וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת־רוּחִי עַל־כָּל־בָּשָׂר וְנִבְּאוּ בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם חֲלֹמוֹת יַחֲלֹמוּן   3:1 בַּחוּרֵיכֶם חֶזְיֹנוֹת יִרְאוּ׃

Joel 3:1   “And it shall be after this,

                           I shall pour out My spirit upon all flesh,

                  so your sons and your daughters can prophesy,

                           your old men can dream dreams,

                  your young men can see visions.”

This is a famous prophetic passage, well known by many, even those who are not conversant in the bible.  My translation differs from most others in translating the helping verbs in the future tense as can rather than shall, so that it conveys a potential rather than a certainty.

וְגַם עַל־הָעֲבָדִים וְעַל־הַשְּׁפָחוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת־רוּחִי׃   3:2

Joel 3:2   “In those days even upon the servants and upon the handmaids

                             I shall also pour out My spirit.”

וְנָתַתִּי מוֹפְתִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימֲרוֹת עָשָׁן׃   3:3

Joel 3:3   “And I will produce wonders in the heavens and on the earth

                              -- blood, and fire, and columns of smoke.”

הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵהָפֵךְ לְחֹשֶׁךְ וְהַיָּרֵחַ לְדָם לִפְנֵי בּוֹא יוֹם יְהוָה הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא׃   3:4

Joel 3:4   The sun will be transformed to darkness,

                              and the moon to blood,

                   before the arrival of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

This famous passage is understood to be an end-time prophecy.

וְהָיָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט כִּי בְּהַר־צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם תִּהְיֶה פְלֵיטָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהוָה   3:5 וּבַשְּׂרִידִים אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה קֹרֵא׃

Joel 3:5   And it shall be,

                              anyone who shall call in the name of the Lord

                  shall be delivered,

                              for a deliverance shall occur on mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

                  as the Lord has said,

                              and the Lord will be proclaiming

                  who shall be among the survivors.

Joel has transformed himself into a prophet of a glorious future.

[Return to Joel Chapters]   [Prev.:  Joel 2]   [Next:  Joel 4]