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14 Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision.
    There the day of the Lord will soon arrive.

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14 Multitudes,(A) multitudes
    in the valley(B) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(C) is near
    in the valley of decision.(D)

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Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.

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Watch out for those dogs,(A) those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.

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For the Lord is enraged against the nations.
    His fury is against all their armies.
He will completely destroy[a] them,
    dooming them to slaughter.
Their dead will be left unburied,
    and the stench of rotting bodies will fill the land.
    The mountains will flow with their blood.
The heavens above will melt away
    and disappear like a rolled-up scroll.
The stars will fall from the sky
    like withered leaves from a grapevine,
    or shriveled figs from a fig tree.

And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens,
    it will fall upon Edom,
    the nation I have marked for destruction.
The sword of the Lord is drenched with blood
    and covered with fat—
with the blood of lambs and goats,
    with the fat of rams prepared for sacrifice.
Yes, the Lord will offer a sacrifice in the city of Bozrah.
    He will make a mighty slaughter in Edom.
Even men as strong as wild oxen will die—
    the young men alongside the veterans.
The land will be soaked with blood
    and the soil enriched with fat.

For it is the day of the Lord’s revenge,
    the year when Edom will be paid back for all it did to Israel.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 34:2 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in 34:5.
  2. 34:8 Hebrew to Zion.

The Lord is angry with all nations;
    his wrath(A) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[a](B) them,
    he will give them over to slaughter.(C)
Their slain(D) will be thrown out,
    their dead bodies(E) will stink;(F)
    the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(G)
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(H)
    and the heavens rolled up(I) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(J)
    like withered(K) leaves from the vine,
    like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

My sword(L) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(M)
    the people I have totally destroyed.(N)
The sword(O) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
    it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
    fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(P) in Bozrah(Q)
    and a great slaughter(R) in the land of Edom.
And the wild oxen(S) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.(T)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(U)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

For the Lord has a day(V) of vengeance,(W)
    a year of retribution,(X) to uphold Zion’s cause.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

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19 Then I saw the beast(A) and the kings of the earth(B) and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse(C) and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet(D) who had performed the signs(E) on its behalf.(F) With these signs he had deluded(G) those who had received the mark of the beast(H) and worshiped its image.(I) The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake(J) of burning sulfur.(K) 21 The rest were killed with the sword(L) coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse,(M) and all the birds(N) gorged themselves on their flesh.

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14 They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.

15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

16 And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 16:16 Or Harmagedon.

14 They are demonic spirits(A) that perform signs,(B) and they go out to the kings of the whole world,(C) to gather them for the battle(D) on the great day(E) of God Almighty.

15 “Look, I come like a thief!(F) Blessed is the one who stays awake(G) and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”(H)

16 Then they gathered the kings together(I) to the place that in Hebrew(J) is called Armageddon.(K)

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And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

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By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,(A) being kept for the day of judgment(B) and destruction of the ungodly.

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I will gather the armies of the world
    into the valley of Jehoshaphat.[a]
There I will judge them
    for harming my people, my special possession,
for scattering my people among the nations,
    and for dividing up my land.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:2 Jehoshaphat means “the Lord judges.”

I will gather(A) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[a](B)
There I will put them on trial(C)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(D) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.

Locusts Invade like an Army

Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem[a]!
    Raise the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let everyone tremble in fear
    because the day of the Lord is upon us.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Hebrew Zion; also in 2:15, 23.

An Army of Locusts

Blow the trumpet(A) in Zion;(B)
    sound the alarm on my holy hill.(C)

Let all who live in the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord(D) is coming.
It is close at hand(E)

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15 The day of the Lord is near,
    the day when destruction comes from the Almighty.
    How terrible that day will be!

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15 Alas for that(A) day!
    For the day of the Lord(B) is near;
    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[a](C)

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 1:15 Hebrew Shaddai

That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it.

“Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! 10 They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them, and they will rob those who planned to rob them, says the Sovereign Lord.

11 “And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea.[a] It will block the way of those who travel there, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. 12 It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. 13 Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign Lord.

14 “After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again. 15 Whenever bones are found, a marker will be set up so the burial crews will take them to be buried in the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. 16 (There will be a town there named Hamonah, which means ‘horde.’) And so the land will finally be cleansed.

17 “And now, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call all the birds and wild animals. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat flesh and drink blood! 18 Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all fattened animals from Bashan! 19 Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted; drink blood until you are drunk. This is the sacrificial feast I have prepared for you. 20 Feast at my banquet table—feast on horses and charioteers, on mighty men and all kinds of valiant warriors, says the Sovereign Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. 39:11 Hebrew the sea.

It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day(A) I have spoken of.

“‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows,(B) the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.(C) 10 They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder(D) those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.(E)

11 “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried(F) there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.[a](G)

12 “‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.(H) 13 All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory(I) will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. 14 People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground.

“‘After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search. 15 As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will leave a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog, 16 near a town called Hamonah.[b] And so they will cleanse the land.’

17 “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird(J) and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.(K) 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan.(L) 19 At the sacrifice(M) I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. 20 At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.(N)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 39:11 Hamon Gog means hordes of Gog.
  2. Ezekiel 39:16 Hamonah means horde.

A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

10 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. 11 You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! 12 I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!’ 13 But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself.[a] 15 You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, 16 and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

17 “This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? 18 But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! 19 In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. 20 All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. 21 I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord. Your men will turn their swords against each other. 22 I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! 23 In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. 38:14 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads then you will know.

After many days(A) you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations(B) to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.(C) You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm;(D) you will be like a cloud(E) covering the land.(F)

10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind(G) and you will devise an evil scheme.(H) 11 You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people(I)—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.(J) 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.[a] 13 Sheba(K) and Dedan(L) and the merchants of Tarshish(M) and all her villages[b] will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?(N)”’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,(O) will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north,(P) you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.(Q) 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud(R) that covers the land.(S) In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy(T) through you before their eyes.(U)

17 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. 18 This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake(V) in the land of Israel.(W) 20 The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble(X) at my presence. The mountains will be overturned,(Y) the cliffs will crumble(Z) and every wall will fall to the ground.(AA) 21 I will summon a sword(AB) against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.(AC) 22 I will execute judgment(AD) on him with plague and bloodshed;(AE) I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones(AF) and burning sulfur(AG) on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.(AH) 23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(AI)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 38:12 The Hebrew for this phrase means the navel of the earth.
  2. Ezekiel 38:13 Or her strong lions

Judgment against the Lord’s Enemies

63 Who is this who comes from Edom,
    from the city of Bozrah,
    with his clothing stained red?
Who is this in royal robes,
    marching in his great strength?

“It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation!
    It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!”

Why are your clothes so red,
    as if you have been treading out grapes?

“I have been treading the winepress alone;
    no one was there to help me.
In my anger I have trampled my enemies
    as if they were grapes.
In my fury I have trampled my foes.
    Their blood has stained my clothes.
For the time has come for me to avenge my people,
    to ransom them from their oppressors.
I was amazed to see that no one intervened
    to help the oppressed.
So I myself stepped in to save them with my strong arm,
    and my wrath sustained me.
I crushed the nations in my anger
    and made them stagger and fall to the ground,
    spilling their blood upon the earth.”

Praise for Deliverance

I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love.
    I will praise the Lord for all he has done.
I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel,
    which he has granted according to his mercy and love.

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God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(A)
    from Bozrah,(B) with his garments stained crimson?(C)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(D)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(E)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(F)

“I have trodden the winepress(G) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(H) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(I)
their blood spattered my garments,(J)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(K)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(L) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(M) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(N)
I trampled(O) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(P)
    and poured their blood(Q) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(R) of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(S)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(T) and many kindnesses.

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13 But the Lord just laughs,
    for he sees their day of judgment coming.

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13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.(A)

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