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Say to the nations far and wide:
    “Get ready for war!
Call out your best warriors.
    Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.
10 Hammer your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks into spears.
    Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere.
    Gather together in the valley.”

And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!

12 “Let the nations be called to arms.
    Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I, the Lord, will sit
    to pronounce judgment on them all.
13 Swing the sickle,
    for the harvest is ripe.[a]
Come, tread the grapes,
    for the winepress is full.
The storage vats are overflowing
    with the wickedness of these people.”

14 Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision.
    There the day of the Lord will soon arrive.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
    and the stars will no longer shine.
16 The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem,
    and the heavens and the earth will shake.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
    a strong fortress for the people of Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:13 Greek version reads for the harvest time has come. Compare Mark 4:29.

The Lord’s Call to Judgment

“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[a] 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.”

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:11 Lit. mighty ones