Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹ For the music director, a psalm, a song of David.
² Praise is awaiting You in Zion, O God,
and to You the vow will be fulfilled.
³ O You who hear prayer,
to You all flesh will come.
⁴ Records of sins overwhelm me—
You will atone for our transgressions.
⁵ Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your House—Your holy Temple.
⁶ You respond to us in righteousness with awe-inspiring works
—O God of our salvation—
hope of all ends of the earth and farthest seas,
⁷ who establishes mountains by His power,
being girded with might,
⁸ who stills the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
and the tumult of the peoples.
⁹ Those dwelling in the uttermost parts stand in awe of Your signs.
You make morning and evening shout for joy.
¹⁰ You visit the land and make it abundant,
greatly enriching it—
the stream of God is full of water.
You prepare their grain,
for so You have prepared the earth.
¹¹ You drench her furrows,
    leveling the ridges.
You soften her with showers,
    blessing her growth.
¹² You crown the year with Your goodness.
Your wagon tracks drip with abundance.
¹³ Pastures of the wilderness overflow
and hills are robed with joy.
¹⁴ Meadows are clothed with flocks
and valleys are covered with grain—
they shout for joy, yes, they sing!

2 Blow the shofar in Zion!
Sound an alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all living in the land tremble—
for the day of Adonai is coming—
surely it is near!^[a]
2 A day of darkness and gloominess,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
as blackness spreads over the mountains.
A great and mighty people—
from antiquity there was never anything like it,
nor after it ever again from generation to generation.^[b]
3 A fire devours before them
and behind them flame blazes up.
Like the Garden of Eden is the land before them,
    and behind them a desolate wilderness.
Nothing at all ever escapes them.
⁴ Their appearance is like the appearance of horses—
they gallop like war horses.^[c]
5 Like the clatter of chariots,^[d]
they leap on the tops of mountains,
like crackling flame of fire devouring stubble,
like a mighty horde in battle array.
⁶ Before them peoples are in anguish.
All faces become ashen gray.
⁷ They run like mighty men.
They climb a wall like men of war.
They each march in line,
    never deviating from their ways.
⁸ One does not crowd another.
Each one marches on his own highway.
They plunge through the weapons,
    never breaking off.
⁹ They rush on the city,
they run on the wall,
they climb up into the houses,
    coming through the windows like a thief.
¹⁰ Before them land quakes,
heaven trembles,
sun and moon become dark,
stars withdraw their brightness.^[e]
11 Adonai utters His voice before His army.
For His camp is very vast—
    for mighty is it that carries out His word.
For great is the day of Adonai—^[f] very terrifying!
    Who can endure it?