God Will Judge the Nations

1The Lord says,

“At that time I will restore

the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem.

2I will gather all the nations

and bring them to the Valley of Judgment.

There I will judge them

for all they have done to my people.

They have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries

and divided Israel, my land.

3They threw dice to decide

who would get the captives.

They sold boys and girls into slavery

to pay for prostitutes and wine.

4 “What are you trying to do to me, Tyre, Sidon, and all of Philistia? Are you trying to pay me back for something? If you are, I will quickly pay you back! 5You have taken my silver and gold and carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6You have taken the people of Judah and Jerusalem far from their own country and sold them to the Greeks. 7Now I am going to bring them out of the places to which you have sold them. I will do to you what you have done to them. 8I will let your sons and daughters be sold to the people of Judah; they will sell them to the far-off Sabeans. I, the Lord, have spoken.

9“Make this announcement among the nations:

‘Prepare for war;

call your warriors;

gather all your soldiers and march!

10 Hammer the points of your plows into swords

and your pruning knives into spears.

Even the weak must fight.

11Hurry+ and come,

all you surrounding nations,

and gather in the valley.’”

Send down, O Lord, your army to attack them!

12“The nations must get ready

and come to the Valley of Judgment.

There I, the Lord, will sit to judge

all the surrounding nations.

13 They are very wicked;

cut them down like grain

at harvest time;

crush them as grapes are crushed

in a full wine press

until the wine runs over.”

14Thousands and thousands

are in the Valley of Judgment.

It is there that the day of the Lord

will soon come.

15The sun and the moon grow dark,

and the stars no longer shine.

God Will Bless His People

16 The Lord roars from Mount Zion;

his voice thunders from Jerusalem;

earth and sky tremble.

But he will defend his people.

17“Then, Israel, you will know that I am the Lord your God.

I live on Zion, my sacred hill.

Jerusalem will be a sacred city;

foreigners will never conquer it again.

18At that time the mountains will be covered with vineyards,

and cattle will be found on every hill;

there will be plenty of water for all of Judah.

A stream will flow from the Temple of the Lord,

and it will water Acacia Valley.

19“Egypt will become a desert,

and Edom a ruined waste,

because they attacked the land of Judah

and killed its innocent people.

20-21I will avenge+ those who were killed;

I will not spare the guilty.

But Judah and Jerusalem will be inhabited forever,

and I, the Lord, will live on Mount Zion.”