King James Bible

New Living Translation

The Lord Judges the Nations

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

1

Judgment against Enemy Nations

a“At the time of those events,” says the LORD,
“when I restore the prosperity 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.

2

I will gather the armies of the world
into the valley of Jehoshaphat.b
There I will judge them
for harming my people, my special possession,
for scattering my people among the nations,
and for dividing up 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.

3

They threw dicec to decide which of my people
would be their slaves.
They traded boys to obtain prostitutes
and sold girls for enough wine to get drunk.

4

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;

4

“What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done.

5

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

5

You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and have carried them off to your pagan temples.

6

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.

6

You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,d so they could take them far from their homeland.

7

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

7

“But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for everything you have done.

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 hath spoken it.

8

I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the people of Arabia,e a nation far away. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

9

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:

9

Say to the nations far and wide:
“Get ready for war!
Call out your best warriors.
Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.

10

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

10

Hammer your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Train even your weaklings to be warriors.

11

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

11

Come quickly, all you nations everywhere.
Gather together in the valley.”
And now, O LORD, call out your 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.

12

“Let the nations be called to arms.
Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I, the LORD, will sit
to pronounce judgment on them all.

13

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.

13

Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.f
Come, tread the grapes,
for the winepress is full.
The storage vats are overflowing
with the wickedness of these people.”

14

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

14

Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision.
There the day of the LORD will soon arrive.

15

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

15

The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will no longer shine.

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.

16

The LORD’s voice will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth will shake.
But the LORD will be a refuge for his people,
a strong fortress for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s People

17

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.

17

“Then you will know that I, the LORD your God,
live in Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be holy forever,
and foreign armies will never conquer her again.

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 of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

18

In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine,
and the hills will flow with milk.
Water will fill the streambeds of Judah,
and a fountain will burst forth from the LORD’s Temple,
watering the arid valley of acacias.g

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.

19

But Egypt will become a wasteland
and Edom will become a wilderness,
because they attacked the people of Judah
and killed innocent people in their land.

20

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

20

“But Judah will be filled with people forever,
and Jerusalem will endure through all generations.

21

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

21

I will pardon my people’s crimes,
which I have not yet pardoned;
and I, the LORD, will make my home
in Jerusalemh with my people.”

Parallel

King James Bible

New Living Translation

Joel 3

Joel 3