1 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; 2:1 Jr 4:5; 51:27; Jl 2:15
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the residents of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; 2:1 Jl 1:15; 2:11,31; 3:14
in fact, it is near —
2 a day of darkness and gloom, 2:2 Jl 2:31; Zph 1:15
a day of clouds and total darkness, 2:2 Is 60:2; Zph 1:15
like the dawn spreading over the mountains;
a great and strong people 2:2 Jl 1:6; 2:11,25 appears,
such as never existed in ages past 2:2 Lm 1:12; Dn 9:12; 12:1; Jl 1:2
and never will again
in all the generations to come. 2:2 Ex 10:14
3 A fire devours in front of them, 2:3 Ps 97:3; Is 9:18–19
and behind them a flame blazes.
The land in front of them
is like the garden of Eden, 2:3 Gn 2:8–15; Ezk 36:35
but behind them,
it is like a desert wasteland; 2:3 Ex 10:5,15; Ps 105:34–35
there is no escape from them.