約珥書1:1-7

1:1 耶和華的話臨到毘土珥的兒子約珥。

1:2 老年人哪，當聽我的話；國中的居民哪，都要側耳而聽。在你們的日子，或你們列祖的日子，曾有這樣的事嗎？

1:3 你們要將這事傳與子，子傳與孫，孫傳與後代。

1:4 剪蟲剩下的，蝗蟲來吃；蝗蟲剩下的，蝻子來吃；蝻子剩下的，螞蚱來吃。

1:5 酒醉的人哪，要清醒哭泣；好酒的人哪，都要為甜酒哀號，因為從你們的口中斷絕了。

1:6 有一隊蝗蟲（原文是民）又強盛又無數，侵犯我的地；牠的牙齒如獅子的牙齒，大牙如母獅的大牙。

1:7 牠毀壞我的葡萄樹，剝了我無花果樹的皮，剝盡而丟棄，使枝條露白。

The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

Hear this, you elders;

give ear, all inhabitants of the land!

 Has such a thing happened in your days,

or in the days of your fathers?

Tell your children of it,

and let your children tell their children,

and their children to another generation.

What the cutting locust left,

 the swarming locust has eaten.

What the swarming locust left,

 the hopping locust has eaten,

and what the hopping locust left,

 the destroying locust has eaten.

Awake, you drunkards, and weep,

and wail, all you drinkers of wine,

because of the sweet wine,

for it is cut off from your mouth.

For a nation has come up against my land,

 powerful and beyond number;

 its teeth are lions 'teeth,

and it has the fangs of a lioness.

It has laid waste my vine

and splintered my fig tree;

it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;

their branches are made white.

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    約珥先知用蝗蟲的災害來使以色列人認識上帝的審判，讓他們感受到死亡的威脅。因為人犯罪的結果帶來愁苦，愁苦讓人感受到死亡的威脅，因為所有的一切都被奪走了，真的是一無所有了，連自己都沒有了！

    死亡真的是如此，使我們一切的奮鬥與努力都歸於無有，都被剝奪，都成了無意義，真的如煙霧一般轉眼成為空！

    也因此人需要基督，因為唯有在基督裡的才能存到永遠，才不會被死亡所奪去，因為耶穌勝過死亡！