Joel

Joel is the twenty-ninth book of the Bible and the second of the minor prophets. It is short, only three chapters, and traditionally attributed to the prophet Joel, son of Pethuel. The date of writing is uncertain; estimates range across several centuries.

The book opens with an event the prophet treats as catastrophic. A massive locust plague has stripped the land bare. Joel describes it in detail. Successive waves of locusts have eaten the grain, the vines, and the fruit trees, leaving no food for people or animals and no offerings for the temple. He calls the priests and the people to fast, weep, and assemble for solemn worship.

Joel reads the locust plague as a sign of the coming "Day of the Lord," a day of judgment that will fall on the unfaithful and bring deliverance to the faithful. He pictures armies, fire, darkening of the sun and moon.

The book then turns to promise. God will restore what the locusts have eaten and pour out his Spirit on all people. Sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, young men will see visions. This passage is quoted by Peter in the New Testament book of Acts.