Joel 3 - Easy To Read Version

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. {\cf2\super [24]} 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. Those nations divided up my land.

³ They threw lots {\cf2\super [25]} for my people. They sold a boy to buy a prostitute. {\cf2\super [26]} And they sold a girl to buy wine to drink. They even …

⁴ “Tyre! Sidon! All of you areas of Philistia! You are not important to me! {\cf2\super [27]} 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 it in your temples. {\cf2\super [28]}

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 Sabean people.” The Lord said those things.

⁹ Announce this among the nations:\par Prepare for war!\par Wake up the strong men!\par Let all the men of war come near.\par Let them come up!\par

¹⁰ Beat your plows into swords.\par Make spears from your pruning hooks. {\cf2\super [29]} \par Let the weak man say,\par “I am a strong soldier.”\par

¹¹ All of you nations, hurry!\par Come together in that place!\par Lord, bring your strong soldiers!\par

¹² Wake up, nations!\par Come to Jehoshaphat Valley!\par There I will sit to judge\par all the surrounding nations.\par

¹³ Bring the sickle, {\cf2\super [30]} \par because the harvest is ripe. {\cf2\super [31]} \par Come, walk on \{the grapes,\}\par because the winepress is full.\par The barrels will be full and spilling over,\par because their evil is great.\par

¹⁴ There are many, many people\par in the Valley of Decision. {\cf2\super [32]} \par The Lord’s special day is near\par in the Valley of Decision.\par

¹⁵ The sun and the moon will become dark.\par The stars will stop shining.\par

¹⁶ The Lord God will shout from Zion, {\cf2\super [33]} \par He will shout from Jerusalem,\par and the sky and the earth will shake.\par But the Lord God will be a safe place\par for his people.\par He will be a place of safety\par for the people of Israel.\par

¹⁷ “Then you will know\par that I am the Lord your God,\par I live on Zion, {\cf2\super [34]} my holy mountain.\par Jerusalem will become holy.\par Strangers will never pass through\par that city again.”\par

¹⁸ “On that day, the mountains will drip\par with sweet wine.\par The hills will flow with milk.\par And water will flow through all\par the empty rivers of Judah.\par A fountain will come from\par the Lord’s temple. {\cf2\super [35]} \par It will give water to Acacia Valley.\par

¹⁹ Egypt will be empty.\par Edom will be an empty wilderness.\par Why? Because they were cruel\par to the people of Judah.\par They killed innocent people {\cf2\super [36]} \par in their country.\par

²⁰ But there will always be people\par living in Judah,\par People will live in Jerusalem\par through many generations.\par

²¹ Those people killed my people.\par So I really will punish them!”\par The Lord God will live in Zion! {\cf2\super [37]} \par