The Prophet Joel

⭑ King James Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

⮜ Back | Contents | Next ⮞

- Chapter 3 -

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

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.

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.

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

Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:(a)

The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.(b)

Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

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 hath spoken it.

Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:(c)

Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.(d)

Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord .(e)

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.

Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.(f)

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

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.(g)

Blessings for God’s People

So shall ye 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.(h)

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 of the house of the Lord , and shall water the valley of Shittim.(i)

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.

But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(j)

For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.(k)

Footnotes

(a)3:5 pleasant: Heb. desirable

(b)3:6 the Grecians: Heb. the sons of the Grecians

(d)3:10 pruninghooks: or, scythes

(e)3:11 cause…: or, the Lord shall bring down

(f)3:14 decision: or, concision, or, threshing

(g)3:16 hope: Heb. place of repair, or, harbour

(h)3:17 holy: Heb. holiness

(i)3:18 flow: Heb. go

(j)3:20 dwell: or, abide

(k)3:21 for the…: or, even I the Lord that

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment on them there for my people, and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations. They have divided my land,

and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a prostitute, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

“Yes, and what are you to me, Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Will you repay me? And if you repay me, I will swiftly and speedily return your repayment on your own head.

Because you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my finest treasures into your temples,

and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their border.

Behold, I will stir them up out of the place where you have sold them, and will return your repayment on your own head;

and I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the men of Sheba, to a faraway nation, for the LORD has spoken it.”

Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Stir up the mighty men. Let all the warriors draw near. Let them come up.

Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’

Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves together.” Cause your mighty ones to come down there, LORD.

“Let the nations arouse themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

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

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

The LORD will roar from Zion, and thunder from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth will shake; but the LORD will be a refuge to his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

“So you will know that I am the LORD, your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then Jerusalem will be holy, and no strangers will pass through her any more.

It will happen in that day, that the mountains will drop down sweet wine, the hills will flow with milk, all the brooks of Judah will flow with waters; and a fountain will flow out from the LORD’s house, and will water the valley of Shittim.

Egypt will be a desolation and Edom will be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed, for the LORD dwells in Zion.”