66 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
66 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 3
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1 “At the time of those events,” says the Lord,
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“when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem,
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2 I will gather the armies of the world
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into the valley of Jehoshaphat.
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There I will judge them
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for harming my people, my special possession,
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for scattering my people among the nations,
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and for dividing up my land.
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3 They threw dice to decide which of my people
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would be their slaves.
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They traded boys to obtain prostitutes
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and sold girls for enough wine to get drunk.
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4 “What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done.
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5 You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and have carried them off to your pagan temples.
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6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, so they could take them far from their homeland.
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7 “But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for everything you have done.
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8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the people of Arabia, a nation far away. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
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9 Say to the nations far and wide:
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“Get ready for war!
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Call out your best warriors.
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Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.
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10 Hammer your plowshares into swords
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and your pruning hooks into spears.
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Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
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11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere.
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Gather together in the valley.”
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And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!
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12 “Let the nations be called to arms.
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Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
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There I, the Lord, will sit
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to pronounce judgment on them all.
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13 Swing the sickle,
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for the harvest is ripe.
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Come, tread the grapes,
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for the winepress is full.
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The storage vats are overflowing
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with the wickedness of these people.”
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14 Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision.
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There the day of the Lord will soon arrive.
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15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
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and the stars will no longer shine.
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16 The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion
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and thunder from Jerusalem,
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and the heavens and the earth will shake.
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But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
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a strong fortress for the people of Israel.
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17 “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
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live in Zion, my holy mountain.
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Jerusalem will be holy forever,
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and foreign armies will never conquer her again.
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18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine,
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and the hills will flow with milk.
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Water will fill the streambeds of Judah,
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and a fountain will burst forth from the Lord’s Temple,
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watering the arid valley of acacias.
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19 But Egypt will become a wasteland
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and Edom will become a wilderness,
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because they attacked the people of Judah
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and killed innocent people in their land.
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20 “But Judah will be filled with people forever,
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and Jerusalem will endure through all generations.
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21 I will pardon my people’s crimes,
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which I have not yet pardoned;
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and I, the Lord, will make my home
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in Jerusalem with my people.” |