³ Like fire they eat up the plants.
    In front of them the land is like the Garden of Eden,
    but behind them it is a barren desert.
    Nothing escapes them.
^4 (A)They look like horses;
    they run like war-horses.
⁵ As they leap on the tops of the mountains,
    they rattle like chariots;
    they crackle like dry grass on fire.
They are lined up like a great army ready for battle.
⁶ As they approach, everyone is terrified;
    every face turns pale.
⁷ They attack like warriors;
    they climb the walls like soldiers.
They all keep marching straight ahead
    and do not change direction
⁸     or get in each other's way.
They swarm through defenses,
    and nothing can stop them.
⁹ They rush against the city;
    they run over the walls;
    they climb up the houses
    and go in through the windows like thieves.

^10 (B)The earth shakes as they advance;
    the sky trembles.
The sun and the moon grow dark,
    and the stars no longer shine.
^11 (C)The Lord thunders commands to his army.
    The troops that obey him
    are many and mighty.
How terrible is the day of the Lord!
    Who will survive it?