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Căci iată că în zilele acelea(A) şi în vremurile acelea, când voi aduce înapoi pe prinşii de război ai lui Iuda şi ai Ierusalimului, voi strânge(B) pe toate neamurile şi le voi pogorî în valea lui Iosafat(C). Acolo, Mă(D) voi judeca cu ele pentru poporul Meu, pentru Israel, moştenirea Mea, pe care l-au risipit printre neamuri, împărţind între ele ţara Mea. Au tras la sorţ(E) pentru poporul Meu; au dat un flăcău pe o curvă şi au vândut fata pe vin şi l-au băut. Ce vreţi voi cu Mine, Tirule(F) şi Sidonule, şi toate ţinuturile filistenilor? Vreţi să-Mi răsplătiţi(G) vreo faptă sau să faceţi ceva împotriva Mea? Iute, fără zăbavă, voi întoarce faptele voastre asupra capului vostru. Mi-aţi luat argintul şi aurul, şi cele mai bune odoare ale Mele şi le-aţi dus în templele voastre. Aţi vândut pe copiii lui Iuda şi ai Ierusalimului copiilor grecilor, ca să-i depărtaţi din ţara lor. Iată că îi scol(H) în locul în care i-aţi vândut şi voi întoarce fapta voastră asupra capului vostru. Voi vinde copiilor lui Iuda pe fiii şi fiicele voastre, şi ei îi vor vinde sabeenilor(I), un neam depărtat(J), căci Domnul a vorbit. Vestiţi(K) aceste lucruri printre neamuri: pregătiţi războiul! Treziţi pe viteji! Să se apropie şi să se suie toţi oamenii de război! 10 Fiarele(L) plugurilor voastre prefaceţi-le în săbii şi cosoarele, în suliţe! Cel slab(M) să zică: ‘Sunt tare!’ 11 Grăbiţi-vă(N) şi veniţi, toate neamurile de primprejur, şi strângeţi-vă! Acolo pogoară, Doamne, pe vitejii Tăi(O)! 12 Să se scoale neamurile şi să se suie(P) în valea lui Iosafat! Căci acolo voi şedea să judec(Q) toate neamurile de primprejur. 13 Puneţi(R) mâna pe secere, căci secerişul(S) este copt! Veniţi şi călcaţi cu picioarele, căci linurile(T) sunt pline şi tocitorile dau peste ele! Căci mare este răutatea lor! 14 Vin grămezi-grămezi în valea judecăţii(U), căci ziua Domnului(V) este aproape, în valea judecăţii. 15 Soarele(W) şi luna se întunecă şi stelele îşi pierd strălucirea. 16 Domnul răcneşte(X) din Sion, glasul Lui răsună din Ierusalim de se zguduie cerurile(Y) şi pământul. Dar(Z) Domnul este scăparea poporului Său şi ocrotirea copiilor lui Israel. 17 Şi veţi şti(AA) că Eu sunt Domnul, Dumnezeul vostru, care locuieşte în Sion, muntele Meu cel sfânt(AB). Ierusalimul însă va fi sfânt şi nu vor mai trece străinii(AC) prin el. 18 În vremea aceea, va picura must(AD) din munţi şi va curge lapte din dealuri, toate pâraiele(AE) lui Iuda vor fi pline de apă. Un izvor(AF) va ieşi, de asemenea, din Casa Domnului şi va uda valea Sitim(AG). 19 Egiptul(AH) va ajunge pustiu, Edomul(AI) va ajunge o pustie stearpă din pricina silniciei făcute împotriva copiilor lui Iuda, al căror sânge nevinovat l-au vărsat în ţara lor. 20 Dar Iuda va fi veşnic(AJ) locuit şi Ierusalimul, din neam în neam. 21 Le voi răzbuna(AK) sângele pe care nu l-am răzbunat încă, dar Domnul(AL) va locui în Sion.”

God Judges the Nations

“For behold, (A)in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
(B)I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I (C)will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.
They have (D)cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

“Indeed, what have you to do with Me,
(E)O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?
Will you [a]retaliate against Me?
But if you [b]retaliate against Me,
Swiftly and speedily I will return your [c]retaliation upon your own head;
Because you have taken My silver and My gold,
And have carried into your temples My [d]prized possessions.
Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem
You have sold to the Greeks,
That you may remove them far from their borders.

“Behold, (F)I will raise them
Out of the place to which you have sold them,
And will return your [e]retaliation upon your own head.
I will sell your sons and your daughters
Into the hand of the people of Judah,
And they will sell them to the (G)Sabeans,[f]
To a people (H)far off;
For the Lord has spoken.”

(I)Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for war!
Wake up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
10 (J)Beat your plowshares into swords
And your [g]pruning hooks into spears;
(K)Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
11 Assemble and come, all you nations,
And gather together all around.
Cause (L)Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.

12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there I will sit to (M)judge all the surrounding nations.
13 (N)Put in the sickle, for (O)the harvest is ripe.
Come, go down;
For the (P)winepress is full,
The vats overflow—
For their wickedness is great.”

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For (Q)the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
And the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion,
And utter His voice from Jerusalem;
The heavens and earth will shake;
(R)But the Lord will be a shelter for His people,
And the strength of the children of Israel.

17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling in Zion My (S)holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem shall be holy,
And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

God Blesses His People

18 And it will come to pass in that day
That the mountains shall drip with new wine,
The hills shall flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water;
A (T)fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord
And water the Valley of [h]Acacias.

19 “Egypt shall be a desolation,
And Edom a desolate wilderness,
Because of violence against the people of Judah,
For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall abide forever,
And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will (U)acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted;
For the Lord dwells in Zion.”

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:4 Or render Me repayment
  2. Joel 3:4 Or repay Me
  3. Joel 3:4 Or repayment
  4. Joel 3:5 Lit. precious good things
  5. Joel 3:7 Or repayment
  6. Joel 3:8 Lit. Shebaites, Is. 60:6; Ezek. 27:22
  7. Joel 3:10 pruning knives
  8. Joel 3:18 Heb. Shittim

The Lord Judges the Nations

[a] “For behold, (A)in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, (B)I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And (C)I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and (D)have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

“What are you to me, (E)O Tyre and Sidon, and all (F)the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, (G)I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. For (H)you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.[b] You have sold (I)the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and (J)I will return your payment on your own head. I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the (K)Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken.”

Proclaim this among the nations:
(L)Consecrate for war;[c]
    stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near;
    let them come up.
10 (M)Beat your plowshares into swords,
    and (N)your pruning hooks into spears;
    let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

11 (O)Hasten and come,
    all you surrounding nations,
    and gather yourselves there.
(P)Bring down your warriors, O Lord.
12 Let the nations stir themselves up
    and come up to (Q)the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
(R)for there I will sit to judge
    all the surrounding nations.

13 (S)Put in the sickle,
    (T)for the harvest is ripe.
(U)Go in, tread,
    (V)for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
    for their evil is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes,
    in the valley of decision!
For (W)the day of the Lord is near
    in the valley of decision.
15 (X)The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.

16 (Y)The Lord roars from Zion,
    and (Z)utters his voice from Jerusalem,
    (AA)and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is (AB)a refuge to his people,
    a stronghold to the people of Israel.

The Glorious Future of Judah

17 (AC)“So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
    (AD)who dwells in Zion, (AE)my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
    and (AF)strangers shall never again pass through it.

18 “And in that day
(AG)the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
    and the hills shall flow with milk,
and (AH)all the streambeds of Judah
    shall flow with water;
(AI)and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
    and water the Valley of (AJ)Shittim.

19 (AK)“Egypt shall become a desolation
    and (AL)Edom a desolate wilderness,
(AM)for the violence done to the people of Judah,
    because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 (AN)But Judah shall be inhabited forever,
    and Jerusalem to all generations.
21 (AO)I will avenge their blood,
    blood I have not avenged,[d]
    (AP)for the Lord dwells in Zion.”

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:1 Ch 4:1 in Hebrew
  2. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
  3. Joel 3:9 Or Consecrate a war
  4. Joel 3:21 Or I will acquit their bloodguilt that I have not acquitted

The Nations Judged

[a]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes(A) of Judah(B) and Jerusalem,
I will gather(C) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b](D)
There I will put them on trial(E)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(F) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.
They cast lots(G) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine(H) to drink.

“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(I) and all you regions of Philistia?(J) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(K) For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[c](L) You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(M) that you might send them far from their homeland.

“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,(N) and I will return(O) on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons(P) and daughters to the people of Judah,(Q) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(R) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.(S)

Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!(T)
Rouse the warriors!(U)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks(V) into spears.(W)
Let the weakling(X) say,
    “I am strong!”(Y)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble(Z) there.

Bring down your warriors,(AA) Lord!

12 “Let the nations be roused;
    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(AB)
for there I will sit
    to judge(AC) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(AD)
    for the harvest(AE) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(AF)
    for the winepress(AG) is full
    and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

14 Multitudes,(AH) multitudes
    in the valley(AI) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(AJ) is near
    in the valley of decision.(AK)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.(AL)
16 The Lord will roar(AM) from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem;(AN)
    the earth and the heavens will tremble.(AO)
But the Lord will be a refuge(AP) for his people,
    a stronghold(AQ) for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

17 “Then you will know(AR) that I, the Lord your God,(AS)
    dwell in Zion,(AT) my holy hill.(AU)
Jerusalem will be holy;(AV)
    never again will foreigners invade her.(AW)

18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(AX)
    and the hills will flow with milk;(AY)
    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(AZ)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house(BA)
    and will water the valley of acacias.[d](BB)
19 But Egypt(BC) will be desolate,
    Edom(BD) a desert waste,
because of violence(BE) done to the people of Judah,
    in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(BF)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(BG)
    No, I will not.(BH)

The Lord dwells in Zion!(BI)

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
  2. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
  3. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
  4. Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim