Joel 3

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

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

2 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.

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.

3 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.

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.

4 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.

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

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

Because all of you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

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

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

7 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,

Behold, I will raise them out of the place where all of you have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

8 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.”

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 the LORD has spoken it.

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

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

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

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

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

Assemble yourselves, and come, all you heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause your mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

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

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.

13 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.”

Put all of you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the wine-vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

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

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

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

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

16 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.

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

17 “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.”

So shall all of you know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

18 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.

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 out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

19 “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.

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.

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

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

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

For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwells in Zion.