Joel 3
The LORD shall judge all nations in the valley of Josaphat. The evils that shall fall upon the enemies of God’s people: his blessing upon the church of the saints.
1For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I will have converted the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2I will gather all the Gentiles, and will lead them into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And there I will dispute with them over my people, and over Israel, my inheritance, for they have scattered them among the nations and have divided my land. ▼ 3And they have cast lots over my people; and the boy they have placed in the brothel, and the girl they have sold for wine, so that they might drink. 4Truly, what is there between you and me, Tyre and Sidon and all the distant places of the Philistines? How will you take vengeance on me? And if you were to revenge yourselves against me, I would deliver a repayment to you, quickly and soon, upon your head. 5For you have carried away my silver and gold. And my desirable and most beautiful, you have taken into your shrines. 6And you, sons of Judah and sons of Jerusalem, you have sold the sons of the Greeks, so that you might drive them far from their own territory. 7Behold, I will raise them up from the place into which you have sold them, and I will turn back your retribution on your own head. 8And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken. ▼▼3:8In the above verses (3:6 and 3:8), note the use of the words ‘filios’ (sons) and ‘filias’ (daughters). A translation of ‘filios’ into ‘children’ is not justified because the text does use ‘daughters’ when daughters are being described. And although ‘filiis’ could be either first declension feminine plural or second declension masculine plural, the context makes the translation of ‘sons’ more likely than ‘daughters.’ Note that there is a different word in Latin (pueri) used to refer to children of both genders. Alternately, when specifying children of both genders, the text will sometimes use both ‘filios’ and ‘filias’ as in verse 3:8 above.(Conte)
9Proclaim this among the Gentiles: “Sanctify a war, raise up the strong. Approach, ascend, all men of war. ▼ 10Cut your ploughs into swords and your hoes into spears. Let the weak say, ‘For I am strong.’ 11Break out and advance, all nations of the world, and gather together. There the Lord will cause all your strong ones to meet death.” ▼ 12Let them arise and ascend to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit, so as to judge all the nations of the world. 13Send forth the sickles, because the harvest has matured. Advance and descend, for the press is full, the pressing room is overflowing. For their malice has been increasing. 14Nations, nations in the valley of being cut to pieces: for the day of the Lord fittingly takes place in the valley of being cut to pieces. ▼▼3:14Numerous translations have this as ‘the valley of decision.’ This is not at all what the Latin text says. The Douay-Rheims at least has it somewhat right as ‘the valley of destruction.’ More precisely, cutting right to the heart of the matter, the word ‘concisionis’ refers to cutting or dividing something into pieces. In verse 3:2, God complains ‘for they have scattered them among the nations and have divided my land.’ This verse also references the valley of Jehoshaphat. So, verse 14 gives us a play on words. They have scattered and divided, so now they will be divided into pieces. Also, ‘iuxta’ in this verse does not mean ‘near.’ It means ‘according to’ or ‘accordingly’ or ‘fittingly.’ In other words, they are cut to pieces according to the way that they have treated God’s people, scattering them and dividing their land.(Conte)
15The sun and the moon have been darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their splendor. 16And the Lord will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth will be moved. And the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the sons of Israel. 17And you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will not cross through it anymore. 18And it will happen, in that day, that the mountains will drip sweetness, and the hills will flow with milk. And the waters will pass through all the rivers of Judah. And a fountain will go forth from the house of the Lord, and it will irrigate the desert of thorns. ▼
,
▼▼3:18 A fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, etc: Viz., the fountain of grace in the church militant, and of glory in the church triumphant: which shall water the torrent or valley of thorns, that is, the souls that before, like barren ground brought forth nothing but thorns; or that were afflicted with the thorns of crosses and tribulations.(Challoner)
19Egypt will be in desolation, and Edom will be a wilderness destroyed, because of what they have unfairly done to the sons of Judah, and because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20And Judea will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem for generation upon generation. ▼ 21And I will cleanse their blood, which I had not cleansed. And the Lord will remain in Zion. The Prophecy of Joel
Copyright information for
CPDV