Joel 3

The Nations Judged

3^a“In those days and at that time,

when I restore the fortunes^b of Judah^c and Jerusalem,

²I will gather^d all nations

and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.^be

There I will put them on trial^f

for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,

because they scattered^g my people among the nations

and divided up my land.

³They cast lots^h for my people

and traded boys for prostitutes;

they sold girls for wineⁱ to drink.

⁴“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon^j and all you regions of Philistia?^k 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.^{l 5}For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.^{cm 6}You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,ⁿ that you might send them far from their homeland.

⁷“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,^o and I will return^p on your own heads what you have done. ⁸I will sell your sons^q and daughters to the people of Judah,^r and they will sell them to the Sabeans,^s a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.^t

⁹Proclaim this among the nations:

Prepare for war!^u

Rouse the warriors!^v

Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.

¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords

and your pruning hooks^w into spears.^x

Let the weakling^y say,

“I am strong!”^z

¹¹Come quickly, all you nations from every side,

and assemble^a there.

Bring down your warriors,^b Lord!

¹²“Let the nations be roused;

let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,^c

for there I will sit

to judge^d all the nations on every side.

¹³Swing the sickle,^e

for the harvest^f is ripe.

Come, trample the grapes,^g

for the winepress^h is full

and the vats overflow—

so great is their wickedness!”

¹⁴Multitudes,ⁱ multitudes

in the valley^j of decision!

For the day of the Lord^k is near

in the valley of decision.^l

¹⁵The sun and moon will be darkened,

and the stars no longer shine.^m

¹⁶The Lord will roarⁿ from Zion

and thunder from Jerusalem;^o

the earth and the heavens will tremble.^p

But the Lord will be a refuge^q for his people,

a stronghold^r for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

¹⁷“Then you will know^s that I, the Lord your God,^t

dwell in Zion,^u my holy hill.^v

Jerusalem will be holy;^w

never again will foreigners invade her.^x

¹⁸“In that day the mountains will drip new wine,^y

and the hills will flow with milk;^z

all the ravines of Judah will run with water.^a

A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house^b

and will water the valley of acacias.^dc

¹⁹But Egypt^d will be desolate,

Edom^e a desert waste,

because of violence^f done to the people of Judah,

in whose land they shed innocent blood.

²⁰Judah will be inhabited forever^g

and Jerusalem through all generations.

²¹Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?^h

No, I will not.ⁱ”

The Lord dwells in Zion!^j