Chapter 1 edit

1 The word of the Lord is this, that was maad to Joel, the sone of Phatuel.

2 Elde men, here ye this, and alle dwelleris of the lond, perseyue ye with eeris. If this thing was don in youre daies, ether in the daies of youre fadris.

3 Of this thing telle ye to your sones, and your sones telle to her sones, and the sones of hem telle to another generacioun.

4 A locuste eet the residue of a worte worm, and a bruke eet the residue of a locuste, and rust eet the residue of a bruke.

5 Drunken men, wake ye, and wepe; and yelle ye, alle that drynken wyn in swetnesse; for it perischide fro youre mouth.

6 For whi a folc strong and vnnoumbrable stiede on my lond. The teeth therof ben as the teeth of a lioun, and the cheek teeth therof ben as of a whelp of a lioun.

7 It settide my vyner in to desert, and took awei the riynde of my fige tre. It made nakid and spuylide that vyner, and castide forth; the braunchis therof ben maad white.

8 Weile thou, as a virgyn gird with a sak on the hosebonde of hir tyme of mariage.

9 Sacrifice and moist sacrifice perischide fro the hous of the Lord; and preestis, the mynystris of the Lord, moureneden.

10 The cuntrey is maad bare of puple. The erthe mourenyde; for whete is distried. Wyn is schent, and oile was sijk, ether failide.

11 The erthe tilieris ben schent, the vyn tilieris yelliden on wheete and barli; for the ripe corn of the feeld is perischid.

12 The vyner is schent; and the fige tre was sijk. The pomgarnate tre, and the palm tre, and the fir tre, and alle trees of the feeld drieden vp; for ioie is schent fro the sones of men.

13 Ye prestis, girde you, and weile; ye mynystris of the auter, yelle. Mynystris of my God, entre ye, ligge ye in sak; for whi sacrifice and moist sacrifice perischide fro the hous of youre God.

14 Halewe ye fastyng, clepe ye cumpeny, gadere ye togidere elde men, and alle dwelleris of the erthe in to the hous of youre God; and crie ye to the Lord, A!

15 A! A! to the dai; for the dai of the Lord is niy, and schal come as a tempest fro the myyti.

16 Whether foodis perischiden not bifore youre iyen; gladnesse and ful out ioie perischide fro the hous of youre God?

17 Beestis wexen rotun in her drit. Bernes ben distried, celeris ben distried, for wheete is schent.

18 Whi weilide a beeste? whi lowiden the flockis of oxun and kien? for no lesewe is to hem; but also the flockis of scheep perischiden.

19 Lord, Y schal crye to thee, for fier eet the faire thingis of desert, and flawme brente all the trees of the cuntrei.

20 But also beestis of the feeld, as a corn floor thirstynge reyn, bihelden to thee; for the wellis of watris ben dried vp, and fier deuouride the faire thingis of desert.


Chapter 2 edit

1 Synge ye with a trumpe in Sion, yelle ye in myn hooli hil. Alle the dwelleris of erthe be disturblid; for the dai of the Lord cometh,

2 for the dai of derknessis and of myist is niy, the dai of cloude and of whirlewynde. As the morewtid spred abrood on hillis, a myche puple and strong. Noon was lijk it fro the bigynnyng, and after it schal not be, til in to yeeris of generacioun and of generacioun.

3 Bifore the face therof schal be fier deuourynge, and after it schal be brennynge flawme; as a gardyn of liking the lond schal be bifor him, and wildirnesse of desert schal be after him, and noon is that schal ascape him.

4 The lokyng of hem schal be as the lokyng of horsis, and as horse men so thei schulen renne.

5 As the sown of cartis on the heedis of hillis thei schulen skippe; as the sowne of the flawme of fier deuourynge stobil, as a strong puple maad redi to batel.

6 Puplis schulen be turmentid of the face therof, alle facis schulen be dryuun in to a pot.

7 As stronge men thei schulen renne, as men werriours thei schulen stie on the wal. Men schulen go in her weies, and thei schulen not bowe awei fro her pathis.

8 Ech man schal not make streyt his brother, ech man schal go in his path; but also thei schulen falle doun bi wyndows, and schulen not be hirt.

9 Thei schulen entre in to the citee, thei schulen renne on the wal; thei schulen stie on housis, thei schulen entre as a niyt theef bi wyndows.

10 The erthe tremblide of his face, heuenys weren mouyd, the sunne and the moone weren maad derk, and sterris withdrowen her schynyng.

11 And the Lord yaf his vois bifor the face of his oost, for hise oostis ben ful manye; for tho ben stronge, and doen the word of hym. For the dai of the Lord is greet, and ful ferdful, and who schal suffre it?

12 Now therfor seith the Lord, Be ye conuertid to me in al youre herte, in fastyng, and wepyng, and weilyng;

13 and kerue ye youre hertis, and not youre clothis, and be ye conuertid to youre Lord God, for he is benygne, and merciful, pacient, and of myche merci, and abidynge, ether foryyuynge, on malice.

14 Who woot, if God be conuertid, and foryyue, and leeue blessyng aftir hym? sacrifice and moist sacrifice to oure Lord God.

15 Synge ye with a trumpe in Sion, halewe ye fastyng, clepe ye cumpany; gadere ye togidere the puple, halewe ye the chirche,

16 gadere ye togidere elde men, gadere ye togidere litle children, and soukynge the brestis; a spouse go out of his bed, and a spousesse of hir chaumbre.

17 Prestis, the mynystris of the Lord, schulen wepe bitwixe the porche and the auter, and schulen seie, Lord! spare thou, spare thi puple, and yyue thou not thin eritage in to schenschipe, that naciouns be lordis of hem. Whi seien thei among puplis, Where is the God of hem?

18 The Lord louyde gelousli his lond, and sparide his puple.

19 And the Lord answeride, and seide to his puple, Lo! Y schal sende to you wheete, and wyn, and oile, and ye schulen be fillid with tho; and Y schal no more yyue you schenschipe among hethene men.

20 And Y schal make hym that is at the north fer fro you; and Y schal cast hym out in to a lond with out weie, and desert; his face ayens the eest see, and the laste part therof at the last see; and the stynk therof schal stie, and the root therof schal stie, for he dide proudli.

21 Erthe, nyle thou drede, make thou ful out ioye, and be glad; for the Lord magnefiede that he schulde do.

22 Beestis of the cuntrei, nyle ye drede, for the faire thingis of desert buriowneden; for the tre brouyte his fruyt, the fige tre and vyner yauen her vertu.

23 And the sones of Sion, make ye ful out ioie, and be ye glad in youre Lord God, for he yaf to you a techere of riytfulnesse, and he schal make morewtid reyn and euentid reyn to come doun to you, as in the bigynnyng.

24 And cornflooris schulen be fillid of wheete, and pressours schulen flowe with wyn, and oile.

25 And Y schal yelde to you the yeris whiche the locuste, bruke, and rust, and wort worm, my greet strengthe, eet, which Y sente in to you.

26 And ye schulen ete etyng, and ye schulen be fillid; and ye schulen herie the name of youre Lord God, that made merueils with you; and my puple schal not be schent with outen ende.

27 And ye schulen wite, that Y am in the myddis of Israel; and Y am youre Lord God, and `noon is more; and my puple schal not be schent with outen ende.

28 And it schal be, aftir these thingis Y schal schede out my spirit on ech man, and youre sones and youre douytris schulen profesie; youre elde men schulen dreme dremes, and youre yonge men schulen se visiouns.

29 But also Y schal schede out my spirit on my seruauntis, and handmaydis, in tho daies;

30 and Y schal yyue grete wondris in heuene, and in erthe, blood, and fier, and the heete of smoke.

31 The sunne schal be turned in to derknessis, and the moone in to blood, bifor that the greet dai and orrible of the Lord come.

32 And it schal be, ech that clepith to helpe the name of the Lord, schal be saaf; for whi saluacioun schal be in the hil of Sion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord seide, and in the residue men, whiche the Lord clepith.


Chapter 3 edit

1 For lo! in tho daies, and in that tyme, whanne Y schal turne the caitifte of Juda and of Jerusalem,

2 Y schal gadere alle folkis, and Y schal lede hem in to the valei of Josephat; and Y schal dispute there with hem on my puple, and myn eritage Israel, whiche thei scateriden among naciouns; and thei departiden my lond, and senten lot on my puple;

3 and thei settiden a knaue child in the bordel hous, and seelden a damesel for wyn, that thei schulden drynke.

4 But what to me and to you, thou Tire, and Sidon, and ech ende of Palestyns? Whethir ye schulen yelde vengyng to me? and if ye vengen you ayens me, soone swiftli Y schal yelde while to you on youre heed.

5 Ye token awey my siluer and gold, and ye brouyten my desirable thingis and faireste thingis in to youre templis of idols.

6 And ye selden the sones of Juda, and the sones of Jerusalem to the sones of Grekis, that ye schulden make hem fer fro her coostis.

7 Lo! Y schal reise hem fro the place in which ye seelden hem; and Y schal turne youre yeldyng in to youre heed.

8 And Y schal sille youre sones and youre douytris in the hondis of the sones of Juda, and thei schulen selle hem to Sabeis, a fer folc, for the Lord spak.

9 Crye ye this thing among hethene men, halewe ye batel, reise ye stronge men; alle men werriours, neiy, and stie.

10 Beete ye togydere youre plowis in to swerdis, and youre mattokkis in to speeris; a sijk man seie, that Y am strong.

11 Alle folkis, breke ye out, and come fro cumpas, and be ye gaderid togidere; there the Lord schal make thi stronge men to die.

12 Folkis rise togidere, and stie in to the valei of Josofat; for Y schal sitte there, to deme alle folkis in cumpas.

13 Sende ye sikelis, `ether sithis, for ripe corn wexide; come ye, and go ye doun, for the pressour is ful; pressouris ben plenteuouse, for the malice of hem is multiplied.

14 Puplis, puplis in the valei of kittyng doun; for the dai of the Lord is nyy in the valei of kittyng doun.

15 The sunne and the moone ben maad derk, and sterris withdrowen her schynyng.

16 And the Lord schal rore fro Sion, and schal yyue his vois fro Jerusalem, and heuenes and erthe schulen be mouyd; and the Lord is the hope of his puple, and the strengthe of the sones of Israel.

17 And ye schulen wite, that Y am youre Lord God, dwellynge in Sion, in myn hooli hil; and Jerusalem schal be hooli, and aliens schulen no more passe bi it.

18 And it schal be, in that dai mounteyns schulen droppe swetnesse, and litle hillis schulen flowe with mylke, and watris schulen go bi alle the ryueris of Juda; and a welle schal go out of the hous of the Lord, and schal moiste the stronde of thornes.

19 Egipt schal be in to desolacioun, and Idume in to desert of perdicioun; for that that thei diden wickidli ayens the sones of Juda, and schedden out innocent blood in her lond.

20 And Judee schal be enhabited with outen ende, and Jerusalem in to generacioun and in to generacioun.

21 And Y schal clense the blood of hem, which Y hadde not clensid; and the Lord schal dwelle in Syon.