Joel 1:13-20

Joel tells people to turn away from their sins

13 You priests, dress yourselves in funeral clothes!

Weep as you serve the Lord at his altar.

You servants of my God,

wear sackcloth every night.

Weep, because no one brings offerings to the temple of your God.

There is no more grain or wine for people to bring as offerings.

14 Tell people that they must fast.

They must meet together to worship the Lord.

Speak to the leaders and all the people who live in this country.

Tell them all to come to the house of the Lord your God

They must call to the Lord for help.

15 That will be a terrible day!

The day of the Lord will soon come.

It will be a day when God Almighty brings great trouble.

16 We stand and we watch

as all our food has disappeared!

The temple of our God is no longer a place

where we are happy.

17 The seeds have died in the dry ground.

There are no crops to store at harvest time.

We have knocked down our store rooms

because there is no grain to put in them.

18 The cows move around as they look for grass to eat.

You can hear them cry because they are so hungry.

Even the sheep are suffering.

19 Lord, I call to you for help.

Heat, like fire, has destroyed the grass in the fields.

It has destroyed all the trees.

20 Even the wild animals are so thirsty

that they call to you for help.

The rivers have become dry.

Heat, like fire, has destroyed all the grass in the fields.