Joel 3

1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

For in those days and in that time, when I let the fate of Judah and Jerusalem be changed,

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

I will get together all the nations, and make them come down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and there I will take up with them the cause of my people and of my heritage Israel, whom they have sent wandering among the nations, and of my land which has been parted by them.

3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.

And they have put the fate of my people to the decision of chance: giving a boy for the price of a loose woman and a girl for a drink of wine.

4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompence me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

And further, what are you to me, O Tyre and Zidon and all the circle of Philistia? will you give me back any payment? and if you do, quickly and suddenly I will send it back on your head,

5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

For you have taken my silver and my gold, putting in the houses of your gods my beautiful and pleasing things.

6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.

And the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem you have given for a price to the sons of the Greeks, to send them far away from their land:

7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

See, I will have them moved from the place where you have sent them, and will let what you have done come back on your head;

8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for YHWH hath spoken it.

I will give your sons and your daughters into the hands of the children of Judah for a price, and they will give them for a price to the men of Sheba, a nation far off: for the Lord has said it.

9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

Give this out among the nations; make ready for war: get the strong men awake; let all the men of war come near, let them come up.

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

Get your plough-blades hammered into swords, and your vine-knives into spears: let the feeble say, I am strong.

11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O YHWH.

Come quickly, all you nations round about, and get yourselves together there: make your strong ones come down, O Lord.

12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

Let the nations be awake, and come to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there I will be seated as judge of all the nations round about.

13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

Put in the blade, for the grain is ready: come, get you down, for the wine-crusher is full, the vessels are overflowing; for great is their evil-doing.

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

Masses on masses in the valley of decision! for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

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

The sun and the moon have become dark, and the stars keep back their shining.

16 YHWH also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but YHWH will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

And the Lord will be thundering from Zion, and his voice will be sounding from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth will be shaking: but the Lord will be a breastplate for his people and a strong place for the children of Israel.

17 So shall ye know that I am YHWH your Elohim dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

And you will be certain that I am the Lord your God, living in Zion, my holy mountain: and Jerusalem will be holy, and no strange person will ever again go through her.

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of YHWH, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

And it will come about in that day that the mountains will be dropping sweet wine, and the hills will be flowing with milk, and all the streams of Judah will be flowing with water; and a fountain will come out from the house of the Lord, watering the valley of acacia-trees.

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

Egypt will be a waste and Edom a land of destruction, because of the evil done to the children of Judah, because they have let blood be drained out in their land without cause.

20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

But Judah will be peopled for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for YHWH dwelleth in Zion.

And I will send punishment for their blood, for which punishment has not been sent, for the Lord is living in Zion.