Joel 3:6 (YLT)

Passage

And sons of Judah, and sons of Jerusalem, Ye have sold to the sons of Javan, To put them far off from their border.

Nearby Context

Joel 3:4 And also, what <FI>are<Fi> ye to Me, O Tyre and Zidon, And all circuits of Philistia? Recompence are ye rendering unto Me? And if ye are giving recompence to Me, Swiftly, hastily, I turn back your recompence on your head.

Joel 3:5 In that My silver and My gold ye took, And My desirable things that are good, Ye have brought in to your temples.

Joel 3:6 And sons of Judah, and sons of Jerusalem, Ye have sold to the sons of Javan, To put them far off from their border.

Joel 3:7 Lo, I am stirring them up out of the place Whither ye have sold them, And I have turned back your recompence on your head,

Joel 3:8 And have sold your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the sons of Judah, And they have sold them to Shabeans, Unto a nation far off, for Jehovah hath spoken.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "judah", "jerusalem", "sold", "javan", and "border". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sons" and "judah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "In that My silver and My gold..." into verse 7's "Lo I am stirring them up out...", so "sons" and "judah" belong inside that flow. In Joel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sons" and "judah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.