¹ La parole de l'Eternel qui fut adressée à Joël, fils de Pethuel.

² Ecoutez ceci, vieillards! Prêtez l'oreille, vous tous, habitants du pays! Rien de pareil est-il arrivé de votre temps, Ou du temps de vos pères?

³ Racontez-le à vos enfants, Et que vos enfants le racontent à leurs enfants, Et leurs enfants à la génération qui suivra!

⁴ Ce qu'a laissé le gazam, la sauterelle l'a dévoré; Ce qu'a laissé la sauterelle, le jélek l'a dévoré; Ce qu'a laissé le jélek, le hasil l'a dévoré.

⁵ Réveillez-vous, ivrognes, et pleurez! Vous tous, buveurs de vin, gémissez, Parce que le moût vous est enlevé de la bouche!

⁶ Car un peuple est venu fondre sur mon pays, Puissant et innombrable. Il a les dents d'un lion, Les mâchoires d'une lionne.

⁷ Il a dévasté ma vigne; Il a mis en morceaux mon figuier, Il l'a dépouillé, abattu; Les rameaux de la vigne ont blanchi.

⁸ Lamente-toi, comme la vierge qui se revêt d'un sac Pour pleurer l'ami de sa jeunesse!

⁹ Offrandes et libations disparaissent de la maison de l'Eternel; Les sacrificateurs, serviteurs de l'Eternel, sont dans le deuil.

¹⁰ Les champs sont ravagés, La terre est attristée; Car les blés sont détruits, Le moût est tari, l'huile est desséchée.

¹¹ Les laboureurs sont consternés, les vignerons gémissent, A cause du froment et de l'orge, Parce que la moisson des champs est perdue.

¹² La vigne est confuse, Le figuier languissant; Le grenadier, le palmier, le pommier, Tous les arbres des champs sont flétris... La joie a cessé parmi les fils de l'homme!

¹³ Sacrificateurs, ceignez-vous et pleurez! Lamentez-vous, serviteurs de l'autel! Venez, passez la nuit revêtus de sacs, Serviteurs de mon Dieu! Car offrandes et libations ont disparu de la maison de votre Dieu.

¹⁴ Publiez un jeûne, une convocation solennelle! Assemblez les vieillards, tous les habitants du pays, Dans la maison de l'Eternel, votre Dieu, Et criez à l'Eternel!

¹⁵ Ah! quel jour! Car le jour de l'Eternel est proche: Il vient comme un ravage du Tout-Puissant.

¹⁶ La nourriture n'est-elle pas enlevée sous nos yeux? La joie et l'allégresse n'ont-elles pas disparu de la maison de notre Dieu?

¹⁷ Les semences ont séché sous les mottes; Les greniers sont vides, Les magasins sont en ruines, Car il n'y a point de blé.

¹⁸ Comme les bêtes gémissent! Les troupeaux de boeufs sont consternés, Parce qu'ils sont sans pâturage; Et même les troupeaux de brebis sont en souffrance.

¹⁹ C'est vers toi que je crie, ô Eternel! Car le feu a dévoré les plaines du désert, Et la flamme a brûlé tous les arbres des champs.

²⁰ Les bêtes des champs crient aussi vers toi; Car les torrents sont à sec, Et le feu a dévoré les plaines du désert.

¹ But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.

³ You have multiplied the nation. You have increased their joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

⁴ For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as in the day of Midian.

⁵ For all the armor of the armed man in the noisy battle, and the garments rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

⁶ For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.

⁸ The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it falls on Israel.

⁹ All the people will know, including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart,

¹⁰ "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone. The sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."

¹¹ Therefore Yahweh will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies,

¹² The Syrians in front, and the Philistines behind; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

¹³ Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought Yahweh of Armies.

¹⁴ Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.

¹⁵ The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

¹⁶ For those who lead this people lead them astray; and those who are led by them are destroyed.

¹⁷ Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

¹⁸ For wickedness burns like a fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

¹⁹ Through the wrath of Yahweh of Armies, the land is burnt up; and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother.

²⁰ One will devour on the right hand, and be hungry; and he will eat on the left hand, and they will not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm:

²¹ Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.