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Judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat

Proclaim this among the nations:
Consecrate yourselves for war;
    stir up the warriors.
Let all the soldiers draw near;
    let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks into spears;
    let the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”(A)

11 Come quickly,[a]
    all you nations all around;
    gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O Lord.(B)
12 Let the nations rouse themselves
    and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit to judge
    all the neighboring nations.(C)

13 Put in the sickle,
    for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
    for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
    for their wickedness is great.(D)

14 Multitudes, multitudes,
    in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
    in the valley of decision.(E)
15 The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.

16 The Lord roars from Zion
    and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
    and the heavens and the earth shake.
But the Lord is a refuge for his people,
    a stronghold for the people of Israel.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.11 Meaning of Heb uncertain

Declaration of war

Announce this among the nations:
    Prepare a holy war,
        wake up the warriors;
    let all the soldiers draw near,
        let them come up!
10 Beat the iron tips of your plows into swords
            and your pruning tools into spears;
        let the weakling say, “I am mighty.”
11 Come quickly,
        all you surrounding nations;
    gather yourselves there;
        bring your mighty ones, Lord.
12 Let the nations prepare themselves,
        and come up to the Jehoshaphat Valley;
            for there I will sit to judge
                all the surrounding nations.
13 Cut with the sickle,
        for the harvest is ripe.
    Go and crush grapes,
        for the winepress is full.
    The jars overflow with wine,
        for their wickedness is great.
14 Crowd after crowd fills the valley of judgment,
    for the day of the Lord is near
        in the valley of judgment.
15 The sun and the moon are darkened;
    the stars have ceased shining.

Salvation for God’s people

16 The Lord roars from Zion,
        and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
        the heavens and the earth quake.
    But the Lord is a refuge for his people,
        a shelter for the people of Israel.

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