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Minor Prophets · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Joel 3

Disaster summons repentance while the day of the LORD brings judgment and Spirit-filled hope.

Old Testament

Joel 3

1“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

2I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment on them there for my people, and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations. They have divided my land,

3and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a prostitute, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.

4“Yes, and what are you to me, Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Will you repay me? And if you repay me, I will swiftly and speedily return your repayment on your own head.

5Because you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my finest treasures into your temples,

6and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their border.

7Behold, I will stir them up out of the place where you have sold them, and will return your repayment on your own head;

8and I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the men of Sheba, to a faraway nation, for the LORD has spoken it.”

9Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Stir up the mighty men. Let all the warriors draw near. Let them come up.

10Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’

11Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves together.” Cause your mighty ones to come down there, LORD.

12“Let the nations arouse themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

13Put in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.”

14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

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

16The LORD will roar from Zion, and thunder from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth will shake; but the LORD will be a refuge to his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.

17“So you will know that I am the LORD, your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then Jerusalem will be holy, and no strangers will pass through her any more.

18It will happen in that day, that the mountains will drop down sweet wine, the hills will flow with milk, all the brooks of Judah will flow with waters; and a fountain will flow out from the LORD’s house, and will water the valley of Shittim.

19Egypt will be a desolation and Edom will be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed, for the LORD dwells in Zion.”

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Disaster summons repentance while the day of the LORD brings judgment and Spirit-filled hope. Read Joel 3 within the complete Joel overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Joel 3

Joel 3 contains 21 verses and about 523 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: ““For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 21 closes: “I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed, for the LORD dwells in Zion.”” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include will, judah, nations, jerusalem, valley, children. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Joel 3

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Joel 3:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer