Joel 1:2-7

New International Version

An Invasion of Locusts

²Hear this,^(A) you elders;^(B)
    listen, all who live in the land.^(C)
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
    or in the days of your ancestors?^(D)
³Tell it to your children,^(E)
    and let your children tell it to their children,
    and their children to the next generation.^(F)
⁴What the locust^(G) swarm has left
    the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
    the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left^(H)
    other locusts^[a] have eaten.^(I)

⁵Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
    Wail, all you drinkers of wine;^(J)
wail because of the new wine,
    for it has been snatched^(K) from your lips.
⁶A nation has invaded my land,
    a mighty army without number;^(L)
it has the teeth^(M) of a lion,
    the fangs of a lioness.
⁷It has laid waste^(N) my vines
    and ruined my fig trees.^(O)
It has stripped off their bark
    and thrown it away,
    leaving their branches white.

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Footnotes

Joel 1:4 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.

Joel 2:1-11

New International Version

An Army of Locusts

2 Blow the trumpet^(A) in Zion;^(B)
sound the alarm on my holy hill.^(C)

Let all who live in the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord^(D) is coming.
It is close at hand^(E)—
²    a day of darkness^(F) and gloom,^(G)
    a day of clouds^(H) and blackness.^(I)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
    a large and mighty army^(J) comes,
such as never was in ancient times^(K)
    nor ever will be in ages to come.

³Before them fire^(L) devours,
    behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,^(M)
    behind them, a desert waste^(N)—
    nothing escapes them.
⁴They have the appearance of horses;^(O)
    they gallop along like cavalry.
⁵With a noise like that of chariots^(P)
    they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire^(Q) consuming stubble,
    like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

⁶At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;^(R)
    every face turns pale.^(S)
⁷They charge like warriors;^(T)
    they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,^(U)
    not swerving^(V) from their course.
⁸They do not jostle each other;
    each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
    without breaking ranks.
⁹They rush upon the city;
    they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;^(W)
    like thieves they enter through the windows.^(X)

¹⁰Before them the earth shakes,^(Y)
    the heavens tremble,^(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,^(AA)
    and the stars no longer shine.^(AB)
¹¹The Lord^(AC) thunders^(AD)
    at the head of his army;^(AE)
his forces are beyond number,
    and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;^(AF)
    it is dreadful.
    Who can endure it?^(AG)