Joel 3
3
1 For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I will have converted the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all the Gentiles, and will lead them into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And there I will dispute with them over my people, and over Israel, my inheritance, for they have scattered them among the nations and have divided my land.
3 And they have cast lots over my people; and the boy they have placed in the brothel, and the girl they have sold for wine, so that they might drink.
4 Truly, what is there between you and me, Tyre and Sidon and all the distant places of the Philistines? How will you take vengeance on me? And if you were to revenge yourselves against me, I would deliver a repayment to you, quickly and soon, upon your head.
5 For you have carried away my silver and gold. And my desirable and most beautiful, you have taken into your shrines.
6 And you, sons of Judah and sons of Jerusalem, you have sold the sons of the Greeks, so that you might drive them far from their own territory.
7 Behold, I will raise them up from the place into which you have sold them, and I will turn back your retribution on your own head.
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken.
9 Proclaim this among the Gentiles: "Sanctify a war, raise up the strong. Approach, ascend, all men of war.
10 Cut your ploughs into swords and your hoes into spears. Let the weak say, 'For I am strong.'
11 Break out and advance, all nations of the world, and gather together. There the Lord will cause all your strong ones to meet death."
12 Let them arise and ascend to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit, so as to judge all the nations of the world.
13 Send forth the sickles, because the harvest has matured. Advance and descend, for the press is full, the pressing room is overflowing. For their malice has been increasing.
14 Nations, nations in the valley of being cut to pieces: for the day of the Lord fittingly takes place in the valley of being cut to pieces.
15 The sun and the moon have been darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their splendor.
16 And the Lord will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth will be moved. And the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the sons of Israel.
17 And you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will not cross through it anymore.
18 And it will happen, in that day, that the mountains will drip sweetness, and the hills will flow with milk. And the waters will pass through all the rivers of Judah. And a fountain will go forth from the house of the Lord, and it will irrigate the desert of thorns.
19 Egypt will be in desolation, and Edom will be a wilderness destroyed, because of what they have unfairly done to the sons of Judah, and because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 And Judea will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem for generation upon generation.
21 And I will cleanse their blood, which I had not cleansed. And the Lord will remain in Zion.
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Joel 3: CPDV
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Joel 3
3
The nations judged
# In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21. 1‘In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.#3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
There I will put them on trial
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine to drink.
4‘Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.#3:5 Or palaces 6You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
7‘See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.’ The Lord has spoken.
9Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10Beat your ploughshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
‘I am strong!’
11Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Bring down your warriors, Lord!
12‘Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.
13Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow –
so great is their wickedness!’
14Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
16The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s people
17‘Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.
18‘In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
and will water the valley of acacias.#3:18 Or Valley of Shittim
19But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20Judah will be inhabited for ever
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
No, I will not.’
The Lord dwells in Zion!
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
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