Joel 3
English Standard Version
The Lord Judges the Nations
3 [a] “For behold, (A)in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 (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, 3 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.
4 “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. 5 For (H)you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.[b] 6 You have sold (I)the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 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. 8 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.”
9 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.”
Joel 3
International Standard Version
The Coming Judgment of Nations
3 [a]“Look, now! In those very days and at that time,
when I restore prosperity to[b] Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations,
bringing them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
I will set out my case against[c] them there,
on behalf of my people, my heritage Israel,
whom they scattered among the nations,
apportioning my land among themselves.[d]
3 They cast lots for my people—
they sold a young boy in exchange for a prostitute,
and a girl for wine,
so they could drink.”
The Lord’s Judgment upon Philistia
4 “Furthermore, what have you to do with me,
Tyre, Sidon, and all the sea coasts of Philistia?
Are you taking revenge on me?
If you are taking revenge on me,
I’ll send it back on you[e] swiftly and promptly,
5 since you took my silver and gold,
carried my precious treasures into your temples,
6 and sold Judah’s and Jerusalem’s descendants to the Greeks,[f]
so you can remove them far from their homeland!
7 “Look, I will bring them up from where you sold them,
I will turn your revenge back upon you,[g]
8 and I will sell your sons and daughters into the control of the people of Judah.
And they will sell them to the people of Sheba, a country far away.”
Indeed, the Lord has spoken.”
The Lord’s Call to Judgment
9 “Declare this among the nations:
‘Prepare for war!
Wake up your elite forces!
Let all the soldiers draw near!
Call them up!
10 Beat your plow blades into swords,
and your pruning knives into spears!
Let the frail say, “I am strong!”
11 Hurry and come, all you gentiles!
Gather yourselves together!’”
“Lord, cause your mighty army[h] to come down.
12 “Let the nations be awakened
and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
because I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle,
because the harvest is ripe.
Come and go down,
because the winepress is full.
The wine vats are overflowing,
because their evil is great!
14 “Multitudes, multitudes
in the Valley of Judgment!
For the Day of the Lord is near
in the Valley of Judgment!
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will stop shining.
16 “The Lord will roar from Zion,
and shout from Jerusalem.
The heavens and the earth will shake,
but the Lord will be the refuge of his people,
and the strength of the people of Israel.”
God’s Blessings on His People
17 “And truly you will know that I am the Lord your God,
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem will be holy,
and no foreigners will invade her again.
18 It will come about at that time
that the mountains will drip with newly pressed wine,
the hills will flow with milk,
and the streams of Judah will flow abundantly.
A fountain will spring from the Temple of the Lord,
to water the Valley of the Acacias.
19 Egypt will be desolate,
and Edom will be a desert,
because of violence against the people of Judah
since they shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah will live forever,
and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 I will acquit their bloodguilt that has not yet been acquitted.
For the Lord lives in Zion!”
Footnotes
- Joel 3:1 This verse is 4:1 in MT, and so through the end of the chapter.
- Joel 3:1 Or bring back the captivity of
- Joel 3:2 Or will judge
- Joel 3:2 The Heb. lacks among themselves
- Joel 3:4 Lit. your head
- Joel 3:6 Lit. Jevanites; i.e. descendants of Javan
- Joel 3:7 Lit. turn back your reward
- Joel 3:11 Lit. mighty ones
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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