Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ In righteousness You will answer us gloriously,
    O God of our salvation,
You, who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
    and of those who are afar off on the sea;
⁶ who established the mountains by His strength,
    being clothed with might;
⁷ who stills the noise of the seas,
    the noise of their waves,
    and the tumult of peoples.
⁸ Those who dwell in the uttermost parts
    are in awe because of Your signs;
    You make the going out of the morning and evening rejoice.

⁹ You visit the earth, and water it;
    You enrich it
with the river of God, which is full of water;
    You prepare their grain,
    for thus You have established it.
¹⁰ You water its furrows abundantly;
    You settle its ridges;
You soften it with showers;
    You bless its sprouting.
¹¹ You crown the year with Your goodness,
    and Your paths drip abundance.
¹² They drip on the pastures of the wilderness,
    and the hills clothe themselves with rejoicing.
¹³ The pastures are clothed with flocks;
    the valleys also are covered with grain;
    they shout for joy, they also sing.

All the inhabitants of the earth will tremble,
    because the day of the Lord has come,
because it is near—
²     a day of darkness and gloom,
    a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Like blackness spreading over the mountain,
    a great and mighty army comes,
such as was never before,
    and will never be again,
    even through the years of all generations.

³ Before them fire devours,
    and behind them a flame blazes;
the land is like the garden of Eden before them,
    but behind them a desolate wasteland,
    and nothing escapes them.
⁴ They have the appearance of horses,
    and like cavalry they run.
⁵ As with the sound of chariots,
    they leap on the mountaintops,
as with the sound of a flame of fire consuming stubble,
    as a mighty army arrayed for war.

⁶ Before them, peoples are tormented;
    every face turns pale.
⁷ Like mighty men they run,
    like men of war they scale a wall;
each marches on his way,
    they do not swerve from their paths.
⁸ They do not jostle one another;
    each marches in his track.
Through the weapons they plunge;
    they do not break rank.
⁹ They rush on the city,
    they run on the wall;
they climb up into the houses,
    they enter through the windows like thieves.

¹⁰ Before them the earth quakes,
    the heavens shake;
the sun and moon darken,
    and the stars withdraw their radiance.
¹¹ The Lord has sounded His voice
    before His army,
for His camp is exceedingly great;
    mighty is the one who accomplishes His word.
For great is the day of the Lord,
    and very awe-inspiring.
    Who can endure it?