1 2 3
3 <1> "Yes, at that time, I will bring back the people of Judah and Jerusalem from captivity. <2> I will also gather all the nations together. I will bring all these nations down into Jehoshaphat Valley.[21] There I will judge them. Those nations scattered my people, Israel. They forced them to live in other nations, so I will punish those nations. They divided up my land. <3> They threw lots[22] for my people. They sold boys to buy a prostitute, and they sold girls to buy wine to drink.
<4> "Tyre! Sidon! All of you areas of Philistia! You are not important to me![23] Are you punishing me for something I did? You might think that you are punishing me, but I will soon punish you. <5> You took my silver and gold. You took my precious treasures and put them in your temples.[24]
<6> "You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks. That way you could take them far from their land. <7> You sent my people to that faraway place, but I will bring them back. And I will punish you for what you did. <8> I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah. Then they will sell them to the faraway Sabeans.[25]" This is what the Lord said.
<9> Announce this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Wake up the strong men!
Let all the men of war come near.
Let them come up!
<10> Beat your plows into swords.
Make spears from your pruning hooks.[26]
Let the weak man say,
"I am a strong soldier."
<11> All of you nations, hurry!
Come together in that place.
Lord, bring your strong soldiers.
<12> Wake up, nations!
Come to Jehoshaphat Valley.
There I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
<13> Bring the sickle,[27]
because the harvest is ripe.[28]
Come, walk on the grapes,
because the winepress is full.
The barrels will be full and spilling over,
because their evil is great.
<14> There are many, many people
in the Valley of Decision.[29]
The Lord's special day is near
in the Valley of Decision.
<15> The sun and the moon will become dark.
The stars will stop shining.
<16> The Lord God will shout from Zion.[30]
He will shout from Jerusalem,
and the sky and the earth will shake.
But the Lord God will be a safe place
for his people.
He will be a place of safety
for the people of Israel.
<17> "Then you will know
that I am the Lord your God.
I live on Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will become holy.
Strangers will never pass through
that city again."
<18> "On that day, the mountains will drip
with sweet wine.
The hills will flow with milk,
and water will flow through all the empty rivers of Judah.
A fountain will come from
the Lord's Temple.[31]
It will give water to Acacia Valley.
<19> Egypt will be empty.
Edom will be an empty wilderness,
because they were cruel to the people of Judah.
They killed innocent people[32]
in their country.
<20> But there will always be people
living in Judah,
People will live in Jerusalem
through many generations.
<21> Those people killed my people,
so I really will punish them!"
The Lord God will live in Zion[33]!
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.