The Book of Joel
A locust plague becomes a call to repentance and a promise of the Spirit.
Joel uses a devastating locust plague as a vivid warning of the coming Day of the Lord, calling the nation to genuine repentance rather than empty ritual. Its 3 chapters move from immediate crisis to a sweeping promise that God will one day pour out His Spirit on all people. Read Joel chapter 1.
About Joel
Joel is the twenty-ninth book of the Bible and the second Minor Prophet, written by Joel son of Pethuel at a date debated by scholars -- possibly as early as 835 BC or as late as the post-exilic period -- and spanning 3 chapters. The book opens with a devastating locust plague that stripped Judah bare, which Joel interprets as a foretaste of the coming Day of the Lord -- a day of divine judgment and reckoning. God calls the people to tear their hearts and not their garments in genuine repentance, promising agricultural restoration if they return to Him. The second half of the book looks beyond the immediate crisis to a glorious future Day of the Lord when God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Major themes include the Day of the Lord as both judgment and salvation, genuine versus superficial repentance, the future outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and God's covenant commitment to restore what has been lost. Key chapters include Joel 1 (the locust plague), Joel 2 (the call to repentance and promise of the Spirit), and Joel 3 (judgment of the nations and blessing for Israel). The most famous verse is Joel 2:28 -- And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy -- quoted by Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2 as its fulfillment. Joel KJV Bible reading connects Old Testament hope to New Testament reality. Read the Book of Joel online here in full.