3
‘At that time I will bless Judah and Jerusalem with great success again.
2 I will gather together all the nations.
I will bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial.
I will judge them for what they have done
to my people Israel.
They scattered them among the nations.
They divided up my land among themselves.
3 They cast lots for my people.
They sold boys into slavery to get prostitutes.
They sold girls to buy some wine to drink.
4 ‘Tyre and Sidon, why are you doing things like that to me? And why are you doing them, all you people in Philistia? Are you trying to get even with me for something I have done? If you are, I will pay you back for it in a quick and speedy way. 5 You took my silver and gold. You carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks. You wanted to send them far away from their own country.
7 ‘But now I will stir them up into action. I will bring them back from the places you sold them to. And I will do to you what you did to them. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah. And they will sell them to the Sabeans. The Sabeans are a nation that is far away.’ The Lord has spoken.
9 Announce this among the nations.
Tell them to prepare for battle.
Nations, get your soldiers ready!
Bring all your fighting men together
and march out to attack.
10 Hammer your ploughs into swords.
Hammer your pruning tools into spears.
Let anyone who is weak say,
‘I am strong!’
11 Come quickly, all you surrounding nations.
Gather together in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
Lord, send down your soldiers from heaven!
12 The Lord says,
‘Stir up the nations into action!
Let them march into the valley
where I will judge them.
I will take my seat in court.
I will judge all the surrounding nations.
13 My soldiers, swing your blades.
The nations are ripe for harvest.
Come and trample on them as if they were grapes.
Crush them until the winepress of my anger is full.
Do it until the wine spills over
from the places where it is stored.
The nations have committed far too many sins!’
14 Huge numbers of soldiers are gathered in the valley
where the Lord will hand down his sentence.
The day of the Lord is near in that valley.
15 The sun and moon will become dark.
The stars won't shine anymore.
16 The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem.
His voice will sound like thunder from Zion.
The earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will keep the people of Israel safe.
He will be a place of safety for them.
17 The Lord says,
‘You will know that I am the Lord your God.
I live in Zion.
It is my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be my holy city.
People from other lands
will never again attack it.
18 ‘At that time fresh wine will drip from the mountains.
Milk will flow down from the hills.
Water will run through all Judah's valleys.
A fountain will flow out of my temple.
It will water the places where acacia trees grow.
19 But Egypt will be deserted.
Edom will become a dry and empty desert.
They did terrible harm to the people of Judah.
My people were not guilty of doing anything wrong.
But Egypt and Edom spilled their blood anyway.
20 My people will live in Judah and Jerusalem for ever.
The land will be their home for all time to come.
21 Egypt and Edom have spilled my people's blood.
Should I let them escape my judgment?
No, I will not.’
The Lord lives in Zion!
2:28–3:21 Joel shared messages of judgement against the nations around the southern kingdom. The time of this judgement was called the day of the Lord. Joel used apocalyptic writing to describe this day. It was a time of judgement for some and a time of blessing for others. God promised to judge the nations that had treated his people badly. God's anger at the sins of these nations was like a winepress. The nations would be crushed in it like grapes. That is how Joel described them being punished for doing evil deeds. Joel's messages in chapter 1 showed that God brought judgement against his people for their sin. The messages in chapter 2 and 3 showed something else about God. God brings judgement against all people groups for their sin. And God's blessings are for all people groups who obey him. God chose to live in Zion. Zion is another name for Jerusalem. This means that God made his presence known to people there. God's presence brought safety, health, peace and rest to his people. These blessings weren't only for the people of Israel. God promised that a fountain would flow out of the temple. Ezekiel also talked about a river flowing from the temple (Ezekiel 47:1–12). Water flowing from the temple was a sign of blessing. It was also a sign of the living water that comes from knowing God. Joel showed that this blessing and life were for all people who serve God. God would pour out his Spirit on them. This meant that the Holy Spirit would be inside of his people. This was part of the new covenant. Many years later Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his followers during Pentecost. Peter explained that part of Joel's prophecy was fulfilled when that happened (Acts 2:14–21).