Joel 3 (New American Standard Bible)

Joel 3

The Nations Will Be Judged

    ¹"For behold, ^(A)in those days and at that time,
         When I ^(B)restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
    ²I will ^(C)gather all the nations
         And bring them down to the ^(D)valley of Jehoshaphat
         Then I will ^(E)enter into judgment with them there
         On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
         Whom they have ^(F)scattered among the nations;
         And they have ^(G)divided up My land.
    ³"They have also ^(H)cast lots for My people,
         ^(I)Traded a boy for a harlot
         And sold a girl for wine that they may drink.

 ⁴"Moreover, what are you to Me, O ^(J)Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of ^(K)Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will ^(L)return your recompense on your head.

 ⁵"Since you have ^(M)taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples,

 ⁶and sold the ^(N)sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory,

 ⁷behold, I am going to ^(O)arouse them from the place where you have sold them, and return your recompense on your head.

 ⁸"Also I will ^(P)sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the ^(Q)Sabeans, to a distant nation," for the LORD has spoken.
    ^9(R)Proclaim this among the nations:
         ^(S)Prepare a war; ^(T)rouse the mighty men!
         Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!
    ^10(U)Beat your plowshares into swords
         And your pruning hooks into spears;
         ^(V)Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man."
    ^11(W)Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
         And gather yourselves there
         Bring down, O LORD, Your ^(X)mighty ones.
    ¹²Let the nations be aroused
         And come up to the ^(Y)valley of Jehoshaphat,
         For there I will sit to ^(Z)judge
         All the surrounding nations.
    ^13(AA)Put in the sickle, for the ^(AB)harvest is ripe
         Come, ^(AC)tread, for the ^(AD)wine press is full;
         The vats overflow, for their ^(AE)wickedness is great.
    ^14(AF)Multitudes, multitudes in the ^(AG)valley of decision!
         For the ^(AH)day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
    ¹⁵The ^(AI)sun and moon grow dark
         And the stars lose their brightness.
    ¹⁶The LORD ^(AJ)roars from Zion
         And ^(AK)utters His voice from Jerusalem,
         And the ^(AL)heavens and the earth tremble
         But the LORD is a ^(AM)refuge for His people
         And a ^(AN)stronghold to the sons of Israel.
    ¹⁷Then you will ^(AO)know that I am the LORD your God,
         Dwelling in Zion, My ^(AP)holy mountain
         So Jerusalem will be ^(AQ)holy,
         And ^(AR)strangers will pass through it no more.

Judah Will Be Blessed

    ¹⁸And in that day
         The ^(AS)mountains will drip with sweet wine,
         And the hills will ^(AT)flow with milk,
         And all the ^(AU)brooks of Judah will flow with water;
         And a ^(AV)spring will go out from the house of the LORD
         To water the valley of Shittim.
    ¹⁹Egypt will become a waste,
         And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
         Because of the ^(AW)violence done to the sons of Judah,
         In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
    ²⁰But Judah will be ^(AX)inhabited forever
         And Jerusalem for all generations.
    ²¹And I will ^(AY)avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
         For the LORD dwells in Zion.