2:2 It will be ¹  a day of dreadful darkness, ² 

a day of foreboding storm clouds, ³ 

like blackness ⁴  spread over the mountains.

It is a huge and powerful army ⁵  –

there has never been anything like it ever before,

and there will not be anything like it for many generations to come! ⁶ 

2:3 Like fire they devour everything in their path; ⁷ 

a flame blazes behind them.

The land looks like the Garden of Eden ⁸  before them,

but behind them there is only a desolate wilderness –

for nothing escapes them! ⁹ 

2:4 They look like horses; ¹⁰ 

they charge ahead like war horses.

2:5 They sound like ¹¹  chariots rumbling ¹²  over mountain tops,

like the crackling ¹³  of blazing fire consuming stubble,

like the noise of ¹⁴  a mighty army ¹⁵  being drawn up for battle. ¹⁶ 

2:6 People ¹⁷  writhe in fear when they see them. ¹⁸ 

All of their faces turn pale with fright. ¹⁹ 

2:7 They ²⁰  charge ²¹  like warriors;

they scale walls like soldiers. ²² 

Each one proceeds on his course;

they do not alter ²³  their path.

2:8 They do not jostle one another; ²⁴ 

each of them marches straight ahead. ²⁵ 

They burst through ²⁶  the city defenses ²⁷ 

and do not break ranks.

2:9 They rush into ²⁸  the city;

they scale ²⁹  its walls.

They climb up into the houses;

they go in through the windows like a thief.

2:10 The earth quakes ³⁰  before them; ³¹ 

the sky reverberates. ³² 

The sun and the moon grow dark;

the stars refuse to shine. ³³ 

2:11 The voice of the Lord thunders ³⁴  as he leads his army. ³⁵ 

Indeed, his warriors ³⁶  are innumerable; ³⁷ 

Surely his command is carried out! ³⁸ 

Yes, the day of the Lord is awesome ³⁹ 

and very terrifying – who can survive ⁴⁰  it?