The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

THE BOKE OF IO∣EL THE PRO∣PHETE. (Book Joel)

¶ A prophecye agaynst the Iewes. He exhorteth the prestes to prayer and fastynge, for the myserye that was commynge at hande.

CAPI. I.

THis is the word of [ A] the Lorde, that came vnto Ioel the sonne of Phatuel: Heare, O ye elders: pondre this wel all ye that dwell in the land: if euer there hap¦pened suche a thinge in youre dayes, or in the dayes of youre fathers. Tell youre children of it, and let them shewe it vnto their chyl∣dren, and so they to certyfye their posteritye therof. Loke what the caterpyller hath left, that hath the greshopper eaten vp: what the greshopper lefte, that hath the locust eaten vp: and what the locust hath left, that hath the blastynge consumed. Wake vp ye dron∣kardes, and wepe: mourne all ye wynesup∣pers, because of youre swete wyne, for it shal be taken awaye frome youre mouthe. Yea a [ B] myghtye and an innumerable people shall come vp in to my land: these haue teeth like the teeth of lyons, and chaftbones lyke the lyonesses.* 1.1 They shal make my vinyard wast they shall pyll of the barckes of my fygtre∣es, stryp them bare, caste them away, & make the braunches whyte.

Make thy mone as a vyrgyn dothe that gyrdeth her self with sack, because of her bride grome. For the meate and drinckoffryng shal be taken awaye from the house of the Lord: and the prestes the Lordes ministers shall mourne. The felde shall be wasted, the lande shall be in a myserable case: for the come shall be destroyed, the swete wyne shal come to confusion, and the oyle vtterlye desolate. The housbande men and the wyne garde∣ners shal loke pyteously & make lamentaciō for the whete, wyne and barly, and because the haruest vpon the felde is so cleane destroy∣ed. The grape gatherers shall make greate [ C] mone, when the vyneyarde and fygtrees be so vtterlye wasted.

Yea all the pomgarnetes, palmetrees, a∣ple trees, and the other trees of the felde shal wyther awaye. Thus the the mery cheare of the chyldren of men, shall come to confusy∣on.

Gyrde you, and make your mone, O ye pre¦stes: mourne ye mynysters of the aulter goe youre waye in, and slepe in sack clothe, O ye officers of my God: for the meate and drink [ D] offerynge shall be taken awaye from y^e house of youre God. Proclayme a fastynge,* 1.2 cal the congregacion, gather the elders and al the in habyters of the lande to gither into y^e house of the Lorde your God, and erye vnto y^e Lord alas, alas, for this daye. And why? the daye of the Lorde is at hande, and commeth as a

destroyer from the almyghtye. Shal not the meates be taken awaye before oure eyes, the myrth also and ioye from the house of oure God? The seed shal perysh in the ground, the garners shal lye wast, y^e floores shalbe broken down, for the corn shal be destroyed. O what a syghinge make the catel? the bullockes are very euell lykinge, because they haue no pa∣sture: and the shepe are famysshed awaye.

O Lorde, to the wyll I crye: for the fyre hard consumed the goodlye pastures of the wyldernesse, and the fl••me hath brent vp all the trees of the felde, Yea the wylde beastes trye also vnto the: for the water ryuers are dryed vp, and the fyre hath consumed the pa¦stures of the wyldernesse.

¶ He prophecyeth the commynge and crueltye of theyr enemyes. An exhortation to moue them to conuert.

CAPI. II.

[ A] BLowe out the trompet in Sion, & crye vpon my holy byll,* 1.3 that all suche as dwell in the the lande, maye tremble at it: for the day of the Lord commeth, and is hard at hand: a darcke day, a gloomyng day a cloudy day, yea & a stormy day, lyke as y^e mor¦nynge spredeth out vpon the hylles: Name∣ly, a great and myghty people: suche as haue not bene sene sens the begynnynge, neither shal be after them for euermore. Before him shall be a consumynge fyre and behynde him a burnynge flame. The lande shall be as a garden of pleasure before him, but behynde him shall it be a very waste wyldernesse, and there is no man, that shall escape him. They are to loke vpon lyke barded horses, & runne lyke horsmen. They skyppe vp vpon the hil∣les, as it were the sound of charrettes, as the flame of fyre that consumeth the strawe, and as a myghtye people redy to the battel.

[ B] The folke shall be afrayed of him, all fa∣••es shall be as blacke as a pot. These shall runne lyke gyauntes, and leape ouer y^e wal∣les lyke men of warre. Euery man in his go∣inge shall kepe his araye, and not go out of his path. There shal not one dryue an other, but eche shall kepe his owne way. They shal breake in at the wyndowes, and not be hurt They shal come into the citie, and runne vpō the walles: They shall clyme vp vpon the houses, and styp in at the windowes lyke a these The earth shall quake before him,* 1.4 yea the heauens shall be moued: The sonne and Moone shall be darckened and the starres shall withdraw their shyne. The Lord shall shewe his voyce before his host, for his hoste is greate, stronge and myghtye to fulfyll his commaundement.* 1.5 This is that greate and marueylous fearfull daye of the Lorde: And who is hable to abyde it.

[ C] Nowe therfore sayth the Lorde: Turne you vnto me wi••h all youre hertes, with fa∣stynge wepynge and mournynge,* 1.6 rent youre hertes, and not your clothes. Turn you vnto the Lorde your God, for he is gracyous and mercyfull longe suffringe and of great com∣passion: and redy to pardon wickednes.* 1.7 Thē (no doubte) he also shal turne, and fogyue: & after his chastenynge, he shall let youre in∣trease remayne,* 1.8 for meat and drinckofferyn∣ges vnto the Lorde youre God: Blowe out [ D] with y^e trompet in Sion, proclayme a fasting, cal the congregacyon, and gather the people togither: warne the cōgregacion, and gather the elders, bring the children and sucklynges togyther. Let the the brydgrome go forthe of his chambre, & the bryde out of her closet. Let the prestes serue the Lorde betwene the porche and the aulter wepinge and sayinge: be fauourable, O Lorde, be fauourable vnto thy people: let not thine heritage be brought to suche confusion, leest the Heithen be lordes therof. Wherfore shulde they saye amonge the Heithen where is nowe their God?* 1.9

Then shall the Lorde be gelous ouer his [ E] lande, and spare his people: yea the Lorde shall answere, and saye vnto his people: Be∣holde, I wyll sende you corne, wine, & oyle, so that ye shal haue plentye of them: and I wyll no more gyue you ouer to be a reprofe amonges the heithen. Agayne, as for hym of the north. I shall dryue him farre from you: and shut him out into a dry and waste land his face towarde the east see: and his hindre partes toward the vttermost see. The stynck of hym shall go vp, and hys fylthy corrupciō shal fal vpon himselfe, because he hath dealt so proudely.

Feare not (O land) but be glad and reioice for the Lorde wyl do great thinges. Be not ye afrayed neither (O ye beastes of the felde) for the pastures shall be grene and the trees shal beare their frute: the fygtrees and vine yardes shal gyue their increase.

Be glad then (O ye chyldren of Sion) and [ F] reioyce in the Lorde youre God, for he hath gyuen you a teacher of rightousnesse: and he shall sende you downe shoures of rayne, ear∣ly and late in the fyrste moneth: so that the garners shall be full of corne,* 1.10 and the presses plenteous in wine and oyle. And as for the yeres that the greshopper, locuste, blastynge and caterpyller (my greate hooste, whiche I sent amonge you) haue eaten vp, I shall re∣store thē to you agayne: so that ye shall haue ynough to eate, and be satysfyed: & praise the name of the Lord your God, that so mar¦ueylously hath dealte with you.

And my people shal neuer be confounded any more. Ye shal wel knowe, that I am in the myddest of Israel, and that I am youre God yea & y^t there is none other, & my people shall no more be brought to confusion.

After this, wil I poure out my spirite vpō all flesshe: and youre sonnes and doughters [ G] shall prophecye:* 1.11 youre old men shal dreame dreames, and youre yonge men shall se visi∣ons, yea those dayes wyll I power oute my spirite vpon seruauntes and maydes. I wyl shew wonders in heauen aboue, and tokens in the earthe beneth: bloude and fyre, and the vapoure of smoke. The sunne shall be

turned into darckenesse,* 1.12 and the moone in to bloude: before the greate and notable daye of the Lorde come. And the tyme shall come that who so euer calleth on the name of the Lorde, shall be saued. For vpon the mounte Sion and at Ierusalem, there shall be a sal∣uacion, lyke as the Lord hath promysed: yea and amonge the other remnaunt, whom the Lorde shall call.

¶ Of the iudgement of God agaynst the enemyes of his people.

CAPI. III.

[ A] FOr take hede: in those dayes & at y^e same tyme when I turne agayne the captyui∣tie of Iuda and Ierusalē: I shal gather all people togither, and bringe theym in the valleye of Iosaphat: and there wyll I reason with them: because of my people and heritage of Israel: whome they haue sca∣tered about in the nacions, and parted my land: yea they haue cast lottes for my people the yong mē haue they set in y^e brodel house, and solde the Damsels for-wyne that they [ B] myght haue to drincke. Thou Titus and Si¦don and all ye borders of the Philistines:* 1.13 what houe ye to do w^t me? Wyl ye defy me? wel, if ye wil nedes defye me, I shal recōpēce you, euen vpon your heade, and that ryghte shortly: for ye haue taken awaye my syluer and golde, my fayre and goodly Iewels, and brought them into your goddes houses. The chyldren also of Iuda and Ierusalem haue ye solde vnto that Grekes, that ye myghte brynge them farre from the borders of their owne countryes.

* 1.14Beholde therfore, I wyll rayse them out of the place, where ye haue solde them, & will rewarde you euen vpon youre heade. Youre sonnes & your doughters wyl I sel thorowe the handes of the chyldren of Iuda, and so they shall gyue them forth to sel, vnto them of Saba, a people of a farre countrey, for the Lorde hym selfe hath sayde it. Try out these thinges amonge y^e Gētyles, proclayme warre wake vp the giauntes, let them drawe nygh, let them come vp all the lusty warryours of [ C] thē. Make you swerdes of your plowshares,* 1.15 and speares of youre sycles and sythes. Let the weake man saye: I am stronger. Mus••re you, and come, al ye Heithen rounde aboute: gather you togyther, there shal the Lord lay al the gyauntes to the grounde. Let the peo¦ple at yse, and get them to the valley or Iosa¦phat: for there wyll I syt, and iudge all Hei∣then rounde about. Laye to your sithes, for the haruest is type, come get you downe, the winepresse is ful, yea the winepresses runne ouer, for their wickednesse is waxen greate.

In the valley appoynted, there shal be ma∣ny, [ D] many people,* 1.16 for the day of the Lorde is nyghe in the valley appoynted. The sunne & moone shall be darckened, an the starres shal withdrawe their lyght. The Lorde shal tore our of Sion, and crye out of Ierusalem, that the heuens and the earth shal quake withal. But the Lord shalbe a defēce vnto his owne people,* 1.17 & a refuge for the children of Israel. Thus shall ye knowe, that I the Lord your God dwell vpon my holy mount of Sion. Then shal Ierusalem be holy, and there shal no straungers go thorow her any more. Then shall the mountaynes droppe swete wyne, & the hilles shal flowe with mylcke. Al the ry∣uers of Iuda shal haue water ynoughe, and out of the Lordes house there shal flowe a sprynge to water the broke of Si••im: but E∣gypte shal be layed waste, and Edom shal be desolate: because they haue dealte so cruelly with the children of Iuda,* 1.18 and shed innocēt bloude in their lande. Agayne, Iuda shal be inhabyted for euermore, and Ierusalem from generacion to generaciō: for I wyll not leaue their bloude vnauen∣ged. And the Lorde shal dwel in Sion.

¶ The ende of the prophecye of Ioel.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Deut. 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.2

  ••oel .ii. d
• * 1.3

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.4

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.5

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.6

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.7

  Psal .lxxxvi. a Ion•• iii: a
• * 1.8

  Ioel .i. ••
• * 1.9

  Psal .lxxix. ••
• * 1.10

  Leuiti .xxvi. •• Deut .xi. b xxviii. b.
• * 1.11

  ☜
• * 1.12

  Math .xxiiii .c Luke .xx. e Roma. ••. b
• * 1.13

  Ezech .xxvi. a xcvii.xxviii Amos .i. b
• * 1.14

  Ieremi .xxx. a Addi .i. ••
• * 1.15

  Esay. ••
• * 1.16

  Ioel. ••
• * 1.17

  Iere .x••••
• * 1.18

  Amos. ••••