Joel 3

¹For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I will have converted the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

²I will gather all the Gentiles, and will lead them into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And there I will dispute with them over my people, and over Israel, my inheritance, for they have scattered them among the nations and have divided my land.

³And they have cast lots over my people; and the boy they have placed in the brothel, and the girl they have sold for wine, so that they might drink.

⁴Truly, what is there between you and me, Tyre and Sidon and all the distant places of the Philistines? How will you take vengeance on me? And if you were to revenge yourselves against me, I would deliver a repayment to you, quickly and soon, upon your head.

⁵For you have carried away my silver and gold. And my desirable and most beautiful, you have taken into your shrines.

⁶And you, sons of Judah and sons of Jerusalem, you have sold the sons of the Greeks, so that you might drive them far from their own territory.

⁷Behold, I will raise them up from the place into which you have sold them, and I will turn back your retribution on your own head.

⁸And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken.

⁹Proclaim this among the Gentiles: “Sanctify a war, raise up the strong. Approach, ascend, all men of war.

¹⁰Cut your ploughs into swords and your hoes into spears. Let the weak say, ‘For I am strong.’

¹¹Break out and advance, all nations of the world, and gather together. There the Lord will cause all your strong ones to meet death.”

¹²Let them arise and ascend to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit, so as to judge all the nations of the world.

¹³Send forth the sickles, because the harvest has matured. Advance and descend, for the press is full, the pressing room is overflowing. For their malice has been increasing.

¹⁴Nations, nations in the valley of being cut to pieces: for the day of the Lord fittingly takes place in the valley of being cut to pieces.

¹⁵The sun and the moon have been darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their splendor.

¹⁶And the Lord will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth will be moved. And the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the sons of Israel.

¹⁷And you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will not cross through it anymore.

¹⁸And it will happen, in that day, that the mountains will drip sweetness, and the hills will flow with milk. And the waters will pass through all the rivers of Judah. And a fountain will go forth from the house of the Lord, and it will irrigate the desert of thorns.

¹⁹Egypt will be in desolation, and Edom will be a wilderness destroyed, because of what they have unfairly done to the sons of Judah, and because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

²⁰And Judea will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem for generation upon generation.

²¹And I will cleanse their blood, which I had not cleansed. And the Lord will remain in Zion.

Joel 3

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

²I 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.

³And 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.

⁴Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

⁵Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

⁶The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.

⁷Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence 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 Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.

⁹Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

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

¹¹Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.

¹²Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

¹³Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

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

¹⁶The 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.

¹⁷So shall ye 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.

¹⁸And 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 of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

¹⁹Egypt 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.

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

²¹For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.