¹The word of Jehovah that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

¹Shoko raJehovha, rakasvika kuna Joweri mwanakomana waPetuweri.

²Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

²Inzwai chinhu ichi, imwi vatana, murereke nzeve dzenyu, imwi mose mugere munyika ino. Ko zvakadai zvakamboitwa pamazuva enyu, kana pamazuva amadzibaba enyu here?

³Tell your children of it, and [let] your children [tell] their children, and their children another generation:

³Udzai vana venyu izvozvo, vana venyu vaudzewo vana vavo, navana vavo vaudze rumwe rudzi runotevera.

⁴that which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

⁴Zvakasiiwa nomuteteni, zvakadyiwa nemhashu; zvakasiiwa nemhashu, zvakadyiwa negwatakwata; zvakasiiwa negwatakwata, zvakadyiwa nomupedzachose.

⁵Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine: for it is cut off from your mouth.

⁵Mukai, imwi vakabatwa nedoro, mucheme; ungudzai, imwi mose munomwa waini, nemhaka yewaini inonaka, nekuti yabviswa pamiromo yenyu.

⁶For a nation is come up upon my land, strong and without number: his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a lioness.

⁶nekuti rumwe rudzi rwasvika panyika yangu, rwakasimba, rusingaverengwi; meno arwo meno eshumba, runa meno makuru eshumbakadzi.

⁷He hath made my vine a desolation, and barked my fig-tree; he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away: its branches are made white.

⁷Rwakaparadza muzambiringa wangu, nokuvhuna muonde wangu; rwakausvuura kwazvo, nokuuwisira pasi; matavi awo acheneswa.

⁸Wail like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

⁸Chemai semhandara yakazvisunga chiuno namasaga nokuda komurume woumhandara hwayo.

⁹The oblation and the drink-offering are cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, Jehovah's ministers, mourn.

⁹Chipiriso choupfu nechipiriso chinomwiwa zvabviswa paimba yaJehovha; vapristi, ivo vashumiri vaJehovha, vanochema.

¹⁰The field is laid waste, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

¹⁰Munda waparadzwa, nyika inochema; nekuti zviyo zvaparadzwa, waini itsva yapwa, mafuta apera.

¹¹Be ashamed, ye husbandmen; howl, ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley: because the harvest of the field hath perished.

¹¹Nyarai imwi varimi, ungudzai imwi varimi vemizambiringa, nokuda kwezviyo nebhari; nekuti zvakaberekwa neminda zvaparadzwa.

¹²The vine is dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate-tree, the palm also and the apple-tree; all the trees of the field are withered, yea, joy is withered away from the children of men.

¹²Muzambiringa wasvava, muonde unoshaiwa simba, mutamba nomuchindwewo, nomuapuri, nemiti yose yomunda yaoma; mufaro wavanakomana vavanhu wapera.

¹³Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests; howl, ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the oblation and the drink-offering are withholden from the house of your God.

¹³Zvisungei zviuno namasaga, mucheme imwi vapristi; ungudzai imwi vashumiri veatari; uyai muvate usiku hwose makapfeka masaga, imwi vashumiri vaMwari wangu; nekuti chipiriso choupfu nechipiriso chinomwiwa zvadziviswa paimba yaMwari wenyu.

¹⁴Hallow a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the elders, [and] all the inhabitants of the land to the house of Jehovah your God, and cry unto Jehovah.

¹⁴Tsaurai zuva rokutsanya, danai vanhu kuungano yakatarwa, kokerai vakuru navose vagere panyika kuimba yaJehovha Mwari wenyu, mudane kuna Jehovha.

¹⁵Alas for the day! for the day of Jehovah is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

¹⁵Aiwa, zuva iro here! nekuti zuva raJehovha rava pedo, richasvika richiparadza richibva kuna waMasimbaose.

¹⁶Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

¹⁶Ko zvokudya hazvina kubviswa pamberi pedu, nomufaro nokufarisisa paimba yaMwari wedu here !

¹⁷The seeds are rotten under their clods, the granaries are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

¹⁷Mbeu dzinoorera pasi pamavhinga adzo; matura aparadzwa, tsapi dzaputswa; nekuti zviyo zvafa.

¹⁸How do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are bewildered, for they have no pasture; the flocks of sheep also are in suffering.

¹⁸Zvipfuwo zvinogomera sei! Mapoka emombe akanganiswa, nekuti hazvichina mafuro; zvirokwazvo, mapoka amakwai aparadzwa.

¹⁹To thee, Jehovah, do I cry; for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned up all the trees of the field.

¹⁹Aiwa, Jehovha, ndinodana kwamuri, nekuti moto wapedza mafuro erenje, murazvo wapisa miti yose yokusango.

²⁰The beasts of the field also cry unto thee; for the water-courses are dried, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

²⁰Zvirokwazvo, mhuka dzokusango dzinochemera kwamuri, nekuti hova dzemvura dzapwa, uye moto wapedza mafuro erenje.