¹² Now the Midianites and Amalekites, ^(A)all the people of the East, were lying in the valley ^(B)as numerous as locusts; and their camels were ^[a]without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

⁵ For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were ^[a]without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.

² And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the ^(A)sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. ³ Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, ^(B)as the scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were commanded ^(C)not to harm ^(D)the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have ^(E)the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[a]they were not given authority to kill them, ^(F)but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. ⁶ In those days ^(G)men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

^7 (H)The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. ^(I)On their heads were crowns of something like gold, ^(J)and their faces were like the faces of men. ⁸ They had hair like women’s hair, and ^(K)their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was ^(L)like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. ¹⁰ They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months.

^46 (A)“Son of man, set your face toward the south; ^[a]preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the ^[b]South,