Joel 3

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

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

2 I 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.

I will also gather all the nations and bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and there I will enter into judgment with them for my people and my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided my land.

3 And 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.

They have cast lots for my people. They have traded boys for prostitutes, and sold girls for wine, and drunk it.

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

What are you to me, Tyre and Sidon and all the districts of Philistia? Were you repaying any deed of mine, or were you doing something for me? Quickly will I return your deed upon your heads.

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

You who have taken my silver and my gold, and you have brought my goodly jewels into your palaces,

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

you have sold the people of Judah and of Jerusalem to the Greeks, so that you might remove them far from their own borders.

7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place where all of you have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

I am about to stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will turn your deeds upon your own head.

8 And 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 has spoken it.

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

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

Proclaim this among the nations, sanctify war. Arouse the warriors, let all the fighting men muster and go up.

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

Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into lances; let the weak say, I, indeed, am strong.

11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all you heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause your mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

Bestir yourselves and come, all you nations round about. Quickly gather yourselves together, ask the Lord to bring his warriors.

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

Let the nations rouse themselves and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

13 Put all of you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the wine-vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for great is their wickedness.

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

Noisy multitudes, noisy multitudes in the valley of decision. For near is the Lord’s day in the valley of decision!

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

Sun and moon have turned dark, and the stars withdrawn their shining.

16 The 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.

Whenever the Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem, earth and sky quake; but the Lord is a refuge to his people, and a fortress to the people of Israel.

17 So shall all of you 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.

And you will know that I am the Lord your God, I who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain, and Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will not pass through her any more.

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

In that day, the mountains will drop sweet wine, the hills will flow with milk, all the channels of Judah will flow with water, a fountain will spring from the house of Judah, and will water the Valley of Shittim.

19 Egypt 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.

Egypt will become a desolation, and Edom a wilderness, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, because they shed innocent blood in their land,

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

Judah will remain inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

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

I will avenge their blood which I have not yet avenged. The Lord lives in Zion!