Joel was written during the locust plague, a time of great distress for the people. The prophet sees in the devastation of the locusts an indication of the coming of the day of the Lord. Therefore all must repent with fasting and mourning. With repentance, however, there is a promise of relief and God’s blessing for Israel.

Joel 3

3:19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.