1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jowele, nkololo wa Phetuwele.
Juda unowigwa nge golomodzo le phashu ne bhamba
2 Teedzani imwi bathuntana!
Zhulani zebe mose bagali be shango iyeyi!
Apa kwakatongo shingikala kwakajali mu misi ye bupenyu gwenyu,
kene mu misi ye bupenyu gwa bobatategulu benyu kene?
3 Budzani bana benyu ngekwako,
bana benyu babudzebo bana babo,
bana be bana benyu babudzebo bana babo.
4 Kwakasiyiwa ne zwiwong'wani phashu dzakaja.
Kwakasiyiwa ne phashu magutegute akaja.
Kwakasiyiwa ne magutegute phashwana dzakaja.
5 Mukani imwi zwidakwa, mulile!
Kuwani mose imwi bang'wi be nkumbi we zhambi!
Kuwani ngobe matolegwa nkumbi unozipa pa milomo.
6 Itjaba tjakasima tjangina nge ngwa mu shango yangu.
Tjina masimba ne bunji gusibunji,
tjina meno anonga e shumba,
matungashulo atjo anonga e shumbakadzi.
7 Tjakathukudza mizhambi yangu,
tjakakumba mipaya yangu.
Tjakasubula makwati tjikaalashila pasi,
thabi dzayo dzatjisala dzili tjena.
8 Lilani se phokosha yakazwipomba nge jila le saka,
ili mu tjililo ngekwe nlume wakabe akambigilidza.
9 Tjipo tje mathunde ne tjipo tje tjing'o, zwakadzibisiwa kuyisiwa ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe.
Bapirisiti bashingili ba Yahwe, banolila.
10 Minda yathukudzika yabe makula,
ne pasi panolila,
ngekuti mathunde akathukudziwa,
nkumbi we zhambi unozipa wakapela,
mafuta e ntoba akapela.
11 Sunamwani imwi balimi,
lilani imwi balimi be nnda we mizhambi,
mulilile koroni ne mathunde e bhali,
ngobe minda yakafa.
12 Mizhambi yakafa,
mipaya yakawoma,
pomegiranati, nlala ne apuli,
miti yose imu nnda yakawoma.
Ee, nenge bathu bapelegwa nge shatho.
13 Muzwipombe mulile imwi Bapirisiti,
lilani imwi bashingili be tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo.
Izhani bashingili be Ndzimu wangu, mupitshe busiku makazwipomba nge jila le saka,
ngobe tjipo tje mathunde ne tje tjing'o zwakadzibisiwa mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu wenyu.
14 Muzwimisile kuzwinyima zojiwa!
Danani gubungano lakayengemala!
Kubunganyilani sholotjena ne bagali bose be shango,
ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu,
ngono mulilile kuna Yahwe.
15 Yee mme wee, ilelo zhuba!
Zhuba la Yahwe lasedzela.
Lozha se golomodzo linodwa ku Ndzimu Masimbawose.
16 Apa zojiwa azwizoshandusiwa mu mesho edu
ne kushatha ne ipepkhwe mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu wedu kene?
17 Mbewu inoputa ili kusi kwe mavinga,
ng'umba dze mabiganyilo dzowa.
Matula akapkhwanyika,
ngobe mathunde akafa.
18 Zwithuwo zogomela seni!
Ng'ombe dzakadzimila koga,
ngobe kusina fulo,
nenge ngubi ye pkhwizi inodziyila.
19 Ndolilila kumuli, Yahwe,
ngobe moto wakapedza fulo mu shango,
nthuto ukapisa miti yose ye shango.
20 Nenge phuka dze shango dzomulilila,
ngobe hwobana dzakapkhwa ne
moto wakapedza fulo mu shango.
1 I am Joel the son of Pethuel.
And this is the message
the Lord gave to me.
Locusts Cover the Land
2 Listen, you leaders
and everyone else
in the land.
Has anything like this
ever happened before?
3 Tell our children!
Let it be told
to our grandchildren
and their children too.
4 Swarm after swarm of locusts
has attacked our crops,
eating everything in sight.
5 Sober up, you drunkards!
Cry long and loud;
your wine supply is gone.
6 A powerful nation
with countless troops
has invaded our land.
They have the teeth and jaws
of powerful lions.
7 Our grapevines and fig trees
are stripped bare;
only naked branches remain.
8 Grieve like a young woman
mourning for the man
she was to marry.
9 Offerings of grain and wine
are no longer brought
to the Lord's temple.
His servants, the priests,
are deep in sorrow.
10 Barren fields mourn;
grain, grapes, and olives
are scorched and shriveled.
11 Mourn for our farms
and our vineyards!
There's no wheat or barley
growing in our fields.
12 Grapevines have dried up
and so has every tree—
figs and pomegranates,
date palms and apples.
All happiness has faded away.
Return to God
13 Mourn, you priests who serve
at the altar of my God.
Spend your days and nights
wearing sackcloth.
Offerings of grain and wine
are no longer brought
to the Lord's temple.
14 Tell the leaders and people
to come together
at the temple.
Order them to go without eating
and to pray sincerely.
15 We are in for trouble!
Soon the Lord All-Powerful
will bring disaster.
16 Our food is already gone;
there's no more celebrating
at the temple of our God.
17 Seeds dry up in the ground;
no harvest is possible.
Our barns are in bad shape,
with no grain
to store in them.
18 Our cattle wander aimlessly,
moaning for lack of pasture,
and sheep are suffering.
19 I cry out to you, Lord.
Grasslands and forests are eaten
by the scorching heat.
20 Wild animals have no water
because of you;
rivers and streams are dry,
and pastures are parched.