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Punishment for Judah’s Enemies

“In those days and at that time,
    when I will make things better for Judah and Jerusalem,
I will gather all the nations together
    and bring them down into the Valley Where the Lord Judges.
    There I will judge them,
because those nations scattered my own people Israel
    and forced them to live in other nations.
They divided up my land
and threw lots for my people.
They traded boys for prostitutes,
    and they sold girls to buy wine to drink.

“Tyre and Sidon and all of you regions of Philistia! What did you have against me? Were you punishing me for something I did, or were you doing something to hurt me? I will very quickly do to you what you have done to me. You took my silver and gold, and you put my precious treasures in your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks so that you could send them far from their land.

“You sent my people to that faraway place, but I will get them and bring them back, and I will do to you what you have done to them. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabean people far away.” The Lord said this.

God Judges the Nations

Announce this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!
Wake up the soldiers!
    Let all the men of war come near and attack.
10 Make swords from your plows,
    and make spears from your hooks for trimming trees.
Let even the weak person say,
    “I am a soldier.”
11 All of you nations, hurry,
    and come together in that place.
Lord, send your soldiers
    to gather the nations.

12 “Wake up, nations,
    and come to attack in the Valley Where the Lord Judges.
There I will sit to judge
    all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the cutting tool,
    because the harvest is ripe.
Come, walk on them as you would walk on grapes to get their juice,
    because the winepress is full
    and the barrels are spilling over,
because these people are so evil!”

14 There are huge numbers of people
    in the Valley of Decision,[a]
because the Lord’s day of judging is near
    in the Valley of Decision.
15 The sun and the moon will become dark,
    and the stars will stop shining.
16 The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem;
    his loud voice will thunder from that city,
    and the sky and the earth will shake.
But the Lord will be a safe place for his people,
    a strong place of safety for the people of Israel.

17 “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
    live on my holy Mount Zion.
Jerusalem will be a holy place,
    and strangers will never even go through it again.

A New Life Promised for Judah

18 “On that day wine will drip from the mountains,
    milk will flow from the hills,
    and water will run through all the ravines of Judah.
A fountain will flow from the Temple of the Lord
    and give water to the valley of acacia trees.
19 But Egypt will become empty,
    and Edom an empty desert,
because they were cruel to the people of Judah.
    They killed innocent people in that land.
20 But there will always be people living in Judah,
    and people will live in Jerusalem from now on.
21 Egypt and Edom killed my people,
    so I will definitely punish them.”

The Lord lives in Jerusalem!

Footnotes

  1. 3:14 Valley of Decision This is like the name “Valley Where the Lord Judges” in 3:2 and 3:12.

The Nations Judged

[a]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes(A) of Judah(B) and Jerusalem,
I will gather(C) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b](D)
There I will put them on trial(E)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(F) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.
They cast lots(G) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine(H) to drink.

“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(I) and all you regions of Philistia?(J) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(K) For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[c](L) You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(M) that you might send them far from their homeland.

“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,(N) and I will return(O) on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons(P) and daughters to the people of Judah,(Q) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(R) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.(S)

Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!(T)
Rouse the warriors!(U)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks(V) into spears.(W)
Let the weakling(X) say,
    “I am strong!”(Y)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble(Z) there.

Bring down your warriors,(AA) Lord!

12 “Let the nations be roused;
    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(AB)
for there I will sit
    to judge(AC) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(AD)
    for the harvest(AE) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(AF)
    for the winepress(AG) is full
    and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

14 Multitudes,(AH) multitudes
    in the valley(AI) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(AJ) is near
    in the valley of decision.(AK)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.(AL)
16 The Lord will roar(AM) from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem;(AN)
    the earth and the heavens will tremble.(AO)
But the Lord will be a refuge(AP) for his people,
    a stronghold(AQ) for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

17 “Then you will know(AR) that I, the Lord your God,(AS)
    dwell in Zion,(AT) my holy hill.(AU)
Jerusalem will be holy;(AV)
    never again will foreigners invade her.(AW)

18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(AX)
    and the hills will flow with milk;(AY)
    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(AZ)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house(BA)
    and will water the valley of acacias.[d](BB)
19 But Egypt(BC) will be desolate,
    Edom(BD) a desert waste,
because of violence(BE) done to the people of Judah,
    in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(BF)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(BG)
    No, I will not.(BH)

The Lord dwells in Zion!(BI)

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
  2. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
  3. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
  4. Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim