Joel 1:4 bbe — What the worm did not make a meal of, has been taken by the locust; and what the locust did not take, has been food for…

Bible in Basic English

"What the worm did not make a meal of, has been taken by the locust; and what the locust did not take, has been food for the plant-worm; and what the plant-worm did not take, has been food for the field-fly."

— Joel 1:4, Bible in Basic English

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Joel 1:4 in Other Translations

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Joel 1 — Context

1

The word of the Lord which came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

2

Give ear to this, you old men, and take note, you people of the land. Has this ever been in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

3

Give the story of it to your children, and let them give it to their children, and their children to another generation.

4

What the worm did not make a meal of, has been taken by the locust; and what the locust did not take, has been food for the plant-worm; and what the plant-worm did not take, has been food for the field-fly.

5

Come out of your sleep, you who are overcome with wine, and give yourselves to weeping; give cries of sorrow, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it has been cut off from your mouths.

6

For a nation has come up over my land, strong and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the back teeth of a great lion.

7

By him my vine is made waste and my fig-tree broken: he has taken all its fruit and sent it down to the earth; its branches are made white.

Joel 1:4 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Joel 1:4 say?
Joel 1:4 in the Bible in Basic English reads: “What the worm did not make a meal of, has been taken by the locust; and what the locust did not take, has been food for the plant-worm; and what the plant-worm did not take, has been food for the field-fly.”
Where is Joel 1:4 in the Bible?
Joel 1:4 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Joel, chapter 1, verse 4.
Who wrote Joel?
Joel is traditionally attributed to Joel son of Pethuel. It was written c. 835–796 BC (date uncertain).
What is the book of Joel about?
Joel uses a present catastrophe — a locust plague — to point to a greater "day of the LORD" still to come, both terrible and hopeful. The book promises that God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh, a prophecy Peter quotes at Pentecost.
What are the major themes of Joel?
Joel explores themes including Day of the LORD, Repentance, Outpouring of the Spirit, Restoration. These themes shape the meaning and context of Joel 1:4.
What translation should I read Joel 1:4 in?
Joel 1:4 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Joel 1:4?
Joel 1:4 reads (BBE): “What the worm did not make a meal of, has been taken by the locust; and what the locust did not take, has been food for the plant-worm; and what the plant-worm did not take, has been food for the field-fly.” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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