Joel 3
1 For lo! in those days, and at that time, —when I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
“Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,
2 Then will I gather all the nations, and bring them down into the Vale of Jehoshaphat, —and will enter into judgment with them there, concerning my people, and mine inheritance Israel, whom they scattered among the nations, and, my land, they apportioned;
I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. 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.
3 And, for my people, they cast lots, —and gave a boy for a harlot, and a girl sold they for wine—and drank.
They cast lots for My people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.
4 Moreover also, what have, ye, to do with me, O Tyre and Zidon, and all the circuit of Palestine? A recompense, are ye paying back unto me? But, though ye should make a recompense unto me, swiftly, speedily, would I return your recompense upon your own head.
Now 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.
5 Because, my silver and my gold, ye took away, —and, my richly beautiful things, carried ye into your temples;
For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples.
6 And, the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem, ye sold to the sons of Greece, —that they might be far removed from their own boundary.
You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.
7 Behold me! rousing them up out of the place whither ye sold them, —So will I bring back your dealing upon your own head.
Behold, I will rouse them from the places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon your heads.
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to Sabeans, unto a nation afar off, —for, Yahweh, hath spoken.
I 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.
9 Proclaim ye this, among the nations, Hallow a war, rouse the mighty ones, let them draw near, come up, all the men of war!
Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war; rouse the mighty men; let all the men of war advance and attack!
10 Beat your plough-shares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears, —as for the weak, let him say, mighty, I am.
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’
11 Give help—and come in, all ye nations on every side, and gather yourselves together, —Thither, bring down, O Yahweh, thy mighty ones!
Come quickly, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves. Bring down Your mighty ones, O LORD.
12 Let the nations, be roused, and come up, into the Vale of Jehoshaphat, —for, there, will I sit to judge all the nations, on every side.
Let 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.
13 Thrust ye in the vintage knife, for, grown ripe, is the vintage, —Go in, tread down, for full is the winepress, flow over do the vats, for abundant is their wickedness.
Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the vale of strict decision, —for near is the day of Yahweh, in the vale of strict decision.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon, have become dark, —and, the stars, have withdrawn their shining,
The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.
16 And, Yahweh, out of Zion, will roar, and, out of Jerusalem, will utter his voice, and the heavens and the earth, shall tremble, —but, Yahweh, shall be a shelter to his people, and a refuge to the sons of Israel.
The 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.
17 So shall ye know that, I, Yahweh, am your God, making my habitation in Zion my holy mountain, —So shall, Jerusalem, be, holy, and, foreigners, shall pass through her no more.
Then 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.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow down with milk, and, all the channels of Judah, shall flow down with waters, —and, a spring, out of the house of Yahweh, shall come forth, and shall water the torrent-valley of the acacias.
And 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.
19 Egypt, to a desolation, shall be turned, and, Edom, to a desert most desolate, shall be changed, —because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, in that they shed innocent blood in their land.
Egypt 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.
20 But, Judah, age-abidingly, shall remain, and, Jerusalem, to generation after generation.
But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 And I will free from their blood-guiltiness them whom I had not freed, —for, Yahweh, is about to make his habitation in Zion.
For I will avenge their blood, which I have not yet avenged.”
