After di Locusts

First you go hear am: one low sound wey dey crack, like rain for roof, and e dey louder. Then di sky go dark for afternoon. And then dem land. Millions of dem. For di wheat, di vines, di fig trees. When dem rise again, nothing green remain.

Di book of Joel short, na only three or four chapters. Im prophet na Joel, son of Pethuel, and e talk to di people of Judah and Jerusalem. E no tell us which king dey rule, so nobody know exactly when e live. But we know wetin happen. For land where almost everybody dey farm, locusts come like plague. No be once, but one wave after another. Joel start by talking to di oldest people for di land. Listen, una elders. Anything like dis don ever happen for una time, or for di time of una papa and mama? Tell una children about am, and make dem tell their own children.

Joel describe am like say enemy army don invade. Wetin di locust wey dey cut leave, di locust wey dey swarm chop am. Wetin di locust wey dey swarm leave, di locust wey dey jump chop am. Wetin dem leave, di locust wey dey destroy chop am. Di vines don naked. Dem don chop di bark of di fig trees comot, so dem branches stand white and bare. Di wheat and di barley don finish. Even di animals dey groan, dey waka up and down to find grass. And grain and wine no even remain to bring as offering for di temple. Joel tell everybody make dem wake up, and mourn. Priests, wear sackcloth. Call fast. Gather di elders and all di people to di house of Di Lord, and cry to am.

Then Joel sound di alarm. Blow trumpet for Zion. E see di locusts like army wey dey march come di city, di day of Di Lord, day of darkness and heaviness. For dem front, di land be like di garden of Eden. For dem back, na desert. Dem be like small horses and dem sound like chariots for di mountains, like fire wey dey crack inside dry grass. Dem dey run like soldiers, dem dey climb walls, dem dey pour enter houses and dem dey enter through di windows like thief. And then, for di middle of di fear, God talk. Even now, turn come back to me with all una heart, with fasting, with crying, and with mourning; tear una heart, no be una cloth. To tear cloth na how people dey show sorrow. But God want pass show. Tear una heart open, e talk, and come back to me. Because e get grace and e get mercy, e no dey quick vex, and im love wey no dey fail plenty well well.

So Joel call everybody together. Gather di people. Bring di old people, bring di children, even di babies. Make di bride and di groom leave dem wedding. Make di priests cry between di temple porch and di altar, and pray, Lord, spare your people. And Di Lord answer. E get jealousy for im land, and e get pity for im people. I dey send una grain and wine and olive oil, e talk, wey go satisfy una. No fear, O land. Rejoice, children of Zion, because God dey give una di early rain and di latter rain. Di threshing floors go full with wheat, and di vats go overflow. And then di promise: I go pay una back di years wey di locust don chop. Una go eat until una satisfy, and una go praise di name of Di Lord, wey don do wonders for una. And una go know say I dey among una.

Locust plague like di one wey Joel describe still happen for di same land for modern time. For nineteen fifteen, one big swarm of locusts invade Palestine, including Jerusalem. One writer wey live through am, John Whiting, write about am for National Geographic magazine for dat year, with photos: di swarms wey dey make di sky dark, di trees wey don naked, di young locusts wey dey march cross walls and enter houses, just as Joel talk.

You go find dis story for Joel chapter one, verse one, reach chapter two, verse twenty-seven. Land wey dem chop finish, people wey turn back to God, and promise to pay back di years wey dem lose. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How e go be for you to turn back to God with all your heart, no be only for outside?