Joe 3 | NASB2020 | 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 prostitute,
And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, ^mTyre, Sidon, and all the regions of ⁿPhilistia? Are you repaying Me with retribution? But if you are showing Me retribution, swiftly and speedily I will ^oreturn your retribution 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 ^tstir them up from the place where you have sold them, and return your retribution on your head. 8 I will also ^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 for holy war; ^ystir up the warriors!
Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!
10 ^zBeat your plowshares into swords,
And your pruning hooks into spears;
^aaLet the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”
11 ^{▼▼Or Come help
,} ^acHurry and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there.
Bring down, Lord, Your ^adwarriors.
12 Let the nations be awakened
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 the grapes, 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 have become dark,
And the stars have lost their brightness.
16 The Lord ^asroars from Zion
And ^atutters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the ^auheavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a ^avrefuge for His people,
And a ^awstronghold for the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will ^axknow that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling on Zion, My ^ayholy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be ^azholy,
And ^bastrangers will no longer pass through it.

Judah Will Be Blessed

18 And on 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
And water the Valley of ^{▼▼Or acacias}Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a wasteland,
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.