Joel 2:1-8 ▼

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment], Sound an alarm on My holy mountain [Zion]! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble and shudder in fear, For the [judgment] day of the LORD is coming; It is close at hand,

2 A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and of thick [dark] mist, Like the dawn spread over the mountains; There is a [pagan, hostile] people numerous and mighty, The like of which has never been before Nor will be again afterward Even for years of many generations.

3 Before them a fire devours, And behind them a flame burns; Before them the land is like the Garden of Eden, But behind them a desolate wilderness; And nothing at all escapes them.

4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, And they run like war horses.

5 Like the noise of chariots They leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, Like a mighty people set in battle formation.

6 Before them the people are in anguish; All faces become pale [with terror].

7 They run like warriors; They climb the wall like soldiers. They each march [straight ahead] in line, And they do not deviate from their paths.

8 They do not crowd each other; Each one marches in his path. When they burst through the defenses (weapons), They do not break ranks.