Joel 1:18

Green's Literal Translation

How the beasts groan! The herds of livestock are vexed, for there is no pasture for them. Even the flocks of sheep are perishing.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The animals are hungry and groaning. The herds of cattle wander around confused because they have no grass to eat. The sheep are dying.

New American Standard Bible
How the animals have groaned! The herds of cattle have wandered aimlessly Because there is no pasture for them; Even the flocks of sheep have suffered.

New Century Version
The animals are groaning! The herds of cattle wander around confused, because they have no grass to eat; even the flocks of sheep suffer.

New English Translation
Listen to the cattle groan! The herds of livestock wander around in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

Update Bible Version
How the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Webster's Bible Translation
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Amplified Bible
How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are bewildered and wander aimlessly Because they have no pasture; Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

English Standard Version
How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer.

World English Bible
How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture. Yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whi weilide a beeste? whi lowiden the flockis of oxun and kien? for no lesewe is to hem; but also the flockis of scheep perischiden.

English Revised Version
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Berean Standard Bible
How the cattle groan! The herds wander in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

Contemporary English Version
Our cattle wander aimlessly, moaning for lack of pasture, and sheep are suffering.

American Standard Version
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Bible in Basic English
What sounds of pain come from the beasts! the herds of cattle are at a loss because there is no grass for them; even the flocks of sheep are no longer to be seen.

Complete Jewish Bible
How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture. The flocks of sheep bear the punishment, too.

Darby Translation
How do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are bewildered, for they have no pasture; the flocks of sheep also are in suffering.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

King James Version (1611)
How doe the beastes grone? the heards of cattell are perplexed, because they haue no pasture, yea the flockes of sheepe are made desolate.

New Living Translation
How the animals moan with hunger! The herds of cattle wander about confused, because they have no pasture. The flocks of sheep and goats bleat in misery.

New Life Bible
How the animals cry inside themselves! The cattle go from place to place because there is no food for them. Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

New Revised Standard
How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander about because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep are dazed.

Geneva Bible (1587)
How did the beasts mourne! the herdes of cattel pine away, because they haue no pasture, & the flockes of sheepe are destroyed.

George Lamsa Translation
How the beasts groan! the herds of cattle cry because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep also are perished.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How do the beasts groan! Perplexed are the herds of oxen, because there is no pasture for them, - even, the flocks of sheep, are destroyed!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Why did the beasts groan, why did the herds of cattle low? because there is no pasture for them: yea, and the flocks of sheep are perished.

Revised Standard Version
How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep are dismayed.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
O howe cattell mourne? the heardes of beastes are in wofull case for lacke of pasture, and the flockes of sheepe are destroyed?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
What shall we store up for ourselves? the herds of cattle have mourned, because they had no pasture; and the flocks of sheep have been utterly destroyed.

Good News Translation
The cattle are bellowing in distress because there is no pasture for them; the flocks of sheep also suffer.

Christian Standard Bible®
How the animals groan!The herds of cattle wander in confusionsince they have no pasture.Even the flocks of sheep and goats suffer punishment.

Hebrew Names Version
How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture. Yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

King James Version
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Lexham English Bible
How the beasts groan; the herds of cattle wander around because there is no pasture for them; the flocks of sheep are in distress.

Young's Literal Translation
How have cattle sighed! Perplexed have been droves of oxen, For there is no pasture for them, Also droves of sheep have been desolated.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O what a sighinge make the catell? the bullockes are very euel likynge, because they haue no pasture: and the shepe are fame?shed awaye.

New King James Version
How the animals groan!The herds of cattle are restless,Because they have no pasture;Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. [fn]

New American Standard Bible (1995)
How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle wander aimlessly Because there is no pasture for them; Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

Legacy Standard Bible
How the beasts groan!The herds of cattle wander aimlesslyBecause there is no pasture for them;Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ Set apart a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the elders, all those living in the land, into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to Jehovah. ¹⁵ Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is at hand. And it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. ¹⁶ Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? ¹⁷ The seed shrivels under their clods; the storage bins are laid waste, the granaries are broken down, for the grain has dried up. ¹⁸ How the beasts groan! The herds of livestock are vexed, for there is no pasture for them. Even the flocks of sheep are perishing. ¹⁹ O Jehovah, to You I will cry, for the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and has consumed all the trees of the field. ²⁰ The beasts of the field also long for You, for the rivers of water are dried up, and the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Joel 1:20, 1 Kings 18:5, Jeremiah 12:4, Jeremiah 14:5, Jeremiah 14:6, Hosea 4:3, Romans 8:22

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 11:15 - And I will 2 Samuel 21:10 - took sackcloth Job 6:5 - loweth Job 36:33 - the cattle Psalms 104:21 - seek Isaiah 19:7 - every Ezekiel 26:17 - How art Joel 2:22 - afraid Jonah 3:7 - herd Haggai 1:10 - General Romans 8:20 - the creature

Cross-References

Psalms 19:6
his going forth from the end of the heavens, and his orbit to their ends; and nothing is hidden from his heat.

Jeremiah 31:35
So says Jehovah, who gives the sun for a light by day, the laws of the moon, and the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar, Jehovah of Hosts is His name.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How do the beasts groan?.... For want of fodder, all green grass and herbs being eaten up by the locusts; or devoured, or trampled upon, and destroyed, by the Chaldeans; and also for want of water to quench their thirst:

the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; the larger cattle, as oxen; these were in the utmost perplexity, not knowing where to go for food or drink:

yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate; which have shepherds to lead and direct them to pastures, and can feed on commons, where the grass is short, which other cattle cannot; yet even these were in great distress, and wasted away, and were consumed for want of nourishment.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How do the beasts groan! - There is something very pitiable in the cry of the brute creation, even because they are innocent, yet bear man’s guilt. Their groaning seems to the prophet to be beyond expression. How vehemently do they “groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed,” as though, like man, they were endued with reason, to debate where to find their food. Yea, not these only, but the flocks of sheep, which might find pasture where the herds could not, these too shall bear the punishment of guilt. They suffered by the guilt of man; and yet so stupid was man, that he was not so sensible of his own win for which they suffered, as they of its effect. The beasts cried to God, but even their cries did not awaken His own people. The prophet cries for them;

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joel 1:18. How do the beasts groan! — I really think that the neighing of horses, or braying of asses, is wonderfully expressed by the sound of the original: מה נאנחה בהמה mah NEENCHAH behemah, how do the horses neigh! how do the asses bray! בהמה behemah is a collective name for all domestic cattle, and those used in husbandry.

Cattle are perplexed — They are looking everywhere, and wandering about to find some grass, and know not which way to run.