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.”

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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 Lord Will Rescue His People

[a]“In those days and at that time,
I will bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem.
I will gather all the nations.
I will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.[b]
I will judge them there.
They scattered the Israelites, the people who belong to me,
among the nations.
They divided my land.
They threw dice for my people.
They traded boys for prostitutes.
They sold girls so that they could buy wine to drink.

“Now what do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon
and all the regions of Philistia?
Are you paying me back for something I have done?
If you are paying me back,
I will quickly pay you back for what you have done.
You took my silver and my gold.
You brought my finest treasures to your temples.
You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks.
That way you could send them far away from their land.
I am going to make them leave the place where you sold them.
I will pay you back for what you have done.
I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah.
They will sell them to the people of Sheba,
a nation that is far away.”
The Lord has spoken.

Announce this among the nations:
Prepare yourselves for war.
Wake up the warriors.
Have all the warriors come near and attack.
10 Hammer your plowblades into swords
and your pruning shears into spears.
Weaklings should say that they are warriors.

11 Hurry from every direction, and gather there, all you nations.
O Lord, bring your soldiers.
12 Wake up, you nations.
Come to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

13 Cut them down like grain.
The harvest is ripe.
Stomp on them as you would stomp on grapes.
The winepress is full.
The vats overflow.
The nations are very wicked.
14 There are many, many people in the valley of decision.
The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon will turn dark.
The stars will no longer shine.
16 The Lord will roar from Zion,
and his voice will thunder from Jerusalem.
The sky and the earth will shake.
The Lord will be a refuge for his people.
He will be a stronghold for the people of Israel.

17 “You will know that I am the Lord your God.
I live on my holy mountain, Zion.
Jerusalem will be holy.
Foreigners will never invade it again.
18 On that day new wine will cover the mountains.
Milk will flow on the hills.
Water will flow in all the brooks of Judah.
A spring will flow from the Lord’s temple.
It will water the valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a wasteland.
Edom will become a barren desert.
This is because the nations were cruel to Judah.
They murdered innocent people in their land.
20 People will always live in Judah.
People will live in Jerusalem from now on.
21 I will punish those who murder.”
The Lord lives in Zion!

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Footnotes

  1. 3:1 Joel 3:1–21 in English Bibles is Joel 4:1–21 in the Hebrew Bible.
  2. 3:2 Or “the valley where the LORD judges.”

Ибо вот, в те дни и в то самое время, когда Я возвращу плен Иуды и Иерусалима,

Я соберу все народы, и приведу их в долину Иосафата, и там произведу над ними суд за народ Мой и за наследие Мое, Израиля, который они рассеяли между народами, и землю Мою разделили.

И о народе Моем они бросали жребий, и отдавали отрока за блудницу, и продавали отроковицу за вино, и пили.

И что вы Мне, Тир и Сидон и все округи Филистимские? Хотите ли воздать Мне возмездие? хотите ли воздать Мне? Легко и скоро Я обращу возмездие ваше на головы ваши,

потому что вы взяли серебро Мое и золото Мое, и наилучшие драгоценности Мои внесли в капища ваши,

и сынов Иуды и сынов Иерусалима продавали сынам Еллинов, чтобы удалить их от пределов их.

Вот, Я подниму их из того места, куда вы продали их, и обращу мзду вашу на голову вашу.

И предам сыновей ваших и дочерей ваших в руки сынов Иуды, и они продадут их Савеям, народу отдаленному; так Господь сказал.

Провозгласите об этом между народами, приготовьтесь к войне, возбудите храбрых; пусть выступят, поднимутся все ратоборцы.

10 Перекуйте орала ваши на мечи и серпы ваши на копья; слабый пусть говорит: 'я силен'.

11 Спешите и сходитесь, все народы окрестные, и соберитесь; туда, Господи, веди Твоих героев.

12 Пусть воспрянут народы и низойдут в долину Иосафата; ибо там Я воссяду, чтобы судить все народы отовсюду.

13 Пустите в дело серпы, ибо жатва созрела; идите, спуститесь, ибо точило полно и подточилия переливаются, потому что злоба их велика.

14 Толпы, толпы в долине суда! ибо близок день Господень к долине суда!

15 Солнце и луна померкнут и звезды потеряют блеск свой.

16 И возгремит Господь с Сиона, и даст глас Свой из Иерусалима; содрогнутся небо и земля; но Господь будет защитою для народа Своего и обороною для сынов Израилевых.

17 Тогда узнаете, что Я Господь Бог ваш, обитающий на Сионе, на святой горе Моей; и будет Иерусалим святынею, и не будут уже иноплеменники проходить через него.

18 И будет в тот день: горы будут капать вином и холмы потекут молоком, и все русла Иудейские наполнятся водою, а из дома Господня выйдет источник, и будет напоять долину Ситтим.

19 Египет сделается пустынею и Едом будет пустою степью--за то, что они притесняли сынов Иудиных и проливали невинную кровь в земле их.

20 А Иуда будет жить вечно и Иерусалим--в роды родов.

21 Я смою кровь их, которую не смыл еще, и Господь будет обитать на Сионе.

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14 (A)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 (B)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 (C)Live in harmony with one another. (D)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.[a] (E)Never be wise in your own sight. 17 (F)Repay no one evil for evil, but (G)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, (H)live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, (I)never avenge yourselves, but leave it[b] to the wrath of God, for it is written, (J)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, (K)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person (L)be subject to the governing authorities. For (M)there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you (N)will receive his approval, for (O)he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, (P)an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also (Q)for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. (R)Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

(S)Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for (T)the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, (U)“You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: (V)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore (W)love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you (X)to wake from sleep. (Y)For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 (Z)The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us (AA)cast off (AB)the works of darkness and (AC)put on the armor of light. 13 (AD)Let us walk properly as in the daytime, (AE)not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, (AF)not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But (AG)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, (AH)to gratify its desires.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 12:16 Or give yourselves to humble tasks
  2. Romans 12:19 Greek give place

14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless them, and don’t curse them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy. Be sad with those who are sad. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be arrogant, but be friendly to humble people. Don’t think that you are smarter than you really are.

17 Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you. Focus your thoughts on those things that are considered noble. 18 As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone. 19 Don’t take revenge, dear friends. Instead, let God’s anger take care of it. After all, Scripture says, “I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord.” 20 But,

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
If you do this, you will make him feel guilty and ashamed.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.

Obey the Government

13 Every person should obey the government in power. No government would exist if it hadn’t been established by God. The governments which exist have been put in place by God. Therefore, whoever resists the government opposes what God has established. Those who resist will bring punishment on themselves.

People who do what is right don’t have to be afraid of the government. But people who do what is wrong should be afraid of it. Would you like to live without being afraid of the government? Do what is right, and it will praise you. The government is God’s servant working for your good.

But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid. The government has the right to carry out the death sentence. It is God’s servant, an avenger to execute God’s anger on anyone who does what is wrong. Therefore, it is necessary for you to obey, not only because you’re afraid of God’s anger but also because of your own conscience.

That is also why you pay your taxes. People in the government are God’s servants while they do the work he has given them. Pay everyone whatever you owe them. If you owe taxes, pay them. If you owe tolls, pay them. If you owe someone respect, respect that person. If you owe someone honor, honor that person.

Love One Another

Pay your debts as they come due. However, one debt you can never finish paying is the debt of love that you owe each other. The one who loves another person has fulfilled Moses’ Teachings. The commandments, “Never commit adultery; never murder; never steal; never have wrong desires,” and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 10 Love never does anything that is harmful to a neighbor. Therefore, love fulfills Moses’ Teachings.

11 You know the times ⌞in which we are living⌟. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. 13 We should live decently, as people who live in the light of day. Wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy cannot be part of our lives. 14 Instead, live like the Lord Jesus Christ did, and forget about satisfying the desires of your corrupt nature.

14 Благословляйте гонителей ваших; благословляйте, а не проклинайте.

15 Радуйтесь с радующимися и плачьте с плачущими.

16 Будьте единомысленны между собою; не высокомудрствуйте, но последуйте смиренным; не мечтайте о себе;

17 никому не воздавайте злом за зло, но пекитесь о добром перед всеми человеками.

18 Если возможно с вашей стороны, будьте в мире со всеми людьми.

19 Не мстите за себя, возлюбленные, но дайте место гневу [Божию]. Ибо написано: Мне отмщение, Я воздам, говорит Господь.

20 Итак, если враг твой голоден, накорми его; если жаждет, напой его: ибо, делая сие, ты соберешь ему на голову горящие уголья.

21 Не будь побежден злом, но побеждай зло добром.

13 Всякая душа да будет покорна высшим властям, ибо нет власти не от Бога; существующие же власти от Бога установлены.

Посему противящийся власти противится Божию установлению. А противящиеся сами навлекут на себя осуждение.

Ибо начальствующие страшны не для добрых дел, но для злых. Хочешь ли не бояться власти? Делай добро, и получишь похвалу от нее,

ибо [начальник] есть Божий слуга, тебе на добро. Если же делаешь зло, бойся, ибо он не напрасно носит меч: он Божий слуга, отмститель в наказание делающему злое.

И потому надобно повиноваться не только из [страха] наказания, но и по совести.

Для сего вы и подати платите, ибо они Божии служители, сим самым постоянно занятые.

Итак отдавайте всякому должное: кому подать, подать; кому оброк, оброк; кому страх, страх; кому честь, честь.

Не оставайтесь должными никому ничем, кроме взаимной любви; ибо любящий другого исполнил закон.

Ибо заповеди: не прелюбодействуй, не убивай, не кради, не лжесвидетельствуй, не пожелай [чужого] и все другие заключаются в сем слове: люби ближнего твоего, как самого себя.

10 Любовь не делает ближнему зла; итак любовь есть исполнение закона.

11 Так [поступайте], зная время, что наступил уже час пробудиться нам от сна. Ибо ныне ближе к нам спасение, нежели когда мы уверовали.

12 Ночь прошла, а день приблизился: итак отвергнем дела тьмы и облечемся в оружия света.

13 Как днем, будем вести себя благочинно, не [предаваясь] ни пированиям и пьянству, ни сладострастию и распутству, ни ссорам и зависти;

14 но облекитесь в Господа нашего Иисуса Христа, и попечения о плоти не превращайте в похоти.