Revelation 7-9

New American Standard Bible

An Interlude

7 After this I saw ^(A)four angels standing at the ^(B)four corners of the earth, holding back ^(C)the four winds of the earth ^(D)so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. ² And I saw another angel ascending ^(E)from the rising of the sun, holding the ^(F)seal of ^(G)the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the ^(H)four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ³ saying, “^(I)Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have ^(J)sealed the bond-servants of our God on their ^(K)foreheads.”

The 144,000

⁴ And I heard the ^(L)number of those who were sealed: ^(M)144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

A Multitude from the Tribulation

⁹ After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from ^(N)every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing ^(O)before the throne and ^(P)before the Lamb, clothed in ^(Q)white robes, and ^(R)palm branches were in their hands; ¹⁰ and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,

¹¹ And all the angels were standing ^(U)around the throne and around ^(V)the elders and the ^(W)four living creatures; and they ^(X)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying,

¹³ Then one of the elders ^(AB)responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the ^(AC)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ I ^[a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the ^(AD)great tribulation, and they have ^(AE)washed their robes and made them ^(AF)white in the ^(AG)blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ For this reason they are ^(AH)before the throne of God, and they ^(AI)serve Him day and night in His ^[b](AJ)temple; and ^(AK)He who sits on the throne will spread His ^(AL)tabernacle over them. ^16 (AM)They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun ^[c]beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their ^(AN)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the ^[d](AO)water of life; and ^(AP)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

The Seventh Seal: Trumpets

8 When the Lamb broke the ^(AQ)seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² And I saw ^(AR)the seven angels who stand before God, and seven ^(AS)trumpets were given to them.

^3 (AT)Another angel came and stood at the ^(AU)altar, holding a ^(AV)golden censer; and much ^(AW)incense was given to him, so that he might ^[e]add it to the ^(AX)prayers of all the ^[f]saints on the ^(AY)golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And ^(AZ)the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the ^[g]saints before God. ⁵ Then the angel ^[h]took the ^[i]censer and ^(BA)filled it with the fire of the altar, and ^(BB)hurled it to the earth; and there were ^(BC)peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an ^(BD)earthquake.

^6 (BE)And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.

⁷ The first sounded, and there was ^(BF)hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and ^(BG)a third of the earth was burned up, and ^(BH)a third of the ^(BI)trees were burned up, and all the green ^(BJ)grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel sounded, and something like a great ^(BK)mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and ^(BL)a third of the ^(BM)sea became blood, ⁹ and ^(BN)a third of the creatures which were in the sea ^[j]and had life, died; and a third of the ^(BO)ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded, and a great star ^(BP)fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a ^(BQ)third of the rivers and on the ^(BR)springs of waters. ¹¹ The star is named Wormwood; and a ^(BS)third of the waters became ^(BT)wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel sounded, and a ^(BU)third of the ^(BV)sun, a third of the ^(BW)moon, and a ^(BX)third of the ^(BY)stars were struck, so that a ^(BZ)third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a ^(CA)third of it, and the night in the same way.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard ^[k]an eagle flying in ^(CB)midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “^(CC)Woe, woe, woe to ^(CD)those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the ^(CE)three angels who are about to sound!”

The Fifth Trumpet: Shaft of the Abyss

9 Then the ^(CF)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a ^(CG)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the ^(CH)key to the ^(CI)shaft of the abyss was given to him. ² He opened the shaft of the abyss, and ^(CJ)smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and ^(CK)the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. ³ Then out of the smoke came ^(CL)locusts ^[l]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(CM)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(CN)hurt the ^(CO)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the ^(CP)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[m]they were not permitted to kill ^[n]anyone, but to torment for ^(CQ)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(CR)scorpion when it ^[o]stings a person. ⁶ And in those days ^(CS)people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death ^[p]will flee from them!

⁷ The ^[q](CT)appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like human faces. ⁸ They had hair like the hair of women, and their ^(CU)teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the ^(CV)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. ¹⁰ They have tails like ^(CW)scorpions, and stings; and in their ^(CX)tails is their power to hurt people for ^(CY)five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them, the angel of the ^(CZ)abyss; his name in ^(DA)Hebrew is ^[r](DB)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name ^[s]Apollyon.

^12 (DC)The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

The Sixth Trumpet: Army from the East

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard ^[t]a voice from the ^[u]four ^(DD)horns of the ^(DE)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(DF)four angels who are bound at the ^(DG)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(DH)released, so that they would kill a ^(DI)third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(DJ)two hundred million; ^(DK)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And this is how I saw ^(DL)in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of ^[v](DM)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(DN)out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and ^[w](DO)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(DP)third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(DQ)fire, the smoke, and the ^[x]brimstone which came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

²⁰ The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(DR)did not repent of ^(DS)the works of their hands so as not to ^(DT)worship demons and ^(DU)the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ and they ^(DV)did not repent of their murders, nor of their ^(DW)witchcraft, nor of their ^(DX)sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.