Revelation 4-6

New American Standard Bible

Scene in Heaven

4 After ^(A)these things I looked, and behold, ^(B)a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, ^(C)like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “^(D)Come up here, and I will ^(E)show you what must take place after these things.” ² Immediately I was ^(F)in the ^[a]Spirit; and behold, ^(G)a throne was standing in heaven, and ^(H)someone was sitting on the throne. ³ And He who was sitting was like a ^(I)jasper stone and a ^(J)sardius in appearance; and there was a ^[b](K)rainbow around the throne, like an ^(L)emerald in appearance. ^4 (M)Around the throne were ^(N)twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw ^(O)twenty-four elders ^(P)sitting, clothed in ^(Q)white garments, and ^(R)golden crowns on their heads.

The Throne and Worship of the Creator

⁵ Out from the throne *came ^(S)flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were ^(T)seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are ^[c](U)the seven spirits of God; ⁶ and before the throne there was something like a ^(V)sea of glass, like crystal; and in the ^[d]center and ^(W)around the throne, ^(X)four living creatures ^(Y)full of eyes in front and behind. ^7 (Z)The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf, the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ And the ^(AA)four living creatures, each one of them having ^(AB)six wings, are ^(AC)full of eyes around and within; and ^(AD)day and night ^[e]they do not cease to say,

⁹ And when the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who ^(AH)sits on the throne, to ^(AI)Him who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the ^(AJ)twenty-four elders will ^(AK)fall down before Him who ^(AL)sits on the throne, and they will worship ^(AM)Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their ^(AN)crowns before the throne, saying,

The Scroll with Seven Seals

5 I saw ^[h]in the right hand of Him who ^(AQ)sat on the throne a ^[i](AR)scroll written inside and on the back, ^(AS)sealed up with seven seals. ² And I saw a ^(AT)strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” ³ And no one ^(AU)in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴ Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ And one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the ^(AV)Lion that is ^(AW)from the tribe of Judah, the ^(AX)Root of David, has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ And I saw ^[j]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and ^(AY)the elders a ^(AZ)Lamb standing, as if ^(BA)slaughtered, having seven ^(BB)horns and ^(BC)seven eyes, which are ^[k](BD)the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And He came and took ^(BE)the scroll out of the right hand of Him who ^(BF)sat on the throne. ⁸ When He had taken the scroll, the ^(BG)four living creatures and the ^(BH)twenty-four elders ^(BI)fell down before the ^(BJ)Lamb, each one holding a ^(BK)harp and ^(BL)golden bowls full of incense, which are the ^(BM)prayers of the ^[l]saints. ⁹ And they *sang a ^(BN)new song, saying,

Angels Exalt the Lamb

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels ^(BV)around the throne and the ^(BW)living creatures and the ^(BX)elders; and the number of them was ^[m](BY)myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

¹³ And I heard ^(CC)every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying,

¹⁴ And the ^(CG)four living creatures were saying, “^(CH)Amen.” And the ^(CI)elders ^(CJ)fell down and worshiped.

The First Seal: Conqueror on a White Horse

6 Then I saw when the ^(CK)Lamb broke one of the ^(CL)seven seals, and I heard one of the ^(CM)four living creatures saying as with a ^(CN)voice of thunder, “Come^[n]!” ² I looked, and behold, a ^(CO)white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and ^(CP)a crown was given to him, and he went out ^(CQ)conquering and to conquer.

The Second Seal: War

³ When He broke the second seal, I heard the ^(CR)second living creature saying, “Come^[o]!” ⁴ And another, ^(CS)a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to ^(CT)take peace from the earth, and that people would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him.

The Third Seal: Famine

⁵ When He broke the third seal, I heard the ^(CU)third living creature saying, “Come^[p]!” I looked, and behold, a ^(CV)black horse, and the one who sat on it had a ^(CW)pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard something like a voice in the center of the ^(CX)four living creatures saying, “A ^[q]quart of wheat for a ^[r]denarius, and three ^[s]quarts of barley for a ^[t]denarius; and ^(CY)do not damage the oil and the wine.”

The Fourth Seal: Death

⁷ When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the ^(CZ)fourth living creature saying, “Come^[u]!” ⁸ I looked, and behold, ^[v]an ^(DA)ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name ^(DB)Death, and ^(DC)Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, ^(DD)to kill with sword, and famine, and ^[w]plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

The Fifth Seal: Martyrs

⁹ When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw ^(DE)underneath the ^(DF)altar the ^(DG)souls of those who had been killed ^(DH)because of the word of God, and because of the ^(DI)testimony which they had maintained; ¹⁰ and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(DJ)How long, O ^[x](DK)Lord, ^(DL)holy and true, ^[y]will You refrain from ^(DM)judging and avenging our blood on ^(DN)those who live on the earth?” ¹¹ And a ^(DO)white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to ^(DP)rest for a little while longer, ^(DQ)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was ^(DR)completed also.

The Sixth Seal: Terror

¹² And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great ^(DS)earthquake; and the ^(DT)sun became as black as ^(DU)sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; ¹³ and ^(DV)the stars of the sky fell to the earth, ^(DW)as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. ^14 (DX)The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^(DY)every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then ^(DZ)the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; ¹⁶ and they *^(EA)said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the ^[z]sight of Him ^(EB)who sits on the throne, and from the ^(EC)wrath of the Lamb; ¹⁷ for ^(ED)the great day of Their wrath has come, and ^(EE)who is able to stand?”