约珥书 3
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
審判萬國
3 “看哪！到了那些日子，在那個時期，
我使猶大和耶路撒冷被擄的人歸回，（本節在《馬索拉文本》為4:1）
2 我必招聚列國，
領他們下到約沙法谷，
為了我的子民，就是我的產業以色列，
我要在那裡親臨審判他們，
因為他們把我的子民分散在列國中，
又分取了我的地土。
3 他們為我的子民抽籤，
用男童交換妓女，
女童被賣換酒喝。
4 “推羅、西頓和非利士四境的人哪！你們想對我作甚麼呢？你們想向我報復嗎？你們若向我報復，我很快就使報應歸在你們的頭上。 5 你們拿去了我的金銀，又把我的珍寶帶進了你們的廟宇。 6 你們把猶大人和耶路撒冷人賣給希臘人，使他們遠離自己的境界。 7 看哪！我要激動他們離開被你們賣到的地方，我也要使報應歸到你們的頭上。 8 我必把你們的兒女賣在猶大人的手中，猶大人必把他們賣給遠方示巴國的人，因為這是耶和華說的。”
9 你們要在列國中宣告以下這話：
“你們要預備爭戰，
要激動勇士。
讓所有的戰士都近前來，讓他們都上去攻擊。
10 要把犁頭打成刀劍，
把鐮刀打成矛槍；
軟弱的要說：
‘我是勇士。’
11 四圍的列國啊！
你們快來幫助，
在那裡一同聚集。
耶和華啊！求你叫你的勇士下來吧。
在約沙法谷審判萬民
12 “萬國都當奮起，
上到約沙法谷去。
因為我必坐在那裡，
審判四圍的列國。
13 你們要伸出鐮刀，
因為莊稼已經熟了。
來踐踏吧，
因為壓酒池滿了，
酒池盈溢，
因為他們的罪惡極大。
14 無數的人群
齊集在判決谷，
因為耶和華的日子臨近了判決谷。
15 日月昏暗，
星星無光。
16 耶和華從錫安吼叫，
並從耶路撒冷發聲，
天地就震動。
耶和華卻要作他子民的避難所，
作以色列眾子的保障。
17 你們知道我是耶和華你們的 神，
是住在錫安我的聖山上。
那時，耶路撒冷必成為聖。
外族人必不得從其中經過。
18 到那日，
大山都必滴下甜酒，
小山都必流出奶，
猶大的一切溪流，
都必水流不息。
必有泉源從耶和華的殿裡流出來，
灌溉什亭谷。
19 埃及將會荒涼，
以東必變成淒涼的曠野，
都因為他們向猶大人所行的強暴，
又因為在他們的國中流了無辜人血。
猶大必永存
20 “但猶大必存到永遠，
耶路撒冷也必存到萬代。
21 現在我要追討我還未有追討的流人血的罪。
耶和華在錫安居住。”
Joel 3
Easy-to-Read Version
Judah’s Enemies Will Be Punished
3 “Yes, at that time I will bring back the people of Judah and Jerusalem from captivity. 2 I will also gather all the nations together. I will bring all these nations down into Jehoshaphat Valley.[a] There I will judge them. Those nations scattered my people, Israel. They forced them to live in other nations, so I will punish those nations. They divided up my land. 3 They threw lots for my people. They sold boys to buy a prostitute, and they sold girls to buy wine to drink.
4 “Tyre! Sidon! All of you areas of Philistia! You are not important to me![b] Are you punishing me for something I did? You might think that you are punishing me, but I will soon punish you. 5 You took my silver and gold. You took my precious treasures and put them in your temples.[c]
6 “You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks. That way you could take them far from their land. 7 You sent my people to that faraway place, but I will bring them back. And I will punish you for what you did. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah. Then they will sell them to the faraway Sabeans.[d]” This is what the Lord said.
Prepare for War
9 Announce this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Wake up the strong men!
Let all the men of war come near.
Let them come up!
10 Beat your plows into swords.
Make spears from your pruning hooks.[e]
Let the weak man say,
“I am a strong soldier.”
11 All you nations, hurry!
Come together in that place.
Lord, bring your strong soldiers.
12 Wake up, nations!
Come to Jehoshaphat Valley.
There I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
13 Bring the sickle,
because the harvest is ripe.[f]
Come, walk on the grapes,
because the winepress is full.
The barrels will be full and spilling over,
because their evil is great.
14 There are many, many people in the Valley of Decision.[g]
The Lord’s special day is near in the Valley of Decision.
15 The sun and the moon will become dark.
The stars will stop shining.
16 The Lord God will shout from Zion.
He will shout from Jerusalem,
and the sky and the earth will shake.
But the Lord God will be a safe place for his people.
He will be a place of safety for the people of Israel.
17 “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.
I live on Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will become holy.
Strangers will never pass through that city again.
A New Life for Judah Promised
18 “On that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine.
The hills will flow with milk,
and water will flow through all the empty rivers of Judah.
A fountain will come from the Lord’s Temple.
It will give water to Acacia Valley.
19 Egypt will be empty.
Edom will be an empty wilderness,
because they were cruel to the people of Judah.
They killed innocent people[h] in their country.
20 But there will always be people living in Judah.
People will live in Jerusalem through many generations.
21 Those people killed my people,
so I really will punish them!”
The Lord God will live in Zion!
Footnotes
- Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat Valley This name means “The Lord judges.”
- Joel 3:4 You are not important to me Literally, “What are you to me?”
- Joel 3:5 temples Here, the temples were used to worship idols.
- Joel 3:8 Sabeans A group of people from the Arabian Desert.
- Joel 3:10 pruning hooks These tools were used to prune (cut) branches of trees. Read Isa. 2:4.
- Joel 3:13 harvest is ripe This time of judgment is compared to harvest time.
- Joel 3:14 Valley of Decision This is like the name “Jehoshaphat Valley.”
- Joel 3:19 killed innocent people Literally, “shed innocent blood.”
Joel 3
King James Version
3 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;
5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.
7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
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.
20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International