| New King James Version | King James Bible |
| 1The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. | 1The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. |
| 2Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? | 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? |
| 3Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation. | 3Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. |
| 4What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. | 4That which the palmerworm 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 caterpiller eaten. |
| 5Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth. | 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. |
| 6For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, And he has the fangs of a fierce lion. | 6For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. |
| 7He has laid waste My vine, And ruined My fig tree; He has stripped it bare and thrown it away; Its branches are made white. | 7He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. |
| 8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth For the husband of her youth. | 8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. |
| 9The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the LORD; The priests mourn, who minister to the LORD. | 9The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn. |
| 10The field is wasted, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails. | 10The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. |
| 11Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished. | 11Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. |
| 12The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree— All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men. | 12The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. |
| 13Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God. | 13Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. |
| 14Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD. | 14Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, |
| 15Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty. | 15Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. |
| 16Is not the food cut off before our eyes, Joy and gladness from the house of our God? | 16Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? |
| 17The seed shrivels under the clods, Storehouses are in shambles; Barns are broken down, For the grain has withered. | 17The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. |
| 18How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, Because they have no pasture; Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. | 18How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. |
| 19O LORD, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, And a flame has burned all the trees of the field. | 19O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. |
| 20The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, And fire has devoured the open pastures. | 20The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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