1
Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand:
2
A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.
3
A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them.
4
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run.
5
With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array.
6
Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color.
7
They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks.
8
They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down.
9
They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief.
10
The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness.
11
The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?
12
"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."