¹The Word of Yahweh “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations. that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

¹Shoko raJehovha, rakasvika kuna Joweri mwanakomana waPetuweri.

²Hear this, you elders, And listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has this ever happened in your days, or 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 about it, and have 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.

⁴What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten.

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

⁵Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet 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 has come up on my land, strong, and without number. His teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the fangs of a lioness.

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

⁷He has laid my vine waste, and stripped my fig tree. He has stripped its bark, and thrown it away. Its branches are made white.

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

⁸Chemai semhandara yakazvisunga chiuno namasaga nokuda komurume woumhandara hwayo.

⁹The meal offering and the drink offering are cut off from Yahweh’s house. The priests, Yahweh’s ministers, mourn.

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

¹⁰The field is laid waste. The land mourns, for the grain is destroyed, The new wine has dried up, and the oil languishes.

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

¹¹Be confounded, you farmers! Wail, you vineyard keepers; for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field has perished.

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

¹²The vine has dried up, and the fig tree withered; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all of the trees of the field are withered; for joy has withered away from the sons of men.

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

¹³Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests! Wail, you ministers of the altar. Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “Elohim.” , for the meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from your God’s house.

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.

¹⁴Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of Yahweh, your God, and cry to Yahweh.

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 Yahweh is at hand, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

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

¹⁶Isn’t 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 rot under their clods. The granaries are laid desolate. The barns are broken down, for the grain has withered.

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

¹⁸How the animals groan! The herds of livestock are perplexed, because they have no pasture. Yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

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

¹⁹Yahweh, I cry to you, For the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field.

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

²⁰Yes, the animals of the field pant to you, for the water brooks have dried up, And the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

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