Joel 3

1 For behold in those days, and in that time when I shall bring back the captivity of Juda and Jerusalem:

For behold, in those days and at that time, When I shall bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather together all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Josaphat: and I will plead with them there for my people, and for my inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and have parted my land.

I will assemble all the nations, And will bring them down it to the valley of Jehoshaphat, And there will I contend with them for my people and inheritance, Israel; Because they scattered them among the nations, And divided my land among themselves.

3 And they have cast lots upon my people: and the boy they have put in the stews, and the girl they have sold for wine, that they might drink.

Yea, they cast lots for my people, And gave a boy for a harlot, And sold a damsel for wine to drink.

4 But what have you to do with me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all the coast of the Philistines? will you revenge yourselves on me? and if you revenge yourselves on me, I will very soon return you a recompense upon your own head.

What have ye to do with me, O Tyre and Sidon, And all the borders of Philistia? Will ye retaliate on me? Or will ye do anything against me? Swiftly and speedily will I bring back your doings upon your own head.

5 For you have taken away my silver and my gold: and my desirable and most beautiful things you have carried into your temples.

Ye have taken my silver and my gold, And have carried into your palaces my precious, goodly things;

6 And the children of Juda, and the children of Jerusalem you have sold to the children of the Greeks, that you might remove them far off from their own country.

The sons also of Judah, and the sons of Jerusalem, Ye have sold to the Grecians, That ye might remove them far from their border.

7 Behold, I will raise them up out of the place wherein you have sold them: and I will return your recompense upon your own heads.

Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, And I will return your injury upon your own head;

8 And I will sell your sons, and your daughters by the hands of the children of Juda, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far off, for the Lord hath spoken it.

I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, And they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation afar off; For Jehovah hath spoken it.

9 Proclaim ye this among the nations: prepare war, rouse up the strong: let them come, let all the men of war come up.

Proclaim ye this among the nations: “Prepare war! Stir up the mighty ones! Let all the warriors draw near; let them come up!”

10 Cut your ploughshares into swords, and your spades into spears. Let the weak say: I am strong.

Beat your ploughshares into swords, And your pruning-hooks into spears; Let the weak say, I am strong!

11 Break forth, and come, all ye nations, from round about, and gather yourselves together: there will the Lord cause all thy strong ones to fall down.

Assemble yourselves and come, all ye nations round about; Gather yourselves together! Thither, O Jehovah, bring down thy mighty ones!

12 Let them arise, and let the nations come up into the valley of Josaphat: for there I will sit to judge all nations round about.

Let the nations rise and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat! For there will I sit to judge all the nations around.

13 Put ye in the sickles, for the harvest is ripe: come and go down, for the press is full, the fats run over: for their wickedness is multiplied.

Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; Come and tread, for the wine-press is full; The vats overflow; For their wickedness is great!

14 Nations, nations in the valley of destruction: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of destruction.

The multitudes, the multitudes in the valley of judgment! For the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of judgment.

15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining.

The sun and the moon are darkened, And the stars withdraw their shining.

16 And the Lord shall roar out of Sion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem: and the heavens and the earth shall be moved, and the Lord shall be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Jehovah also will roar from Zion, And utter his voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and the earth shall shake. But Jehovah will be a refuge to his people! A strong-hold to the sons of Israel.

17 And you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Sion my holy mountain: and Jerusalem shall be holy and strangers shall pass through it no more.

Then shall ye know that I am Jehovah your God, Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain; And Jerusalem shall be holy; Strangers shall pass through her no more.

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweetness, and the hills shall flow with milk: and waters shall flow through all the rivers of Juda: and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the torrent of thorns.

In that day shall the mountains drop down new wine, And the hills shall flow with milk. And all the streams of Judah shall flow with water. A fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, That shall water the valley of Shittim.

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom a wilderness destroyed: because they have done unjustly against the children of Juda, and have shed innocent blood in their land.

Egypt shall be a waste, And Edom a desolate wilderness, For their violence against the sons of Judah; For they shed innocent blood in their land.

20 And Judea shall be inhabited for ever, and Jerusalem to generation and generation.

But Judah shall be inhabited for ever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21 And I will cleanse their blood which I had not cleansed: and the Lord will dwell in Sion.

And I will avenge their blood, which I have not avenged, And Jehovah will dwell upon Zion.