כִּי הִנֵּה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה וּבָעֵת הַהִיא אֲשֶׁר אָשִׁיב אֶת־שְׁבוּת יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם

For behold, in those days and at that time, when I will bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

וְקִבַּצְתִּי אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם וְהוֹרַדְתִּים אֶל־עֵמֶק יְהוֹשָׁפָט וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּי עִמָּם שָׁם עַל־עַמִּי וְנַחֲלָתִי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר פִּזְּרוּ בַגּוֹיִם וְאֶת־אַרְצִי חִלֵּקוּ

I will gather all the nations and I will take them down to the Valley of Yehoshafat; I will execute justice with them about My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they dispersed among the nations, and they divided My land.

וְאֶל עַמִּי יַדּוּ גוֹרָל וַיִּתְּנוּ הַיֶּלֶד בַּזּוֹנָה וְ הַיַּלְדָּה מָכְרוּ בַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁתּוּ

They cast lots over the captives among My people, and they gave the boy for the harlot. The bigger and stronger the captive, the greater his worth. Consequently, a young boy, who could not fetch a high price, would be sold for an encounter with a harlot. And they sold the girl for wine, and drank.

וְגַם מָה־אַתֶּם לִי צֹר וְצִידוֹן וְכֹל גְּלִילוֹת פְּלָשֶׁת! הַגְּמוּל אַתֶּם מְשַׁלְּמִים עָלָי וְאִם־גֹּמְלִים אַתֶּם עָלַי! קַל מְהֵרָה אָשִׁיב גְּמֻלְכֶם בְּרֹאשְׁכֶם

I will also execute judgment upon certain peoples: Indeed, what value are you for Me, Tyre and Sidon, and all the districts of Philistia? Do you offer me any benefit? Are you benefitting me? Speedily I will return your benefit upon your head.

אֲשֶׁר־כַּסְפִּי וּזְהָבִי לְקַחְתֶּם וּמַחֲמַדַּי הַטֹּבִים הֲבֵאתֶם לְהֵיכְלֵיכֶם

This will be your just punishment, for you took My silver and My gold, and you brought My precious valuables to your palaces.

ובְנֵי יְהוּדָה וּבְנֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם מְכַרְתֶּם לִבְנֵי הַיְּוָנִים לְמַעַן הַרְחִיקָם מֵעַל גְּבוּלָם

You sold the captured children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the children of the Hellenes, the Greeks, in order to distance them from their border. Tyre, Sidon, and the Philistine cities all engaged in extensive maritime commerce. Captives from Judah were taken there and sold to places as far off as the Greek city-states of the Aegean, which the prophet regards as remote.

הִנְנִי מְעִירָם מִן־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתָם שָׁמָּה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִי גְמֻלְכֶם בְּרֹאשְׁכֶם

Behold, I will rouse them from the place where you sold them and return them to their land, and I will return your retribution upon your head.

וּמָכַרְתִּי אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶם וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיכֶם בְּיַד בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וּמְכָרוּם לִשְׁבָאיִם אֶל־גּוֹי רָחוֹק כִּי ה' דִּבֵּר

Then the tables will be turned: I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah and they will sell them to the Sheva’ites, the men of the kingdom of Sheba, located either at the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula or in East Africa, to a distant nation, for the Lord has spoken.

קִרְאוּ־זֹאת בַּגּוֹיִם קַדְּשׁוּ מִלְחָמָה הָעִירוּ הַגִּבּוֹרִים יִגְּשׁוּ יַעֲלוּ כֹּל אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה

The prophet issues a call to arms: Proclaim this among the nations, prepare war, rouse the valiant, let all men of war approach and come up.

כֹּתּוּ אִתֵּיכֶם לַחֲרָבוֹת ומַזְמְרֹתֵיכֶם לִרְמָחִים הַחַלָּשׁ יֹאמַר גִּבּוֹר אָנִי

Break your plowshares and beat the iron of your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; even the weak will say: I am valiant, as all of you will come to the battlefield.

עוּשׁוּ וָבֹאוּ כָל־הַגּוֹיִם מִסָּבִיב וְנִקְבָּצוּ שָׁמָּה הַנְחַת ה' גִּבּוֹרֶיךָ

Hasten and come, all the surrounding nations, and gather yourselves in one place; the Lord will take down your valiant ones, the mighty ones of your enemies, there.

יֵעוֹרוּ וְיַעֲלוּ הַגּוֹיִם אֶל־עֵמֶק יְהוֹשָׁפָט כִּי שָׁם אֵשֵׁב לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם מִסָּבִיב

Let the nations rouse and go up to the Valley of Yehoshafat, as there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

שִׁלְחוּ מַגָּל כִּי בָשַׁל קָצִיר בֹּאוּ רְדוּ כִּי־מָלְאָה גַּת הֵשִׁיקוּ הַיְקָבִים כִּי רַבָּה רָעָתָם

The prophet provides a metaphoric description of the war: Extend the scythe to harvest, as the harvest is already ripe; come, come down, as the winepress is full of grapes; the vats overflow, as their, the nations’, evildoing is great. All necessary preparations have been made, and the time has come to exact retribution from the nations.

הֲמוֹנִים הֲמוֹנִים בְּעֵמֶק הֶחָרוּץ כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם ה' בְּעֵמֶק הֶחָרוּץ

Hordes, hordes are to arrive in the cleft valley, the Valley of Yehoshafat (see commentary on 4:12). Perhaps the name alludes to the decisive judgments that will be issued there. As the day of the Lord is near, in the cleft valley.

שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ קָדָרוּ וְכוֹכָבִים אָסְפוּ נָגְהָם

The sun and the moon darkened on the day of the Lord, and the stars withdrew their shining. On that day, the heavenly bodies will provide no light.

וַה' מִצִּיּוֹן יִשְׁאָג וּמִירוּשָׁלִַם יִתֵּן קוֹלוֹ וְרָעֲשׁוּ שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ וַה' מַחֲסֶה לְעַמּוֹ וּמָעוֹז לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The Lord will roar from Zion, and from Jerusalem will project His voice; the heavens and the earth will quake. There will be utter confusion, as everything will be dark and the entire world will tremble. But nevertheless, the Lord will be a shelter for His people and a stronghold for the children of Israel. The nation of Israel should therefore be confident in its salvation.

וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם שֹׁכֵן בְּצִיּוֹן הַר־קָדְשִׁי וְהָיְתָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם קֹדֶשׁ וְזָרִים לֹא־יַעַבְרוּ־בָהּ עוֹד

You will know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain; Jerusalem will be holy in her sons’ possession, and strangers will not pass through it anymore.

וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם הַהוּא יִטְּפוּ הֶהָרִים עָסִיס וְהַגְּבָעוֹת תֵּלַכְנָה חָלָב וְכָל־אֲפִיקֵי יְהוּדָה יֵלְכוּ מָיִם וּמַעְיָן מִבֵּית ה' יֵצֵא וְהִשְׁקָה אֶת־נַחַל הַשִּׁטִּים

It shall be on that day, that the mountains will drip nectar and the hills will flow with milk; all the streams of Judah, which are currently dry, will flow with water, and a spring will emerge from the House of the Lord, and it will turn into a large river and it will irrigate the Shitim Ravine.This was probably the lower portion of the Kidron Valley, in whose drainage basin the Temple was located. This river will flow east through the Judean Desert all the way to the Dead Sea.

מִצְרַיִם לִשְׁמָמָה תִהְיֶה וֶאֱדוֹם לְמִדְבַּר שְׁמָמָה תִּהְיֶה מֵחֲמַס בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁפְכוּ דָם־נָקִיא בְּאַרְצָם

Unlike Judah, which will be an especially fertile land, Egypt will become a desolation, and Edom, which is not known as a particularly fruitful area even in modern times, will become a desolate wilderness. This will be God’s vengeance due to the villainy against the children of Judah, that they, the nations, have shed innocent blood in their land, the land of Judah.

וִיהוּדָה לְעוֹלָם תֵּשֵׁב וִירוּשָׁלִַם לְדוֹר וָדוֹר

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

וְנִקֵּיתִי דָּמָם לֹא־נִקֵּיתִי וַה' שֹׁכֵן בְּצִיּוֹן

As for all those who were killed or persecuted by the nations, even if I will cleanse the nations, hold them innocent of other transgressions, nevertheless, for their blood, the blood of the people of Judah, who died in My name and for My honor, I will not cleanse them; and the Lord dwells in Zion. When God will reign in Zion, retribution will be visited even upon those who perpetrated acts of murder long ago.