Joel 2:2–10

²a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness.

Like the dawn overspreading the mountains

a great and strong army appears,

such as never was of old,

nor will ever be in ages to come.

³Before them a fire devours,

and behind them a flame scorches.

The land before them is like the Garden of Eden,

but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland —

surely nothing will escape them.

⁴Their appearance is like that of horses,

and they gallop like swift steeds.^a

⁵With a sound like that of chariots

they bound over the mountaintops,

like the crackling of fire consuming stubble,

like a mighty army deployed for battle.

⁶Nations writhe in horror before them;

every face turns pale.

⁷They charge like mighty men;

they scale the walls like men of war.

Each one marches in formation,

not swerving from the course.

⁸They do not jostle one another;

each proceeds in his path.

They burst through the defenses,

never breaking ranks.

⁹They storm the city;

they run along the wall;

they climb into houses,

entering through windows like thieves.

¹⁰Before them the earth quakes;

the heavens tremble.

The sun and moon grow dark,

and the stars lose their brightness.