²     a day of darkness and gloom,
    a day of thick clouds!
Like dawn^[a] spreading over the mountains,
    a vast and mighty army!
Nothing like it has ever happened in ages past,
    nor will the future hold anything like it,
    even to the most distant generations.^(A)
3 Before it,^[b] fire devours,
    behind it flame scorches.
The land before it is like the garden of Eden,
    and behind it, a desolate wilderness;
    from it nothing escapes.^(B)
4 Their appearance is that of horses;
    like war horses they run.