Joel — The Coverdale Bible (1535)

Joel is the prophet of the plague of locusts and of the day of the Lord, when the spirit will be poured out on all flesh. In Coverdale’s Bible of 1535 it stands in the Prophets under the heading “The Prophet Ioel”. Coverdale’s summary of the chapters stands before the text; the 1535 Bible has no verse numbers, so the text keeps its own paragraphs, in 3 chapters, with the marginal notes and references printed after each chapter.

What Ioel conteyneth.

• Chap. I. He sheweth Israel, that all their glory 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.

Chapter 1

[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 lōde: yf euer there happened soch a thinge in youre dayes, or in yᵉ dayes of youre fathers. Tell youre children of it, & let them shewe it vnto their children, & so they to certifie their posterite therof.⁽¹⁾ Loke what the caterpiller hath lefte, yᵗ hath the greshopper eaten vp: what the greshopper lefte, that hath the locuste 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 come vp in to my londe: these haue teth like the teth of lyons, & chaftbones like the lyones.⁽²⁾ ses. They shal make my vinyarde waist, they shal pyll of the barckes of my fygetrees, strype them bare, cast them awaye, and make the braunches whyte.

Make yᵉ mone as a virgin doth, yᵗ gyrdeth [B] her selfe with sacke, because of hir bryde grome. For the meate & drynkofferynge shalbe taken awaye from the house of the LORDE: & the prestes yᵉ LORDES ministers shal mourne. The felde shalbe waisted, the londe shalbe in a miserable case: for the corne shalbe destroyed, the swete wyne shal come to confucion, & the oyle vtterly desolate. The huszbōde men & the wyne gardeners shal loke piteously & make lamentacion, for the wheate wyne & barley, & because the haruest vpon the felde is so clene destroyed. The grape gatherers shal make greate mone, when the vynyarde & fygetrees be so vtterly waisted. Yee all the pomgarnettes, palmtrees, apletrees, & the other trees of the felde shall wyther awaye. Thus the mery cheare of the children of men shal come to confucion.

Gyrde you, & make yoʳ 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 yoʳ God. Proclame a fastynge, call the cōgregacion,[C] gather the elders & all the inhabiters of the londe together into the house of the LORDE yoʳ God, & crie vnto the LORDE: alas,⁽³⁾ alas for this daye. And why? the daye of the LORDE is at honde, and commeth as a destroyer from the Allmightie. Shal not yᵉ 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.⁽⁴⁾ O what a sighinge 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.

Notes to Chapter 1

⁽¹⁾ Exo. 10. ⟨illegible⟩

⁽²⁾ Deu. 32.

⁽³⁾ Ioel. 2. c

⁽⁴⁾ 3. Re. 18. a

Chapter 2

[A] BLowe out yᵉ trompet in Sion, & crie vpō my holy hill, yᵗ all soch as dwel in the londe, maye trēble at it: for yᵉ daie of the LORDE commeth,⁽¹⁾ & is harde at honde: a darcke daye, a gloomynge daye, a cloudy daye, yee & a stormy daye, like as the mornynge spredeth out vpō the hilles: Namely, a great & mightie people: soch as haue not bene sens yᵉ begynnynge, nether shal be after them for euermore. Before him shal be a consumynge fyre, & behynde him a burnynge flame. The londe shal be as a garden of pleasure before him, but behinde him shal it be a very 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 yᵉ hilles, as it were the sounde of charettes: as the flame of fyre that consumeth the strawe, and as a mightie people redy to the batell.

[B] The folke shalbe afrayed of him, all faces shal be as blacke as a pot. These shal rūne 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. There shal not one dryue another, but ech shal kepe 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 moued:⁽²⁾ 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 & mightie to fulfill his commaundement. This is yᵉ 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,⁽³⁾ with fastinge, wepynge and mournynge: rente youre hertes, & not youre clothes. Turne you vnto the LORDE youre God,⁽⁴⁾ for he is gracious & mercifull, longe sufferynge & of greate compassion: & redy to pardone wickednes. Then (no doute) he also shal turne, & forgeue: & after his chastenynge, he shall let youre increase remayne, for meat & drynck offerynges vn to the LORDE youre God?⁽⁵⁾ Blowe out with the trōpet in Sion, proclame a fastynge, call the congregacion, & gather the people together: warne the congregacion, gather the elders, bringe the children & suclynges together. Let yᵉ brydegrome go forth of his chābre, & the bryde out of her closet. Let the prestes serue the LORDE betwixte the porch & yᵉ aulter, wepinge & sayenge: be fauourable (o LORDE) be fauourable vnto thy people: let not thine heretage be brought to soch confucion, lest the Heithen be lordes therof. Wherfore [D] shulde they saye amonge the Heithen:⁽⁶⁾ where is now their God?

Then shal the LORDE be gelous ouer his londe, & spare his people: yee yᵉ 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 geue you ouer to be a reprofe amonge the Heithen. 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 & vinyardes 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 yᵗ shal sende you downe shuwers of rayne, early and late in the first moneth:⁽⁷⁾ so that yᵉ garners shal be full of corne, and the presses plenteous in wyne and oyle. And as for the yeares that yᵉ greszshopper, locuste, blasstinge & caterpiller (my greate hoost, which I sent amonge you) haue eaten vp, I shal restore them to you agayne: so that ye shal haue ynough to eate, and be satisfied: and prayse the name of the LORDE youre God, that so maruelously hath dealte with you.

And my people shall neuer be confounded 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 vpon [F] all flesh:⁽⁸⁾ & yoʳ sonnes & yoʳ doughters shal prophecy: yoʳ olde mē shal dreame dreames & youre yonge men shal se visions:⁽⁹⁾ Yee in those dayes I will poure out my sprete vpon seruauntes and maydens. I will shewe wonders in heauen aboue, and tokēs in the earth beneth: bloude and fyre, and the vapoure off smoke. The Sonne shalbe turned in to darcknesse, & yᵉ Moone in to bloude: before yᵉ greate & notable daye off the LORDE come. And the tyme shal come: yᵗ who so euer calleth on the name of the LORDE, ⁽¹⁰⁾ 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.

Notes to Chapter 2

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩ph. 1. c ⟨illegible⟩mos 5. c

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩ 3. c ⟨illegible⟩att. 24 c

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩poc. 6. c ⟨illegible⟩. 4. c ⟨illegible⟩. a

⁽⁴⁾ ⟨illegible⟩al. 85. a ⟨illegible⟩ 4. a

⁽⁵⁾ Ioel ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁶⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁷⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁸⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽¹⁰⁾ ⟨illegible⟩ 10. b

Chapter 3

[A] FOr take hede: In those dayes & at yᵉ 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 & heretage of Israel: whō they haue scatred aboute 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, yᵗ they might haue to drīke.⁽¹⁾ 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, & yᵗ right shortly: for ye haue takē awaye my syluer & golde, my fayre & goodly Iewels, & brought them in to youre gods houses. The children also of Iuda and Ierusalem haue ye solde vnto the Grekes, that ye might brynge thē farre frō yᵉ borders of the ⟨illegible⟩rowne countrees.

[B] Beholde therfore: I will rayse them out of the place,⁽²⁾ 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 Saba, 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. Make you sweardes of youre ploweshares,⁽³⁾ and speares of youre syckles & sythes. Let yᵉ weake 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 aryse, and get them to the valley of Iosaphat: for there wil I syt, and iudge all Heithē roūde aboute.

Laye to youre sythes,⁽⁴⁾ for the haruest is rype: 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 yᵉ valley appoynted. The Sonne and Moone shall be darckened,⁽⁵⁾ & the starres shal withdrawe their light. The LORDE shal roare out of Sion, & crie out of Ierusalē,⁽⁶⁾ that the heauens & the earth shal quake withall. But the LORDE shal be a defence vnto his owne people, ād a refuge for the childrē of Israel. Thus shal ye knowe, yᵗ I the LORDE youre God dwell vpō my holy mount of Sion. Then shal Ierusalē be holy, & there shal no straungers go thorow her eny more. Then shal the moūtaynes droppe swete wyne, & the hylles shall flowe with mylcke,⁽⁷⁾ All the ryuers of Iuda shal haue water ynough, & out of the LORDES house, there shal flowe a sprynge, to water yᵉ broke of Sitim: but Egipte shalbe layed waist, & Edō shal be desolate:⁽⁸⁾ because they haue dealte so cruelly with the childrē of Iuda, and shed innocent bloude in their londe. Agayne, Iuda shalbe inhabited for euermore, & Ierusalē from generacion to generaciō: for I wil not leaue their bloude vnauenged. And the LORDE shal dwell in Sion.

Notes to Chapter 3

⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩ ⟨illegible⟩6. a ⟨illegible⟩7.28. ⟨illegible⟩ ▪ 1. b

⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽³⁾ ⟨illegible⟩

⁽⁴⁾ Apo. 14. d

⁽⁵⁾ Ioel. 2. b Esa. 13. b

⁽⁶⁾ Iere. 25. d

⁽⁷⁾ Amos. 9. c

⁽⁸⁾ Iere 46. a Iere. 49. b

The ende of the prophet Ioel.

Colophon

This page is an archival transcription of the printed text, not a Good Works Translation. Source: Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe (M.D.XXXV; STC 2063.3), translated by Myles Coverdale, the copy in Cambridge University Library, keyed and encoded by the Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP Phase I, text A10349, 2005) and released under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 public-domain dedication.

1 place illegible in the Cambridge copy was filled from Samuel Bagster’s 1838 page-for-page reprint of the edition (archive.org, holyscriptures00cove), only where the reprint’s reading is certain; each fill is listed on this room’s Supplied Readings page; 23 places are still marked ⟨illegible⟩ (1 in the text, 22 in the marginal notes).

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