Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land; Joel 1

 Joel 1:1-13 

The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel.

Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?

What the locust 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 other locusts have eaten.

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

Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth. Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord.

The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—  all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away.

Why?

The Lord said to the elders and priests. For they were like drunkards, so listen and wake up and mourn for the disaster is coming.

God let Joel go out to warn people in that generation.

Not only is the food gone, but the grain offering and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the Lord. It means the blessing of the Lord is left.

How?

Be aware of what I have because of the blessings of the Lord, or I may have nothing.