Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Yahweh will gather the nations and judge them on the Day of the Lord.
II. Photo
God will sustain Judah: “And in that day, the mountains shall drip with wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the watercourses of Judah shall flow with water.” (v. 18a)
III. Important Verses
1-3: For lo! in those days And in that time, When I restore the fortunes Of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will contend with them Over My very own people, Israel, Which they scattered among the nations. For they divided My land among themselves And cast lots over My people; And they bartered a boy for a whore, And sold a girl for wine, which they drank.
8: I will deliver your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah, and they will sell them into captivity to a distant nation — for the LORD has spoken.
9-12: Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for battle! Arouse the warriors, Let all the fighters come and draw near! Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning hooks into spears. Let even the weakling say, “I am strong.” Rouse yourselves and come, All you nations; Come together From roundabout. There bring down Your warriors, O LORD! Let the nations rouse themselves and march up To the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit in judgment Over all the nations roundabout.
14-16: Multitudes upon multitudes In the Valley of Decision! For the day of the LORD is at hand In the Valley of Decision. Sun and moon are darkened, And stars withdraw their brightness. And the LORD will roar from Zion, And shout aloud from Jerusalem, So that heaven and earth tremble. But the LORD will be a shelter to His people, A refuge to the children of Israel.
19-20: Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate waste, Because of the outrage to the people of Judah, In whose land they shed the blood of the innocent. But Judah shall be inhabited forever, And Jerusalem throughout the ages.
IV. Outline
1-3. God will judge the nations in the valley of Jehoshaphat
4-8. God promises to repay the nations for taking advantage of Judah
9-14. Call to gather the nations for the Day of the Lord
15-16. God will protect Israel on the Day of the Lord
17. Recognition formula: Jerusalem is God’s dwelling place
18-21. God will bring prosperity to Judah and misery to Egypt
V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.
VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Photo taken from http://thundafunda.com/393/?level=picture&id=3597