Joel 1, side by side

Two versions of the same chapter. Each row is one verse, so you can see how the wording changes.

Modern

1This is the word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel:

Classic

1The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

Modern

2Hear this, O elders; and give ear, all who dwell in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your fathers?

Classic

2Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

Modern

3Tell it to your children; let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.

Classic

3Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

Modern

4What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.

Classic

4That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

Modern

5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth.

Classic

5Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

Modern

6For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness.

Classic

6For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

Modern

7It has laid waste My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off the bark and thrown it away; the branches have turned white.

Classic

7He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

Modern

8Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.

Classic

8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

Modern

9Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.

Classic

9The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD’s ministers, mourn.

Modern

10The field is ruined; the land mourns. For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails.

Classic

10The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

Modern

11Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.

Classic

11Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

Modern

12The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple— all the trees of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried up.

Classic

12The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Modern

13Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.

Classic

13Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Modern

14Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

Classic

14Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD.

Modern

15Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Classic

15Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Modern

16Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?

Classic

16Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

Modern

17The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods; the storehouses are in ruins; the granaries are broken down, for the grain has withered away.

Classic

17The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

Modern

18How the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

Classic

18How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Modern

19To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field.

Classic

19O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.

Modern

20Even the beasts of the field pant for You, for the streams of water have dried up, and fire has consumed the open pastures.

Classic

20The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Your pair of translations is remembered on this device for other chapters.