The Nations Will Be Judged
3 “For behold, (A)in those days and at that time,
When I (B)restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will (C)gather all the nations
And bring them down to the (D)Valley of Jehoshaphat.
Then I will (E)enter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have (F)scattered among the nations;
And they have (G)divided up My land.
3 They have also (H)cast lots for My people,
(I)Traded a boy for a prostitute,
And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, (J)Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of (K)Philistia? Are you repaying Me with retribution? But if you are showing Me retribution, swiftly and speedily I will (L)return your retribution on your head! 5 Since you have (M)taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the (N)sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory, 7 behold, I am going to (O)stir them up from the place where you have sold them, and return your retribution on your head. 8 I will also (P)sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the (Q)Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for the Lord has spoken.
9 (R)Proclaim this among the nations:
(S)Prepare for holy war; (T)stir up the warriors!
Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!
10 (U)Beat your plowshares into swords,
And your pruning hooks into spears;
(V)Let the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”
11 (W)Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, Lord, Your (X)warriors.
12 Let the nations be awakened
And come up to the (Y)Valley of Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to (Z)judge
All the surrounding nations.
13 (AA)Put in the sickle, for the (AB)harvest is ripe.
Come, (AC)tread the grapes, for the (AD)wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their (AE)wickedness is great.
14 (AF)Multitudes, multitudes in the (AG)valley of decision!
For the (AH)day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The (AI)sun and moon have become dark,
And the stars have lost their brightness.
16 The Lord (AJ)roars from Zion
And (AK)utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the (AL)heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a (AM)refuge for His people,
And a (AN)stronghold for the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will (AO)know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling on Zion, My (AP)holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be (AQ)holy,
And (AR)strangers will no longer pass through it.
Judah Will Be Blessed
18 And on that day
The (AS)mountains will drip with sweet wine,
And the hills will (AT)flow with milk,
And all the (AU)brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a (AV)spring will go out from the house of the Lord
And water the Valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a wasteland,
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the (AW)violence done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be (AX)inhabited forever,
And Jerusalem for all generations.
21 And I will (AY)avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
For the Lord dwells in Zion.
Footnotes
- Joel 3:1
- Joel 3:2
- Joel 3:3
- Joel 3:5
- Joel 3:6
- Joel 3:11
- Joel 3:12
- Joel 3:14
- Joel 3:14
- Joel 3:18
- Joel 3:18
- Joel 3:19
Cross references
- Joel 3:1 : Jer 30:3; Ezek 38:14
- Joel 3:1 : Jer 16:15
- Joel 3:2 : Is 66:18; Mic 4:12; Zech 14:2
- Joel 3:2 : Joel 3:12, 14
- Joel 3:2 : Is 66:16; Jer 25:31; Ezek 38:22
- Joel 3:2 : Jer 50:17; Ezek 34:6
- Joel 3:2 : Ezek 35:10; 36:1-5
- Joel 3:3 : Obad 11; Nah 3:10
- Joel 3:3 : Amos 2:6
- Joel 3:4 : Is 23:1-18; Amos 1:9, 10; Zech 9:2-4; Matt 11:21, 22; Luke 10:13, 14
- Joel 3:4 : Is 14:29-31; Jer 47:1-7; Ezek 25:15-17; Amos 1:6-8; Zech 9:5-7
- Joel 3:4 : Is 34:8; 59:18
- Joel 3:5 : 2 Kin 12:18; 2 Chr 21:16, 17
- Joel 3:6 : Ezek 27:13
- Joel 3:7 : Is 43:5, 6; Jer 23:8; Zech 9:13
- Joel 3:8 : Is 14:2; 60:14
- Joel 3:8 : Job 1:15; Ps 72:10; Ezek 38:13
- Joel 3:9 : Jer 51:27
- Joel 3:9 : Jer 6:4; Ezek 38:7; Mic 3:5
- Joel 3:9 : Is 8:9, 10; Jer 46:3, 4; Zech 14:2, 3
- Joel 3:10 : Is 2:4; Mic 4:3
- Joel 3:10 : Zech 12:8
- Joel 3:11 : Ezek 38:15, 16
- Joel 3:11 : Is 13:3
- Joel 3:12 : Joel 3:2, 14
- Joel 3:12 : Ps 7:6; 96:13; 98:9; Is 2:4; 3:13
- Joel 3:13 : Rev 14:14-19
- Joel 3:13 : Jer 51:33; Hos 6:11
- Joel 3:13 : Rev 14:19, 20; 19:15
- Joel 3:13 : Is 63:3; Lam 1:15
- Joel 3:13 : Gen 18:20
- Joel 3:14 : Is 34:2-8
- Joel 3:14 : Joel 3:2, 12
- Joel 3:14 : Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31
- Joel 3:15 : Joel 2:10, 31
- Joel 3:16 : Hos 11:10; Amos 1:2
- Joel 3:16 : Joel 2:11
- Joel 3:16 : Ezek 38:19; Joel 2:10; Hag 2:6
- Joel 3:16 : Ps 61:3; Is 33:16; Jer 17:17
- Joel 3:16 : Jer 16:19; Nah 1:7
- Joel 3:17 : Joel 2:27
- Joel 3:17 : Is 11:9; 56:7; Ezek 20:40
- Joel 3:17 : Is 4:3; Obad 17
- Joel 3:17 : Is 52:1; Nah 1:15
- Joel 3:18 : Amos 9:13
- Joel 3:18 : Ex 3:8
- Joel 3:18 : Is 30:25; 35:6
- Joel 3:18 : Ezek 47:1-12
- Joel 3:19 : Obad 10
- Joel 3:20 : Ezek 37:25; Amos 9:15
- Joel 3:21 : Is 4:4
