Joel 3
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Will Judge the Nations
3 “[a]For behold, (A)in those days and at that time,
When I (B)restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will (C)gather all the nations
And bring them down to the (D)valley of [b]Jehoshaphat.
Then I will (E)enter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have (F)scattered among the nations;
And they have (G)divided up My land.
3 They have also (H)cast lots for My people,
[c](I)Traded a boy for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, O (J)Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of (K)Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will (L)return your recompense on your head. 5 Since you have (M)taken My silver and My gold, brought My desirable [d]treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the (N)sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the [e]Greeks in order to remove them far from their borders, 7 behold, I am going to (O)rouse them from the place where you have sold them and return your recompense on your head. 8 Also I will (P)sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the (Q)Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for Yahweh has spoken.
9 (R)Call out this message among the nations:
(S)Set yourselves apart for a war; (T)rouse the mighty men!
Let all the men of war approach, let them come up!
10 (U)Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
(V)Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”
11 [f](W)Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves.
There, bring down, O Yahweh, Your (X)mighty ones.
12 Let the nations be roused up
And come up to the (Y)valley of [g]Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to (Z)judge
All the surrounding nations.
13 (AA)Send in the sickle, for the (AB)harvest is ripe.
Come, [h](AC)tread, for the (AD)wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their (AE)evil is great.
14 (AF)Multitudes, multitudes in the (AG)valley of [i]decision!
For the (AH)day of Yahweh is near in the valley of [j]decision.
15 The (AI)sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars lose their brightness.
16 And Yahweh (AJ)roars from Zion
And (AK)gives forth His voice from Jerusalem,
And the (AL)heavens and the earth quake.
But Yahweh is a (AM)refuge for His people
And a (AN)strong defense to the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will (AO)know that I am Yahweh your God,
Dwelling in Zion, My (AP)holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be (AQ)holy,
And (AR)strangers will pass through it no more.
Yahweh Dwells in Zion
18 And it will be in that day,
That the (AS)mountains will drip with [k]sweet wine,
And the hills will (AT)flow with milk,
And all the (AU)brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a (AV)spring will go out from the house of Yahweh
To water the valley of [l]Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a desolation,
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the (AW)violence [m]done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be (AX)inhabited forever
And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 And I will (AY)avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
Indeed, Yahweh dwells in Zion.
Footnotes
- Joel 3:1 Ch 4:1 in Heb
- Joel 3:2 Lit Yahweh judges
- Joel 3:3 Lit Given
- Joel 3:5 Lit good things
- Joel 3:6 Lit Javan
- Joel 3:11 Or Lend aid
- Joel 3:12 Lit Yahweh judges
- Joel 3:13 Or dominate
- Joel 3:14 God’s verdict
- Joel 3:14 God’s verdict
- Joel 3:18 Lit freshly pressed out grape juice
- Joel 3:18 Or acacias
- Joel 3:19 Lit of the sons
Joel 3
Christian Standard Bible
Judgment of the Nations
3 Yes, in those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,(A)
2 I will gather all the nations(B)
and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[a](C)
I will enter into judgment with them there(D)
because of my people, my inheritance Israel.
The nations have scattered the Israelites
in foreign countries(E)
and divided up my land.(F)
3 They cast lots for my people;(G)
they bartered a boy for a prostitute
and sold a girl for wine to drink.(H)
4 And also: Tyre,(I) Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia(J)—what are you to me? Are you paying me back or trying to get even with me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads.(K) 5 For you took my silver and gold and carried my finest treasures(L) to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks(M) to remove them far from their own territory. 7 Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them;(N) I will bring retribution on your heads. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah,(O) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,[b](P) to a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken.
9 Proclaim this among the nations:(Q)
Prepare for holy war;(R)
rouse the warriors;(S)
let all the men of war advance and attack!
10 Beat your plows into swords
and your pruning knives into spears.(T)
Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”
11 Come quickly,[c] all you surrounding nations;
gather yourselves.(U)
Bring down your warriors there, Lord.(V)
12 Let the nations be roused
and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit down
to judge all the surrounding nations.(W)
13 Swing the sickle
because the harvest is ripe.(X)
Come and trample the grapes
because the winepress is full;(Y)
the wine vats overflow
because the wickedness of the nations is extreme.(Z)
14 Multitudes, multitudes(AA)
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near(AB)
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will cease their shining.(AC)
16 The Lord will roar from Zion(AD)
and make his voice heard from Jerusalem;(AE)
heaven and earth will shake.(AF)
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,(AG)
a stronghold for the Israelites.(AH)
Israel Blessed
17 Then you will know
that I am the Lord your God,(AI)
who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.(AJ)
Jerusalem will be holy,(AK)
and foreigners will never overrun it again.(AL)
18 In that day
the mountains will drip with sweet wine,(AM)
and the hills will flow with milk.(AN)
All the streams of Judah will flow with water,(AO)
and a spring will issue from the Lord’s house,(AP)
watering the Valley of Acacias.[d](AQ)
19 Egypt will become desolate,
and Edom a desert wasteland,
because of the violence done to the people of Judah(AR)
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,(AS)
and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 I will pardon their bloodguilt,[e](AT)
which I have not pardoned,
for the Lord dwells in Zion.
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