11 Farmers, be sad. Cry, you who grow vines. Sob because the wheat and barley are gone. The crops in the fields are destroyed.
12 The vines and fig trees are dried up. The pomegranate, palm and apple trees don't have any fruit on them. In fact, all of the trees in the fields are dried up. And my people's joy has faded away.
13 Priests, put on black clothes and sob. Cry, you who serve at the altar. Come, you who serve my God in the temple. Spend the night dressed in black clothes. Sob because no one brings grain offerings and drink offerings to the house of your God anymore.
14 Announce a holy fast. Tell the people not to eat anything. Gather them together for a special service. Send for all of the elders who live in the land. Have them come to the house of the Lord your God. And pray to him.
15 The day of the Lord is near. How sad it will be on that day! The Mighty One is coming to destroy you.
16 Our food has been taken away right in front of our eyes. There isn't any joy or gladness in the house of our God.
17 The seeds have dried up in the ground. The grain is also gone. The storerooms have been destroyed. The barns are broken down.