GodsWord - Joel - 3

3:1  "In those days and at that time, I will bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem.

3:2  I will gather all the nations. I will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. I will judge them there. They scattered the Israelites, the people who belong to me, among the nations. They divided my land.

3:3  They threw dice for my people. They traded boys for prostitutes. They sold girls so that they could buy wine to drink.

3:4  "Now what do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will quickly pay you back for what you have done.

3:5  You took my silver and my gold. You brought my finest treasures to your temples.

3:6  You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks. That way you could send them far away from their land.

3:7  I am going to make them leave the place where you sold them. I will pay you back for what you have done.

3:8  I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah. They will sell them to the people of Sheba, a nation that is far away." The LORD has spoken.

3:9  Announce this among the nations: Prepare yourselves for war. Wake up the warriors. Have all the warriors come near and attack.

3:10  Hammer your plowblades into swords and your pruning shears into spears. Weaklings should say that they are warriors.

3:11  Hurry from every direction, and gather there, all you nations. O LORD, bring your soldiers.

3:12  Wake up, you nations. Come to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

3:13  Cut them down like grain. The harvest is ripe. Stomp on them as you would stomp on grapes. The winepress is full. The vats overflow. The nations are very wicked.

3:14  There are many, many people in the valley of decision. The day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

3:15  The sun and the moon will turn dark. The stars will no longer shine.

3:16  The LORD will roar from Zion, and his voice will thunder from Jerusalem. The sky and the earth will shake. The LORD will be a refuge for his people. He will be a stronghold for the people of Israel.

3:17  "You will know that I am the LORD your God. I live on my holy mountain, Zion. Jerusalem will be holy. Foreigners will never invade it again.

3:18  On that day new wine will cover the mountains. Milk will flow on the hills. Water will flow in all the brooks of Judah. A spring will flow from the LORD's temple. It will water the valley of Shittim.

3:19  Egypt will become a wasteland. Edom will become a barren desert. This is because the nations were cruel to Judah. They murdered innocent people in their land.

3:20  People will always live in Judah. People will live in Jerusalem from now on.

3:21  I will punish those who murder." The LORD lives in Zion!