Joel 1 | » |
1 The Word of Jehovah that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, you old men, and give ear, all dwellers of the land. Has this been in your days or even in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell your sons of it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons another generation.
4 That which the creeping locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten. And that which the swarming locust has left, the locust larvae has eaten. And that which the locust larvae has left, the stripping locust has eaten.
5 Awake, drunkards, and weep; and howl, all drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For a nation has come up on My land, strong and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the jaw teeth of a lioness.
7 He has laid My vine waste and splintered My fig tree. He has stripped it and cast it away; its branches grow white.
8 Weep like a virgin clothed with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
9 The food offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, Jehovah's ministers, mourn.
10 The field is wasted; the land mourns, for the grain is wasted. The new wine is dried up; the oil tree droops.
11 Be ashamed, husbandmen; howl, vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree droops, the pomegranate and the palm tree, and the apple tree; all the trees of the field are dried up, because joy has dried up from the sons of men.
13 Gird up and lament, priests; howl, ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, ministers of my God. For the food offering and the drink offering are held back from the house of your God.
14 Set apart a fast; call a solemn gathering; gather the elders and all the people of the land into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to the Lord,
15 Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is at hand, and it shall come as a ruin from the Almighty.
16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, and joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seed is rotten under their clods; the storage bins are laid waste; the barns are broken down, for the grain has dried up.
18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are troubled because they have no pasture. Yes, the flocks of sheep are destroyed.
19 O Jehovah, to You will I cry; for the fire has burned up the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field also cry to You; for the rivers of water are dried up, and the fire has burned up the pastures of the wilderness.
The Modern King James Version (MKJV)
The Modern King James Version (MKJV) is a contemporary English translation of the Bible that aims to preserve the majesty and accuracy of the original King James Version (KJV) while updating its language for modern readers. Developed by Jay P. Green Sr. and first published in 1990, the MKJV seeks to maintain the literary beauty and doctrinal reliability of the KJV, making only necessary adjustments to archaic terms and phrases to enhance readability. This careful balance allows the MKJV to retain the classic feel of the KJV while making it more accessible to today’s audience.
One of the standout features of the MKJV is its commitment to formal equivalence, or word-for-word translation. The translators have meticulously preserved the structure and vocabulary of the KJV, only updating words and phrases that have become outdated or whose meanings have shifted over time. This approach ensures that the MKJV remains faithful to the original texts and maintains the theological and literary integrity of the KJV. By preserving the cadence and phrasing of the original, the MKJV offers a reading experience that is both familiar and refreshed for modern readers.
The MKJV also pays special attention to the textual basis of the translation. Like the KJV, it relies on the Textus Receptus for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. This adherence to traditional source texts underscores the MKJV’s commitment to continuity with the historic Christian tradition. The translation is designed to serve both devotional and scholarly purposes, providing a text that is suitable for study, teaching, and public reading in a variety of settings.
Despite its strengths, the Modern King James Version has faced some criticism. Some scholars and readers argue that the translation could benefit from a more extensive revision to fully embrace contemporary language, suggesting that the MKJV’s adherence to the structure and style of the KJV may still pose challenges for modern readers. Others appreciate the balance it strikes but note that it occupies a niche space, appealing primarily to those who have a strong attachment to the KJV. Nonetheless, the MKJV remains a respected and valued translation for those seeking a modern update of the KJV that honors its rich heritage and timeless message.