Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.^(E)
6 You establish the mountains by Your^[d] power,
robed with strength.^(F)
7 You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.^(G)
8 Those who live far away are awed by Your signs;
You make east and west shout for joy.^(H)

⁹ You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for You prepare the earth^[e] in this way,
providing people with grain.^(I)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.^(J)
11 You crown the year with Your goodness;
Your ways overflow with plenty.^[f](K)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.^(L)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.^(M)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.^(N)

2 Blow the horn in Zion;^(A)
sound the alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all the residents of the land tremble,
for the Day of the Lord is coming;^(B)
in fact, it is near—
² a day of darkness and gloom,^(C)
a day of clouds and dense overcast,^(D)
like the dawn spreading over the mountains;
a great and strong people^(E) appears,
such as never existed in ages past^(F)
and never will again
in all the generations to come.^(G)

³ A fire destroys^[a] in front of them,^(H)
and behind them a flame devours.
The land in front of them
is like the Garden of Eden,^(I)
but behind them,
it is like a desert wasteland;^(J)
there is no escape from them.
⁴ Their appearance is like that of horses,^(K)
and they gallop like war horses.
⁵ They bound on the tops of the mountains.
Their sound is like the sound of chariots,^(L)
like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble,^(M)
like a mighty army deployed for war.

⁶ Nations writhe in horror before them;^(N)
all faces turn pale.
⁷ They attack as warriors attack;
they scale walls as men of war do.
Each goes on his own path,^(O)
and they do not change their course.
⁸ They do not push each other;
each man proceeds on his own path.
They dodge the arrows, never stopping.
⁹ They storm the city;
they run on the wall;
they climb into the houses;^(P)
they enter through the windows like thieves.^(Q)

¹⁰ The earth quakes before them;^(R)
the sky shakes.
The sun and moon grow dark,^(S)
and the stars cease their shining.^(T)
11 The Lord raises His voice^(U)
in the presence of His army.^(V)
His camp is very large;
Those who carry out His command are powerful.^(W)
Indeed, the Day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful^(X)—
who can endure it?^(Y)