Joel 3 (LSV) · Opened

1“For behold, in those days, and in that time,
When I turn back to the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,“Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,

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

3And for My people they cast a lot,
And they give the young man for a harlot,
And have sold the young woman for wine,
That they may drink.They cast lots for My people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.

4And also, what are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon,
And all circuits of Philistia? Are you rendering repayment to Me? And if you are giving repayment to Me,
Swiftly, quickly, I return your repayment on your 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.

5In that My silver and My gold you took,
And My desirable things that are good,
You have brought into your temples.For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples.

6And sons of Judah, and sons of Jerusalem,
You have sold to the sons of Javan,
To put them far off from their border.You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.

7Behold, I am stirring them up out of the place
To where you have sold them,
And I have turned back your repayment on your head,Behold, I will rouse them from the places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon your heads.

8And have sold your sons and your daughters
Into the hand of the sons of Judah,
And they have sold them to Sabeans,
To a nation far off, for YHWH has 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.

9Proclaim this among nations,
Sanctify a war, stir up the mighty ones,
Come near, come up, let 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!

10Beat your plowshares to swords,
And your pruning-hooks to javelins,
Let the weak say, “I am mighty.”Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’

11Hurry, and come in, all you nations around,
And be gathered together,
There cause to come down, O YHWH,
Your mighty ones.Come quickly, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves. Bring down Your mighty ones, O LORD.

12“Let the nations wake and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
For there I sit to judge all the nations around.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.

13Send forth a sickle,
For harvest has ripened,
Come in, come down, for the press has been filled,
Winepresses have overflowed,
For great 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.

14Multitudes, multitudes are in the Valley of Decision,
For near is the Day of YHWH in the Valley of Decision.Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

15Sun and moon have been black,
And stars have gathered up their shining.The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.

16And YHWH roars from Zion,
And gives forth His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and earth have shaken,
And YHWH is a refuge to His people,
And a stronghold to 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“And you have known that I am your God YHWH,
Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain,
And Jerusalem has been holy,
And strangers do not pass over into it again.”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.

18And it has come to pass in that day,
The mountains drop down juice,
And the hills flow with milk,
And all streams of Judah go with water,
And a fountain from the house of YHWH goes forth,
And has watered the Valley of Shittim.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 becomes a desolation,
And Edom becomes a desolation, a wilderness,
For violence to sons of Judah,
Whose innocent blood they shed 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.

20And Judah dwells for all time,
And Jerusalem to generation and generation.But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21And I have declared their blood innocent,
That I did not declare innocent,
And YHWH is dwelling in Zion!”For I will avenge their blood, which I have not yet avenged.” For the LORD dwells in Zion.

The LORD Judges the Nations

Blessings for God’s People

You’ve read Joel 3

Go deeper

The LORD Judges the Nations

Blessings for God’s People

You’ve read Joel 3

Go deeper