Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The Prophet Ioel.

What Ioel conteyneth.

• Chap. I. He sheweth Israel, that all their glo∣ry and outwarde ceremonies, shal be put downe and ceasse.
• Chap. II. The plages are greate, wherfore he wolde haue them to mourne: yet yf they will amende, they maye hope for grace.
• Chap. III. How the people are brought agayne, and their enemies punished.

The first Chapter.

[ A] THis is the worde of the LORDE, that came vnto Ioel the sonne of Phatuel: Heare o ye elders: pōdre this wel, all ye that dwell in the lō¦de: yf euer there happened soch a thinge in youre dayes, or in y^e dayes of youre fathers. Tell youre children of it, & let them shewe it vnto their children, & so they to certifie their posterite therof. Loke what the caterpiller hath lefte, y^t hath the greshopper eaten vp: what the greshopper lefte, that hath the lo∣custe eaten vp: & what the locuste hath lefte, that hath the blastinge consumed. Wake vp ye dronckardes, & wepe: mourne all ye wyne suppers, because of youre swete wyne, for it shal be taken awaye from youre mouth. Yee a mightie & an innumerable people shall co∣me vp in to my londe: these haue teth like the teth of lyons, & chaftbones like the lyones. ses. They shal make my vinyarde waist, they shal pyll of the barckes of my fygetrees, stry¦pe them bare, cast them awaye, and make the braunches whyte.

Make y^e mone as a virgin doth, y^t gyrdeth [ B] her selfe with sacke, because of hir bryde gro¦me. For the meate & drynkofferynge shalbe taken awaye from the house of the LORDE: & the prestes y^e LORDES ministers shal mour¦ne. The felde shalbe waisted, the londe shal∣be in a miserable case: for the corne shalbe de¦stroyed, the swete wyne shal come to confu∣cion, & the oyle vtterly desolate. The huszbō∣de men & the wyne gardeners shal loke pi∣teously & make lamentacion, for the wheate wyne & barley, & because the haruest vpon the felde is so clene destroyed. The grape ga¦therers shal make greate mone, when the vy¦nyarde & fygetrees be so vtterly waisted. Yee all the pomgarnettes, palmtrees, apletrees, & the other trees of the felde shall wyther a∣waye. Thus the mery cheare of the children of men shal come to confucion.

Gyrde you, & make yo^r mone, o ye prestes: mourne ye ministres of the aulter: go youre waye in, & slepe in sack cloth, o ye officers of my God: for the meat & drynkofferynge shal be taken awaye from the house of yo^r God. Proclame a fastynge, call the cōgregacion, [ C] gather the elders & all the inhabiters of the londe together into the house of the LORDE yo^r God, & crie vnto the LORDE: alas, alas for this daye. And why? the daye of the LOR¦DE is at honde, and commeth as a destroyer from the Allmightie. Shal not y^e meates be taken awaye before oure eyes, the myrth also & ioye from the house of oure God? The sede shal perish in the grounde, the garners shall lye waist, the floores shalbe broken downe, for the corne shalbe destroied. O what a sigh¦inge make the catell? the bullockes are very euel likynge, because they haue no pasture:

and the shepe are fameszshed awaye.

O LORDE, to the will I crie: for the fyre hath consumed the goodly pastures of the wyldernesse, and the flame hath brent vp all the trees of the felde. Yee the wylde beestes crie also vnto the: for the water ryuers are dryed vp, and the fyre hath consumed the pastures of the wyldernesse.

The II. Chapter.

[ A] BLowe out y^e trompet in Sion, & crie vpō my holy hill, y^t all soch as dwel in the londe, maye trēble at it: for y^e daie of the LORDE commeth, & is harde at hon¦de: a darcke daye, a gloomynge daye, a clou∣dy daye, yee & a stormy daye, like as the mor∣nynge spredeth out vpō the hilles: Namely, a great & mightie people: soch as haue not bene sens y^e begynnynge, nether shal be after them for euermore. Before him shal be a con∣sumynge fyre, & behynde him a burnynge fla¦me. The londe shal be as a garden of pleasu¦re before him, but behinde him shal it be a ve¦ry waist wildernesse, & there is no man, that shal escape him. They are to loke vpon like bayrded horses, & runne like horse men. They skyppe vp vpon y^e hilles, as it were the soun¦de of charettes: as the flame of fyre that con¦sumeth the strawe, and as a mightie people redy to the batell.

[ B] The folke shalbe afrayed of him, all fa∣ces shal be as blacke as a pot. These shal rū¦ne like giauntes, & leape ouer the walles like men of warre. Euery mā in his goinge shal kepe his araie, & not go out of his Path. The¦re shal not one dryue another, but ech shal ke¦pe his owne waye. They shal breake in at the wyndowes, & not be hurte: They shal come into the cite, & runne vpon the walles: They shal clymme vp vpon the houses, & slyppe in at the wyndowes like a thefe. The earth shal quake before him, yee the heauens shalbe mo¦ued: the Sonne & Moone shal be darckened, and the starres shal withdrawe their shyne. The LORDE shal shewe his voyce before his hoost, for his hoost is greate, stronge & migh¦tie to fulfill his commaundement. This is y^e greate and maruelous fearfull daye of the LORDE: And who is able to abyde it?

[ C] Now therfore saieth the LORDE: Turne you vnto me with all youre hertes, with fas∣tinge, wepynge and mournynge: rente youre hertes, & not youre clothes. Turne you vnto the LORDE youre God, for he is gracious & mercifull, longe sufferynge & of greate com∣passion: & redy to pardone wickednes. Then (no doute) he also shal turne, & forgeue: & af∣ter his chastenynge, he shall let youre increa∣se remayne, for meat & drynck offerynges vn to the LORDE youre God? Blowe out with the trōpet in Sion, proclame a fastynge, call the congregacion, & gather the people toge¦ther: warne the congregacion, gather the el∣ders, bringe the children & suclynges toge∣ther. Let y^e brydegrome go forth of his chā∣bre, & the bryde out of her closet. Let the pre∣stes serue the LORDE betwixte the porch & y^e aulter, wepinge & sayenge: be fauourable (o LORDE) be fauourable vnto thy people: let not thine heretage be brought to soch confu∣cion, lest the Heithen be lordes therof. Wher¦fore [ D] shulde they saye amonge the Heithen: where is now their God?

Then shal the LORDE be gelous ouer his londe, & spare his people: yee y^e LORDE shal answere, & saye vnto his people: Beholde, I wil sende you corne, wyne & oyle, so that ye shal haue plenty of them: & I wil nomore ge¦ue you ouer to be a reprofe amonge the Hei∣then. Agayne, as for him of the north, I shal dryue him farre from you: & shute him out in to a drye and waist londe, his face towarde the east see, and his hynder partes towarde the vttemost see. The stynke of him shall go vp, and his fylthy corrupcion shal fall vpon himself, because he hath dealte so proudly. Feare not (o londe) but be glad and reioyse, for the LORDE wil do greate thinges. Be not ye afrayed nether (o ye beastes of the felde) for the pastures shal be grene, and the trees shal beare their frute: the fygetrees & vinyar¦des shal geue their increase.

Be glad then (o ye children of Sion) and [ E] reioyse in the LORDE youre God, for he hath geuen you the teacher of rightuousnes: & he it is y^t shal sende you downe shuwers of ray∣ne, early and late in the first moneth: so that y^e garners shal be full of corne, and the pres∣ses plenteous in wyne and oyle. And as for the yeares that y^e greszshopper, locuste, blas∣stinge & caterpiller (my greate hoost, which I sent amonge you) haue eaten vp, I shal re¦store them to you agayne: so that ye shal ha∣ue ynough to eate, and be satisfied: and pray¦se the name of the LORDE youre God, that so maruelously hath dealte with you.

And my people shall neuer be confoun∣ded eny more: Ye shall well knowe, that I am in the myddest of Israel, and that I am youre God: yee and that there is none other, and my people shall nomore be brought to confucion.

After this, will I poure out my sprete v∣pon [ F] all flesh: & yo^r sonnes & yo^r doughters shal prophecy: yo^r olde mē shal dreame drea∣mes

& youre yonge men shal se visions: Yee in those dayes I will poure out my sprete vpon seruauntes and maydens. I will shewe won¦ders in heauen aboue, and tokēs in the earth beneth: bloude and fyre, and the vapoure off smoke. The Sonne shalbe turned in to darck¦nesse, & y^e Moone in to bloude: before y^e grea¦te & notable daye off the LORDE come. And the tyme shal come: y^t who so euer calleth on the name of the LORDE, shalbe saued. For vpon the mount Sion & at Ierusalem, there shalbe a saluacion, like as the LORDE hath promised: yee & amonge the other remnaunt, whom the LORDE shall call.

The III. Chapter.

[ A] FOr take hede: In those dayes & at y^e same tyme, when I turne agayne the captyuite of Iuda & Ierusalē: I shal gather all people together, & brynge thē in to the valley of Iosaphat: and there wil I reason with thē, because of my people & here¦tage of Israel: whō they haue scatred abou¦te in the nacions, & parted my lōde: yee they haue cast lottes for my people, the yonge mē haue they set in the brodel house, & solde the Damsels for wyne, y^t they might haue to drī¦ke. Thou Tirus and Sidō and all ye borders of the Philistynes: what haue ye to do with me? Will ye defye me? well: yf ye will nedes defye me, I shall recōpence you, euen vpon youre heade, & y^t right shortly: for ye haue ta¦kē awaye my syluer & golde, my fayre & good¦ly Iewels, & brought them in to youre gods houses. The children also of Iuda and Ieru¦salem haue ye solde vnto the Grekes, that ye might brynge thē farre frō y^e borders of the ••rowne countrees.

[ B] Beholde therfore: I will rayse them out of the place, where ye haue solde them, & will rewarde you euen vpon youre heade. Youre sonnes & youre doughters will I sell thorow the hondes of the childrē of Iuda, & so they shal geue them forth to sell, vnto thē of Sa∣ba, a people of a farre coūtre: for the LORDE himself hath sayde it. Crie out these thinges amonge the Gentiles, proclame warre, wake vp the giauntes, let them drawe nye, let thē come vp all the lusty warryours of thē. Ma¦ke you sweardes of youre ploweshares, and speares of youre syckles & sythes. Let y^e wea¦ke man saye: I am stronge. Mustre you, and come, all ye Heithē roūde aboute: gather you together, there shall the LORDE laye all thy giauntes to the grounde. Let the people ary¦se, and get them to the valley of Iosaphat: for there wil I syt, and iudge all Heithē roū∣de aboute.

Laye to youre sythes, for the haruest is ry¦pe: come, get you downe: the wynepresse is full, yee the wynepresses runne ouer, for their [ C] wickednesse is waxen greate. In the valley appoynted, there shalbe many, many people: for the daye of the LORDE is nye in y^e valley appoynted. The Sonne and Moone shall be darckened, & the starres shal withdrawe the¦ir light. The LORDE shal roare out of Sion, & crie out of Ierusalē, that the heauens & the earth shal quake withall. But the LORDE shal be a defence vnto his owne people, ād a refuge fo•• the childrē of Israel. Thus shal ye knowe, y^t I the LORDE youre God dwell vpō my holy mount of Sion. Then shal Ierusa∣lē be holy, & there shal no straungers go tho∣row her eny more. Then shal the moūtaynes droppe swete wyne, & the hylles shall flowe with mylcke, All the ryuers of Iuda shal ha¦ue water ynough, & out of the LORDES hou∣se, there shal flowe a sprynge, to water y^e bro¦ke of Sitim: but Egipte shalbe layed waist, & Edō shal be desolate: because they haue de¦alte so cruelly with the childrē of Iuda, and shed innocent bloude in their londe. Agayne, Iuda shalbe inhabited for euermore, & Ieru¦salē from generacion to generaciō: for I wil not leaue their bloude vnauenged. And the LORDE shal dwell in Sion.

The ende of the prophet Ioel.

Notes

• Exo. 10. ••
• Deu. 32.
• Ioel. 2. c
• 3. Re. 18. a
• ••••ph. 1. c ••mos 5. c
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 3. c ••att. 24 c
• ••poc. 6. c 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 4. c ••. a
• ••••al. 85. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 4. a
• Ioel 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 10. b
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••6. a ••7.28. 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ 1. b
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• Apo. 14. d
• Ioel. 2. b Esa. 13. b
• Iere. 25. d
• Amos. 9. c
• Iere 46. a Iere. 49. b