Study Desk

And tear your heart and not merely your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in mercy And relenting of catastrophe.

Who knows, He might turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him, Resulting in a grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God.

Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And will have compassion for His people.

Do not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice, For the LORD has done great things.

Do not fear, animals of the field, For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, For the tree has produced its fruit, The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.

So shout for joy, you sons of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has brought down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before.

"Then I will compensate you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust— My great army which I sent among you.

"And it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD Will be saved; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, Just as the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

"For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

"They have also cast lots for My people, Traded a boy for a prostitute, And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink.

"I will also sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation," for the LORD has spoken.

Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for holy war; stir up the warriors! Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!

Let the nations be awakened And come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding nations.

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

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

The LORD roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge for His people, And a stronghold for the sons of Israel.

But Judah will be inhabited forever, And Jerusalem for all generations.

And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, For the LORD dwells in Zion.

This is what the LORD says: "For three offenses of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.

This is what the LORD says: "For three offenses of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they led into exile an entire population To turn them over to Edom.