¹Shoko raJehovha, rakasvika kuna Joweri mwanakomana waPetuweri.

¹A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Joel, son of Pethuel:

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

²Hear this, ye aged ones, And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land, Hath this been in your days? Or in the days of your fathers?

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

³Concerning it to your sons talk ye, And your sons to their sons, And their sons to another generation.

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

⁴What is left of the palmer-worm, eaten hath the locust, And what is left of the locust, Eaten hath the cankerworm, And what is left of the cankerworm, Eaten hath the caterpillar.

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

⁵Awake, ye drunkards, and weep, And howl all drinking wine, because of the juice, For it hath been cut off from your mouth.

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

⁶For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.

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

⁷It hath made my vine become a desolation, And my fig-tree become a chip, It hath made it thoroughly bare, and hath cast down, Made white have been its branches.

⁸Chemai semhandara yakazvisunga chiuno namasaga nokuda komurume woumhandara hwayo.

⁸Wail, as a virgin girdeth with sackcloth, For the husband of her youth.

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

⁹Cut off hath been present and libation from the house of Jehovah, Mourned have the priests, ministrants of Jehovah.

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

¹⁰Spoiled is the field, mourned hath the ground, For spoiled is the corn, Dried up hath been new wine, languish doth oil.

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

¹¹Be ashamed, ye husbandmen, Howl, vine-dressers, for wheat and for barley, For perished hath the harvest of the field.

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

¹²The vine hath been dried up, And the fig-tree doth languish, Pomegranate, also palm, and apple-tree, All trees of the field have withered, For dried up hath been joy from the sons of men.

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.

¹³Gird, and lament, ye priests, Howl, ye ministrants of the altar, Come in, lodge in sackcloth, ministrants of my God, For withheld from the house of your God hath been present and libation.

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

¹⁴Sanctify a fast, proclaim a restraint, Gather the elders — all the inhabitants of the land, [Into] the house of Jehovah your God,

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

¹⁵And cry unto Jehovah, `Alas for the day! For near [is] a day of Jehovah, And as destruction from the mighty it cometh.

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

¹⁶Is not before our eyes food cut off? From the house of our God joy and rejoicing?

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

¹⁷Rotted have scattered things under their clods, Desolated have been storehouses, Broken down have been granaries, For withered hath the corn.

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

¹⁸How have cattle sighed! Perplexed have been droves of oxen, For there is no pasture for them, Also droves of sheep have been desolated.

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

¹⁹Unto Thee, O Jehovah, I do call, For fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness, And a flame hath set on fire all trees of the field.

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

²⁰Also the cattle of the field long for Thee, For dried up have been streams of water, And fire hath consumed comely places of a wilderness!`