."

³¹ He said, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake."

³² He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake."

³³ Yahweh went his way, as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.