The Nations Judged

[a]“In those days and at that time,
    when I restore the fortunes(A) of Judah(B) and Jerusalem,
I will gather(C) all nations
    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b](D)
There I will put them on trial(E)
    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(F) my people among the nations
    and divided up my land.
They cast lots(G) for my people
    and traded boys for prostitutes;
    they sold girls for wine(H) to drink.

“Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(I) and all you regions of Philistia?(J) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(K) For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[c](L) You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(M) that you might send them far from their homeland.

“See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,(N) and I will return(O) on your own heads what you have done. I will sell your sons(P) and daughters to the people of Judah,(Q) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(R) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.(S)

Proclaim this among the nations:
    Prepare for war!(T)
Rouse the warriors!(U)
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks(V) into spears.(W)
Let the weakling(X) say,
    “I am strong!”(Y)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble(Z) there.

Bring down your warriors,(AA) Lord!

12 “Let the nations be roused;
    let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(AB)
for there I will sit
    to judge(AC) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(AD)
    for the harvest(AE) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(AF)
    for the winepress(AG) is full
    and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

14 Multitudes,(AH) multitudes
    in the valley(AI) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(AJ) is near
    in the valley of decision.(AK)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
    and the stars no longer shine.(AL)
16 The Lord will roar(AM) from Zion
    and thunder from Jerusalem;(AN)
    the earth and the heavens will tremble.(AO)
But the Lord will be a refuge(AP) for his people,
    a stronghold(AQ) for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

17 “Then you will know(AR) that I, the Lord your God,(AS)
    dwell in Zion,(AT) my holy hill.(AU)
Jerusalem will be holy;(AV)
    never again will foreigners invade her.(AW)

18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(AX)
    and the hills will flow with milk;(AY)
    all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(AZ)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house(BA)
    and will water the valley of acacias.[d](BB)
19 But Egypt(BC) will be desolate,
    Edom(BD) a desert waste,
because of violence(BE) done to the people of Judah,
    in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(BF)
    and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(BG)
    No, I will not.(BH)

The Lord dwells in Zion!(BI)

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
  2. Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
  3. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
  4. Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim

选民之敌必见鞫受惩

“到那日,我使犹大耶路撒冷被掳之人归回的时候, 我要聚集万民,带他们下到约沙法谷,在那里施行审判。因为他们将我的百姓,就是我的产业以色列,分散在列国中,又分取我的地土, 且为我的百姓拈阄,将童子换妓女,卖童女买酒喝。 推罗西顿非利士四境的人哪,你们与我何干?你们要报复我吗?若报复我,我必使报应速速归到你们的头上。 你们既然夺取我的金银,又将我可爱的宝物带入你们宫殿[a] 并将犹大人和耶路撒冷人卖给希腊[b],使他们远离自己的境界, 我必激动他们离开你们所卖到之地,又必使报应归到你们的头上。 我必将你们的儿女卖在犹大人的手中,他们必卖给远方示巴国的人。这是耶和华说的。

耶和华在约沙法谷鞫万民

“当在万民中宣告说:要预备打仗,激动勇士,使一切战士上前来! 10 要将犁头打成刀剑,将镰刀打成戈矛。软弱的要说:‘我有勇力!’” 11 四围的列国啊,你们要速速地来,一同聚集!耶和华啊,求你使你的大能者降临! 12 “万民都当兴起,上到约沙法谷,因为我必坐在那里,审判四围的列国。 13 开镰吧!因为庄稼熟了。践踏吧!因为酒榨满了,酒池盈溢,他们的罪恶甚大。

14 “许多许多的人在断定谷,因为耶和华的日子临近断定谷。 15 日月昏暗,星宿无光。 16 耶和华必从锡安吼叫,从耶路撒冷发声,天地就震动。耶和华却要做他百姓的避难所,做以色列人的保障。 17 你们就知道我是耶和华你们的神,且又住在锡安我的圣山。那时,耶路撒冷必成为圣,外邦人不再从其中经过。

异邦受罚

18 “到那日,大山要滴甜酒,小山要流奶子,犹大溪河都有水流,必有泉源从耶和华的殿中流出来,滋润什亭谷。 19 埃及必然荒凉,以东变为凄凉的旷野,都因向犹大人所行的强暴,又因在本地流无辜人的血。

犹大永存

20 “但犹大必存到永远,耶路撒冷必存到万代。 21 我未曾报复[c]流血的罪,现在我要报复,因为耶和华住在锡安。”

Footnotes

  1. 约珥书 3:5 或作:庙中。
  2. 约珥书 3:6 原文作:雅完人。
  3. 约珥书 3:21 或作:洗除。下同。

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:

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.

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:

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

17 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.

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 out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

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.

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

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

The Lord Judges the Nations

[a] “For behold, (A)in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, (B)I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And (C)I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and (D)have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

“What are you to me, (E)O Tyre and Sidon, and all (F)the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, (G)I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. For (H)you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.[b] You have sold (I)the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and (J)I will return your payment on your own head. I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the (K)Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken.”

Proclaim this among the nations:
(L)Consecrate for war;[c]
    stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near;
    let them come up.
10 (M)Beat your plowshares into swords,
    and (N)your pruning hooks into spears;
    let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

11 (O)Hasten and come,
    all you surrounding nations,
    and gather yourselves there.
(P)Bring down your warriors, O Lord.
12 Let the nations stir themselves up
    and come up to (Q)the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
(R)for there I will sit to judge
    all the surrounding nations.

13 (S)Put in the sickle,
    (T)for the harvest is ripe.
(U)Go in, tread,
    (V)for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
    for their evil is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes,
    in the valley of decision!
For (W)the day of the Lord is near
    in the valley of decision.
15 (X)The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.

16 (Y)The Lord roars from Zion,
    and (Z)utters his voice from Jerusalem,
    (AA)and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is (AB)a refuge to his people,
    a stronghold to the people of Israel.

The Glorious Future of Judah

17 (AC)“So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
    (AD)who dwells in Zion, (AE)my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
    and (AF)strangers shall never again pass through it.

18 “And in that day
(AG)the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
    and the hills shall flow with milk,
and (AH)all the streambeds of Judah
    shall flow with water;
(AI)and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
    and water the Valley of (AJ)Shittim.

19 (AK)“Egypt shall become a desolation
    and (AL)Edom a desolate wilderness,
(AM)for the violence done to the people of Judah,
    because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 (AN)But Judah shall be inhabited forever,
    and Jerusalem to all generations.
21 (AO)I will avenge their blood,
    blood I have not avenged,[d]
    (AP)for the Lord dwells in Zion.”

Footnotes

  1. Joel 3:1 Ch 4:1 in Hebrew
  2. Joel 3:5 Or palaces
  3. Joel 3:9 Or Consecrate a war
  4. Joel 3:21 Or I will acquit their bloodguilt that I have not acquitted