¹ Herran sana, joka tuli Jooelille, Petuelin pojalle.

² Kuulkaa tämä, te vanhimmat, ja ottakaa korviinne, kaikki maan asukkaat. Onko tällaista tapahtunut teidän päivinänne taikka teidän isienne päivinä?

³ Kertokaa tämä lapsillenne, ja teidän lapsenne kertokoot sen lapsillensa ja heidän lapsensa tulevalle polvelle:

⁴ Mitä kalvajasirkalta jäi, sen söi heinäsirkka. Ja mitä heinäsirkalta jäi, sen söi syöjäsirkka. Ja mitä syöjäsirkalta jäi, sen söi tuhosirkka.

⁵ Herätkää, te juopuneet, ja itkekää, valittakaa, kaikki viininjuojat, rypälemehun tähden, sillä se on otettu pois teidän suustanne.

⁶ Sillä minun maahani on hyökännyt kansa, väkevä ja epälukuinen. Sen hampaat ovat leijonan hampaat, ja sillä on naarasleijonan leukaluut.

⁷ Se on raastanut minun viiniköynnökseni ja katkonut minun viikunapuuni, on ne paljaiksi kuorinut ja karsinut; niiden oksat ovat valjenneet.

⁸ Valita niinkuin neitsyt, joka on vyöttäytynyt säkkiin nuoruutensa yljän tähden.

⁹ Pois on otettu ruokauhri ja juomauhri Herran huoneesta. Papit, jotka toimittavat Herran palvelusta, murehtivat.

¹⁰ Hävitetty on pelto, maa murehtii; sillä vilja on hävitetty, viinistä on tullut kato, öljy on kuivunut.

¹¹ Peltomiehet ovat joutuneet häpeään, viinitarhurit valittavat nisun ja ohran tähden, sillä mennyt on pellon sato.

¹² Viiniköynnöstä on kohdannut kato, viikunapuu on kuihtunut, granaattipuu ja myös palmu ja omenapuu; kaikki kedon puut ovat kuivettuneet. Niin, häpeään on joutunut ilo, ihmislasten joukosta pois.

¹³ Vyöttäytykää säkkiin, pitäkää valittajaiset, te papit; valittakaa, te jotka toimitatte palvelusta alttarilla. Käykää sisälle, viettäkää yö säkkeihin puettuina, te jotka toimitatte minun Jumalani palvelusta. Sillä poissa on teidän Jumalanne huoneesta ruokauhri ja juomauhri.

¹⁴ Kuuluttakaa pyhä paasto, kutsukaa koolle juhlakokous, kootkaa vanhimmat ja kaikki maan asukkaat Herran, teidän Jumalanne, huoneeseen ja huutakaa Herran puoleen.

¹⁵ Voi sitä päivää! Sillä lähellä on Herran päivä, ja se tulee niinkuin hävitys Kaikkivaltiaalta.

¹⁶ Eikö ole otettu meiltä ruoka silmäimme edestä sekä meidän Jumalamme huoneesta ilo ja riemu?

¹⁷ Surkastuneet ovat siemenjyvät multiensa alla, varastohuoneet autiot, aitat puretut, kun viljasta on kato.

¹⁸ Kuinka huokaa karja, kuinka hädissään ovat raavaslaumat, sillä ei ole niillä laidunta! Myös lammaslaumat joutuvat perikatoon.

¹⁹ Sinua, Herra, minä huudan, sillä tuli on kuluttanut erämaan laitumet ja liekki polttanut kaikki kedon puut.

²⁰ Metsän eläimetkin sinua ikävöivät, sillä vesipurot ovat kuivuneet ja tuli on kuluttanut erämaan laitumet.

¹ "Comfort, Comfort my people," says your God.

² "Speak comfortably to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Yahweh's hand double for all her sins."

³ The voice of one who calls out, "Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.

⁴ Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.

⁵ The glory of Yahweh shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it."

⁶ The voice of one saying, "Cry!" One said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field.

⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades, because Yahweh's breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.

⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever."

⁹ You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up. Don't be afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold, your God!"

¹⁰ Behold, the Lord Yahweh will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

¹¹ He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.

¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

¹³ Who has directed the Spirit of Yahweh, or has taught him as his counselor?

¹⁴ Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

¹⁵ Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.

¹⁶ Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.

¹⁷ All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

¹⁸ To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?

¹⁹ A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.

²⁰ He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up an engraved image for him that will not be moved.

²¹ Haven't you known? Haven't you heard, yet? Haven't you been told from the beginning? Haven't you understood from the foundations of the earth?

²² It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;

²³ who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth like meaningless.

²⁴ They are planted scarcely. They are sown scarcely. Their stock has scarcely taken root in the ground. He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.

²⁵ "To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their army by number. He calls them all by name. by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, Not one is lacking.

²⁷ Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel, "My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God?"

²⁸ Haven't you known? Haven't you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't faint. He isn't weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

²⁹ He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.

³⁰ Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall;

³¹ But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.