Joel 3

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

²I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment upon them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations: and they have parted my land,

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

⁴Yea, and what are ye to me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? will ye render me a recompense? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head.

⁵Forasmuch as ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly precious things,

⁶and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem unto the sons of the Grecians, that ye may remove them far from their border;

⁷behold, I will stir them up out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompense upon your own head;

⁸and I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the men of Sheba, to a nation far off: for Jehovah hath spoken it.

⁹Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.

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

¹¹Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah.

¹²Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about.

¹³Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe: come, tread ye; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.

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

¹⁶And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.

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

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

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

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

²¹And I will cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed: for Jehovah dwelleth in Zion.

Joel 3

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

²Then 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 inheritanceIsrael, Whom they scattered among nations, And My land they have apportioned.

³And 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.

⁴And 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.

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

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

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

⁸And 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.

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

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

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

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

¹³Send 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.

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

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

¹⁶And 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.

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁸And 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.

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

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

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