Joe 3 | NASB1995 | STEP | “ For behold , in those days and at that time , When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem ,

‏ Joel 3

The Nations Will Be Judged

1 ^{▼▼ Ch 4:1 in Heb}“For behold, ^bin those days and at that time,
When I ^crestore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will ^dgather all the nations
And bring them down to the ^evalley of ^{▼▼ I.e. YHWH judges}Jehoshaphat.
Then I will ^genter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have ^hscattered among the nations;
And they have ⁱdivided up My land.
3 “They have also ^jcast lots for My people,
^{▼▼ Lit Given
,} ^lTraded a boy for a harlot
And sold a girl for wine that they may drink.

4 “Moreover, what are you to Me, O ^mTyre, Sidon and all the regions of ⁿPhilistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will ^oreturn your recompense on your head. 5 “Since you have ^ptaken My silver and My gold, brought My precious ^{▼▼ Lit goodly things}treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the ^rsons of Judah and Jerusalem to the ^{▼▼ Lit sons of Javan}Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory, 7 behold, I am going to ^tarouse them from the place where you have sold them, and return your recompense on your head. 8 “Also I will ^usell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the ^vSabeans, to a distant nation,” for the Lord has spoken. 9 ^wProclaim this among the nations:
^xPrepare a war; ^yrouse the mighty men!
Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!
10 ^zBeat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
^aaLet the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”
11 ^{▼▼ Or Lend aid
,} ^acHasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, O Lord, Your ^admighty ones.
12 Let the nations be aroused
And come up to the ^aevalley of ^{▼▼ I.e. YHWH judges}Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to ^agjudge
All the surrounding nations.
13 ^ahPut in the sickle, for the ^aiharvest is ripe.
Come, ^ajtread, for the ^akwine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their ^alwickedness is great.
14 ^amMultitudes, multitudes in the ^anvalley of ^{▼▼ I.e. God’s verdict}decision!
For the ^apday of the Lord is near in the valley of ^{▼▼ I.e. God’s verdict}decision.
15 The ^arsun and moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.
16 The Lord ^asroars from Zion
And ^atutters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the ^auheavens and the earth tremble.
But the Lord is a ^avrefuge for His people
And a ^awstronghold to the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will ^axknow that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling in Zion, My ^ayholy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be ^azholy,
And ^bastrangers will pass through it no more.

Judah Will Be Blessed

18 And in that day
The ^bbmountains will drip with ^{▼▼ Lit freshly pressed out grape juice}sweet wine,
And the hills will ^bdflow with milk,
And all the ^bebrooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a ^bfspring will go out from the house of the Lord
To water the valley of ^{▼▼ Or acacias}Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a waste,
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the ^bhviolence ^{▼▼ Lit of the sons}done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be ^bjinhabited forever
And Jerusalem for all generations.
21 And I will ^bkavenge their blood which I have not avenged,
For the Lord dwells in Zion.