Joel 3

1 For, behold, in those days and at that time, when I shall have turned the captivity of Juda and Jerusalem,

“For behold, in those days, and in that time, When I turn back [to] the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will also gather all the Gentiles, and bring them down to the valley of Josaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and my heritage Israel, who have been dispersed amongst the Gentiles; and [these Gentiles] have divided my land,

Then I have gathered all the nations, And caused them to go down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, And I have been in judgment with them there, Concerning My people and My inheritance—Israel, Whom they scattered among nations, And My land they have apportioned.

3 and cast lots over my people, and have given [their] boys to harlots, and sold [their] girls for wine, and have drunk.

And for My people they cast a lot, And they give the young man for a harlot, And have sold the young woman for wine, That they may drink.

4 And what have you to do with me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all Galilee of the Gentiles? do you render me a recompense? or do you bear malice against me? quickly and speedily will I return your recompense on your own heads:

And also, what [are] you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon, And all circuits of Philistia? Are you rendering repayment to Me? And if you are giving repayment to Me, Swiftly, quickly, I return your repayment on your head.

5 because you have taken my silver and my gold, and you have brought my choice ornaments into your temples;

In that My silver and My gold you took, And My desirable things that are good, You have brought into your temples.

6 and you have sold the children of Juda and the children of Jerusalem to the children of the Greeks, that you might expel them from their coasts.

And sons of Judah, and sons of Jerusalem, You have sold to the sons of Javan, To put them far off from their border.

7 Therefore, behold, I [will] raise them up out of the place whither you have sold them, and I will return your recompense on your own heads.

Behold, I am stirring them up out of the place To where you have sold them, And I have turned back your repayment on your head,

8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the children of Juda, and they shall sell them into captivity to a far distant nation: for the Lord has spoken [it].

And have sold your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the sons of Judah, And they have sold them to Sabeans, To a nation far off, for YHWH has spoken.”

9 Proclaim these things amongst the Gentiles; declare war, arouse the warriors, draw near and go up, all you men of war.

Proclaim this among nations, Sanctify a war, stir up the mighty ones, Come near, come up, let all the men of war.

10 Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your sickles into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

Beat your plowshares to swords, And your pruning-hooks to javelins, Let the weak say, “I [am] mighty.”

11 Gather yourselves together, and go in, all you nations round about, and gather yourselves there; let the timid become a warrior.

Hurry, and come in, all you nations around, And be gathered together, There cause to come down, O YHWH, Your mighty ones.

12 Let them be aroused, let all the nations go up to the valley of Josaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the Gentiles round about.

“Let the nations wake and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I sit to judge all the nations around.

13 Bring forth the sickles, for the vintage is come: go in, tread [the grapes], for the press is full: cause the vats to overflow; for their wickedness is multiplied.

Send forth a sickle, For harvest has ripened, Come in, come down, for the press has been filled, Winepresses have overflowed, For great [is] their wickedness.”

14 Noises have resounded in the valley of judgement: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of judgement.

Multitudes, multitudes [are] in the Valley of Decision, For near [is] the Day of YHWH in the Valley of Decision.

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their light.

Sun and moon have been black, And stars have gathered up their shining.

16 And the Lord shall cry out of Sion, and shall utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heaven and the earth shall be shaken, but the Lord shall spare his people, and shall strengthen the children of Israel.

And YHWH roars from Zion, And gives forth His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and earth have shaken, And YHWH [is] a refuge to His people, And a stronghold to sons of Israel.

17 And you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwell in Sion my holy mountain: and Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall not pass through her anymore.

“And you have known that I [am] your God YHWH, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain, And Jerusalem has been holy, And strangers do not pass over into it again.”

18 And it shall come to pass in that day [that] the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the fountains of Juda shall flow with water, and a fountain shall go forth of the house of the Lord, and water the valley of flags.

And it has come to pass in that day, The mountains drop down juice, And the hills flow [with] milk, And all streams of Judah go [with] water, And a fountain from the house of YHWH goes forth, And has watered the Valley of Shittim.

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Idumea shall be a desolate plain, because of the wrongs of the children of Juda, because they have shed righteous blood in their land.

“Egypt becomes a desolation, And Edom becomes a desolation, a wilderness, For violence [to] sons of Judah, Whose innocent blood they shed in their land.

20 But Judea shall be inhabited for ever, and Jerusalem to all generations.

And Judah dwells for all time, And Jerusalem to generation and generation.

21 And I will make inquisition for their blood, and will by no means leave it unavenged: and the Lord shall dwell in Sion.

And I have declared their blood innocent, [That] I did not declare innocent, And YHWH is dwelling in Zion!”