Joel 3

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

For lo! in those days, and at that time, —when I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

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

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;

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

And, for my people, they cast lots, —and gave a boy for a harlot, and a girl sold they for wine—and drank.

4 And also, what [are] ye to Me, O Tyre and Zidon, And all circuits of Philistia? Recompence are ye rendering unto Me? And if ye are giving recompence to Me, Swiftly, hastily, I turn back your recompence on your head.

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.

5 In that My silver and My gold ye took, And My desirable things that are good, Ye have brought in to your temples.

Because, my silver and my gold, ye took away, —and, my richly beautiful things, carried ye into your temples;

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

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.

7 Lo, I am stirring them up out of the place Whither ye have sold them, And I have turned back your recompence on your head,

Behold me! rousing them up out of the place whither ye sold them, —So will I bring back your dealing 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 Shabeans, Unto a nation far off, for Jehovah hath spoken.

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.

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

Proclaim ye this, among the nations, Hallow a war, rouse the mighty ones, let them draw near, come up, all the men of war!

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

Beat your plough-shares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears, —as for the weak, let him say, mighty, I am.

11 Haste, and come in, all ye nations round, And be gathered together, Thither cause to come down, O Jehovah, Thy mighty ones.

Give help—and come in, all ye nations on every side, and gather yourselves together, —Thither, bring down, O Yahweh, thy mighty ones!

12 Wake and come up let the nations unto the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I sit to judge all the nations around.

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.

13 Send ye forth a sickle, For ripened hath harvest, Come in, come down, for filled hath been the press, Overflowed hath wine-presses, For great [is] their wickedness.

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.

14 Multitudes, multitudes [are] in the valley of decision, For near [is] the day of Jehovah in the valley of decision.

Multitudes, multitudes, in the vale of strict decision, —for near is the day of Yahweh, in the vale of strict decision.

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

The sun and the moon, have become dark, —and, the stars, have withdrawn their shining,

16 And Jehovah from Zion doth roar, And from Jerusalem giveth forth His voice, And shaken have the heavens and earth, And Jehovah [is] a refuge to his people, And a stronghold to sons of Israel.

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.

17 And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain, And Jerusalem hath been holy, And strangers do not pass over into it again.

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.

18 And it hath come to pass, in that day, Drop down do the mountains juice, And the hills do flow [with] milk, And all streams of Judah do go [with] water, And a fountain from the house of Jehovah goeth forth, And hath watered the valley of Shittim.

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.

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

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.

20 And Judah to the age doth dwell, And Jerusalem to generation and generation.

But, Judah, age-abidingly, shall remain, and, Jerusalem, to generation after generation.

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

And I will free from their blood-guiltiness them whom I had not freed, —for, Yahweh, is about to make his habitation in Zion.