What's JOEL about?

Summary

Joel, one of the twelve short prophetic books, was likely written after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon, but how long after is not clear. The book begins by describing a plague of locusts and goes on to say that the plague has been sent by God in response to the people's abandonment of God's call to justice and inclusion of all. The book promises that when the people return to that priority, God will remove the plague and fertility will return to the land.

This is a theme similar to that of the longer prophets who interpreted the enslavement of the people in Babylon in the same way.