Joel 3:1–14

God Judges the Nations

3“For behold, ^ain those days and at that time,

When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,

^2bI will also gather all nations,

And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

And I ^cwill enter into judgment with them there

On account of My people, My heritage Israel,

Whom they have scattered among the nations;

They have also divided up My land.

³They have ^dcast lots for My people,

Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,

And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

⁴“Indeed, what have you to do with Me,

^eO Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia?

Will you ¹retaliate against Me?

But if you ²retaliate against Me,

Swiftly and speedily I will return your ³retaliation upon your own head;

⁵Because you have taken My silver and My gold,

And have carried into your temples My ⁴prized possessions.

⁶Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem

You have sold to the Greeks,

That you may remove them far from their borders.

⁷“Behold, ^fI will raise them

Out of the place to which you have sold them,

And will return your ⁵retaliation upon your own head.

⁸I will sell your sons and your daughters

Into the hand of the people of Judah,

And they will sell them to the ^gSabeans, ⁶

To a people ^hfar off;

For the Lord has spoken.”

⁹ⁱProclaim this among the nations:

“Prepare for war!

Wake up the mighty men,

Let all the men of war draw near,

Let them come up.

^10jBeat your plowshares into swords

And your ⁷pruning hooks into spears;

^kLet the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”

¹¹Assemble and come, all you nations,

And gather together all around.

Cause ^lYour mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.

¹²“Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

For there I will sit to ^mjudge all the surrounding nations.

¹³ⁿPut in the sickle, for ^othe harvest is ripe.

Come, go down;

For the ^pwinepress is full,

The vats overflow—

For their wickedness is great.”

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!

For ^qthe day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.