Humanitext Reader

Septuagint · Joel §1.1-1.20

Devastation by Locusts and a Call to Fast

Passage 1 of 4 · Greek

Summary

The prophet Joel laments the unprecedented devastation of the land and the temple caused by successive swarms of locusts and severe drought, calling upon the priests and all citizens to fast, repent, and cry out to the Lord.

§1.1ΛΟΓΟΣ ΟΣ Κυρίου ὃς ἐγενήθη πρὸς Ἰωήλ τὸν τοῦ Βαθουήλ.
The word of the Lord which came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
§1.2Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα, οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε, πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν γῆν.
Hear these things, O elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land.
εἰ γέγονεν τοιαῦτα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἡμῶν, ἤ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν;
Has such a thing happened in our days, or in the days of our fathers?
§1.3ὑπέρ αὐτῶν τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν διηγήσασθε, καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν εἰς γενεὰν ἑτέραν.
Tell your children about them, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
§1.4τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς κάμπης κατέφαγεν ἡ ἀκρίς, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς ἀκρίδος κατέφαγεν ὁ βροίχος, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα τοῦ βρούχου κατέφαγεν ἡ ἐρυσίβη.
What the caterpillar left, the locust ate; and what the locust left, the cankerworm ate; and what the cankerworm left, the palmerworm ate.
§1.5Ἐκνήψατε, οἱ μεθύοντες, ἐξ οἴνου αὐτῶν καὶ κλαύσατε· θρηνήσατε, πάντες οἱ πί νοντες οἶνον, εἰς μέθην, ὅτι ἐξήρθη ἐκ στόματος ὑμῶν εὐφροσύνη καὶ χαρά.
Awake, you drunkards, from their wine, and weep; wail, all you who drink wine to drunkenness, because joy and gladness have been taken away from your mouth.
§1.6ὅτι ἔθνος ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν μου ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἀναρίθμητον, οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ ὀδόντες λέοντος, καὶ αἱ μύλαι αὐτοῦ σκύμνου·
For a nation has come up against my land, strong and innumerable; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are those of a lion's whelp.
§1.7ἔθετο τὴν ἄμπελόυ μου εἰς ἀφανισμόν, καὶ τὰς συκᾶς μου εἰς συνκλασμόν· ἐρευνῶν ἐξηρεύνησεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἔριψεν, ἐλεύκανεν τὰ κλήματα αὐτῆς.
It has laid waste my vine, and splintered my fig trees; searching, it thoroughly searched it out and cast it down, and made its branches white.
§1.8θρήνησον πρὸς μέ ὑπέρ νύμφην περιεζωσμένην σάκκον ἐπὶ τὸυ ἄνδρα αὐτῆς τὸν παρθενικοῦ.
Lament for me like a bride girded with sackcloth for the husband of her virginity.
§1.9ἐξῆρταιθυσία καὶ σπονδὴ ἐξ οἵκου Κυρίου· πενθεῖτε, ἱερεῖς οἱ λειτουργοῦντες θυσιαστηρίῳ.
The sacrifice and libation are cut off from the house of the Lord; mourn, you priests who minister at the altar.
§1.10ὅτι τεταλαιπόρηκεν τὰ πεδία, πενθείτω ἡ γῆ· ὅτι τεταλαιπώρηκεν σῖτος, ἐξηράνθη οἶνος, ὠλιγώθη ἔλαιον,
For the fields are in misery, let the land mourn; for the grain is ruined, the wine is dried up, the oil is diminished.
§1.11ἐξηράνθησαν γεωργοί· θρηνεῖτε, κτήματα, ὑπέρ πυροῦ καὶ κριθῆς, ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν τρυγητὸς ἐξ ἀγροῦ·
The farmers are ashamed; wail, you vine-dressers, for the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.
§1.12ἡ ἄμπελος ἐξηράνθη, καὶ αἱ συκαῖ ὠλιγώθησαν· ῥοὰ καὶ φοίνιξ καὶ μῆλον καὶ πάντα τὰ ξύλου ἀγροῦ ἐξηράνθησαν, ὅτι ἤσχυναν χαρὰν οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
The vine is dried up, and the fig trees are diminished; pomegranate and palm and apple, and all the trees of the field are dried up, because the sons of men have put joy to shame.
§1.13περιζώσασθε καὶ κόπτεσθε οἱ ἱερεῖς, θρηνεῖτε οἱ λειτουργοῦντες ἡυσιαστηρίῳ· εἰσέλθατε, ὑπνώσατε ἐν σάκκοις, λειτουργοῦντες θεῷ, ὅτι ἀπέσχηκεν ἐξ οἵκου θεοῦ ὑμῶν θυσία καὶ σπονδή.
Gird yourselves and lament, O priests; wail, you who minister at the altar; enter, sleep in sackcloth, you who minister to God, because sacrifice and libation have been withheld from the house of your God.
§1.14ἁγιάσατε υηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν, συναγάγετε πρεσβυτέρους, πάντας κατοικοῦντας γῆν εἰς οἶκον θεοῦ ὑμῶν, καὶ κεκράξατε πρὸς Κύριον ἐκτενῶς §1.15Οἵμοι οἵμοι ομοι εἰς ἡμέραν, ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἡμέρα Κυρίου, καὶ ὡς ταλαιπαωρία ἐκ ταλαιπαωρίας ἤξει.
Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn service, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God, and cry out to the Lord earnestly: Alas, alas, alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it shall come as destruction from destruction.
§1.16κατέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν βρώματα ἐξωλεθρεύθη, ἐξ οἵκου θεοῦ ὑμῶν εὐφροσύνη καὶ χαρά.
Has not food been destroyed before your eyes, and joy and gladness from the house of your God?
§1.17ἐσκίρτησαν δαμάλεις ἐπὶ ταῖς φάτναις αὐτῶν, ἠφανίσθησαν θησαυροί, κατεσκάφησαν ληνοί, ὅτι ἐξηράνθη σῖτος.
The heifers leaped at their mangers, the storehouses are desolate, the winepresses are broken down, because the grain is dried up.
§1.18τί ἀποθήσομεν ἑαυτοῖς;
What shall we store up for ourselves?
ἔκλαυσαν βουκόλια βοῶν, ὅτι οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν νομὴ αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰ ποίμνια τῶν προβάτων ἠφανίσθησαν.
The herds of cattle wept, because there was no pasture for them, and the flocks of sheep have perished.
§1.19πρὸς σέ, Κύριε, βοήσομαι, ὅτι πῦρ ἀνήλωσεν τὰ ὡραῖα τῆς ἐρήμου, καὶ φλὸξ ἀνῆψεν πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ ἀγροῦ·
To you, O Lord, I will cry, because fire has consumed the fair places of the wilderness, and a flame has kindled all the trees of the field.
§1.20καὶ τὰ κτήνη τοῦ πεδίου ἀνέβλεψαν πρὸς σέ· ὅτι ἐξηράνθησαν ἀφέσεις ὑδάτων, καὶ πῦρ κατέφαγεν τὰ ὡραῖα τῆς ἐρήμου.
And the beasts of the field have looked up to you, because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has consumed the fair places of the wilderness.

Notes

  1. 1.5εἰς μέθην — The prepositional phrase εἰς μέθην indicates degree or result, translated as 'unto drunkenness' or 'to the point of intoxication.' Rather than denoting the simple purpose of drinking, it describes the excessive manner of their drinking, emphasizing that the wine which sustained such unrestrained joy has been taken away.
  2. 1.8τὸν παρθενικοῦ — This expression is a highly literal translation of the Hebrew phrase 'husband of her youth' (ba‘al n‘ūrîm). The adjective παρθενικός ('of a virgin') is used in the genitive masculine singular form παρθενικοῦ, substantivized to mean 'of her virginity/youth,' thereby creating a nominal phrase for 'the husband of her youth.'
  3. 1.17ἐσκίρτησαν δαμάλεις — A notoriously difficult translation unique to the Septuagint. The Hebrew text, which refers to 'seeds rotting under their clods,' was misread or interpreted differently by the Greek translator as 'heifers (δαμάλεις) leaping/writhing (ἐσκίρτησαν) at their mangers.' The translation follows the literal syntax of the Greek text, taking 'heifers' as the subject and 'leaped' (or writhed in distress) as the verb.

Cite this passage

Septuagint, Joel §1.1-1.20. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0527.tlg039.humanitext-grc1:1.1-1.20

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