Joel 3

Modern

Literal

The LORD Judges the Nations

¹“Yes, in those days and at that time,

when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,^a

¹“ For behold, in those days and at that time, when I turn back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

²I will gather all the nations

and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.^a

There I will enter into judgment against them

concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel,

whom they have scattered among the nations

as they divided up My land.

²I will gather all the nations, and I will bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there over My people and My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations—and they have divided up My land.

³They cast lots for My people;

they bartered a boy for a prostitute

and sold a girl for wine to drink.

³And for My people they have cast lots, and they have given a boy for a prostitute, and a girl they have sold for wine, that they may drink.

⁴Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads.

⁴And indeed, what are you to Me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? A recompense are you rendering against Me, or are you retaliating against Me? Swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense upon your head,

⁵For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples.^a

⁵because you took My silver and My gold, and My precious treasures you have brought in into your temples!

⁶You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,^a to send them far from their homeland.

⁶And the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem you sold to the sons of Javan, that you might remove them far from their borders.

⁷Behold, I will rouse them from the places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon your heads.

⁷Behold, I am rousing them from the place where there you have sold them, and I will return your recompense upon your head!

⁸I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans—to a distant nation.”

Indeed, the LORD has spoken.

⁸And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off!” Indeed, YHWH has spoken.

⁹Proclaim this among the nations:

“Prepare for war;

rouse the mighty men;

let all the men of war

advance and attack!

⁹Call this out among the nations: “Consecrate for war; Rouse the mighty ones; let draw near; let them come up—all the men of war!

¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords

and your pruning hooks into spears.

Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’

¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’

¹¹Come quickly, all you surrounding nations,

and gather yourselves.

Bring down Your mighty ones,

O LORD.

¹¹Hurry and come in, all nations from around, and gather together there. Bring down, O YHWH, Your mighty ones.

¹²Let the nations be roused

and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

for there I will sit down

to judge all the nations on every side.

¹²May they be roused and come up—the nations to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit to judge all the nations from around.

¹³Swing the sickle,

for the harvest is ripe.^a

Come, trample the grapes,

for the winepress is full;

the wine vats overflow

because their wickedness is great.

¹³Send forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow, for great is their wickedness!

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes

in the valley of decision!

For the Day of the LORD is near

in the valley of decision.

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. For the day of YHWH is near in the valley of decision.

¹⁵The sun and moon will grow dark,

and the stars will no longer shine.

¹⁵The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will withdraw their brightness.

¹⁶The LORD will roar from Zion

and raise His voice from Jerusalem;

heaven and earth will tremble.

But the LORD will be a refuge for His people,

a stronghold for the people of Israel.

¹⁶And YHWH will roar from Zion, and from Jerusalem He will give forth His voice, and the heavens and the earth will quake, and YHWH will be a refuge for His people and a stronghold for the sons of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

¹⁷Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,

who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain.

Jerusalem will be holy,

never again to be overrun by foreigners.

¹⁷And you will know that I am YHWH your God, the One dwelling on Zion, the mountain of My holiness; and Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will not pass through her anymore.

¹⁸And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine,

and the hills will flow with milk.

All the streams of Judah will run with water,

and a spring will flow from the house of the LORD

to water the Valley of Acacias.^a

¹⁸And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; and all the channels of Judah will flow with water, and a fountain will come forth from the house of YHWH and will water the Valley of Shittim.

¹⁹Egypt will become desolate,

and Edom a desert wasteland,

because of the violence done to the people of Judah,

in whose land they shed innocent blood.

¹⁹Egypt will be as a desolation and Edom will be as a wilderness of desolation, because of violence to the sons of Judah; for in their land they have poured out innocent blood.

²⁰But Judah will be inhabited forever,

and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

²⁰And Judah will abide forever, and Jerusalem for generation and generation.

²¹For I will avenge their blood,

which I have not yet avenged.”^a

For the LORD dwells in Zion.

²¹And I will clear their bloodguilt that I have not cleared. And YHWH is dwelling in Zion!