6 Then I watched while the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals [5:1]. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “·Come [or Go; ^CChrist, the Lamb, calls forth the four riders who bring bloody judgment on the world]!” ² I looked, and ·there before me was [^Llook; ^Tbehold] a white horse. The rider on the horse held a bow [^Csignifying war], and he was given a crown [^Cindicating victory; see 2:10], and he rode out, ·determined to win the victory [^Lconquering and in order to conquer].

³ When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “·Come [or Go; 6:1]!” ⁴ Then another horse came out, a ·red [^Lfiery/bright red; ^Cpossibly signifying blood] one. Its rider was given ·power [permission] to take away peace from the earth and to make people ·kill [slaughter] each other, and he was given a ·big [great] sword [^Csignifying civil war].

⁵ When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “·Come [or Go]!” I looked, and ·there before me was [^Llook; ^Tbehold] a black horse [^Cindicating mourning brought on by the rider], and its rider held a pair of scales in his hand [^Cfor use in commerce; Prov. 11:1; 16:11]. ⁶ Then I heard something that sounded like a voice coming from the middle of the four living creatures. The voice said, “A quart of wheat for a ·day’s pay [^Ldenarius; ^Ca Roman coin equal to a day’s wage], and three quarts of barley for a ·day’s pay [^Ldenarius; ^Cinflated prices caused by famine], and do not damage the olive oil and wine [^Cindicates only partial destruction; vines and olive trees endured drought better than wheat and barley]!”

⁷ When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “·Come [or Go; 6:1]!” ⁸ I looked, and ·there before me was [^Llook; ^Tbehold] a ·pale [or pale green] horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades [^Cthe realm of the dead, also known as Sheol] was following close behind him. They were given ·power [authority] over a fourth of the earth to kill people by ·war [^Lthe sword], by ·starvation [famine], by ·disease [pestilence; plague], and by the wild animals of the earth.

⁹ When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar [^Cprobably the bronze altar where sacrifices were offered] the souls of those who had been ·killed [slaughtered; slain] because ·they were faithful to [^Lof] the word of God and to the ·message [witness; testimony] they had ·received [or given; or maintained]. ¹⁰ These souls ·shouted [cried out] in a loud voice, “Holy and true ·Lord [Master], how long until you judge the people of the earth and ·punish them for killing us [^Lavenge our blood]?” ¹¹ Then each one of them was given a white robe [^Csignifying high status and purity] and was told to ·wait [or rest] a short time longer. There were still some of their fellow servants and ·brothers and sisters in the service of Christ [^Ltheir brothers; ^Cthe Greek term may include men and women] who ·must be [were soon to be] killed as they were. They had to wait until all of this was ·finished [fulfilled; completed].

¹² Then I watched while the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black like ·rough black cloth [^Lsackcloth made of goat hair; ^Cclothing used in mourning], and the whole moon became red like blood [^Csignifying destruction; apocalyptic literature often describes nature falling apart at the end time; Joel 2:31]. ¹³ And the stars in the sky fell to the earth like ·figs [or unripe figs] falling from a fig tree when ·the wind blows [^Lshaken by a strong wind/gale]. ¹⁴ The sky ·disappeared [vanished] as a scroll when it is rolled up [Is. 34:4], and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth, the ·rulers [princes; nobles; magnates], the generals, the rich people, the powerful people, ·the slaves, and the free people [^Land everyone, both slave and free; ^Cpeople of every status and economic level] hid themselves in caves and in the rocks on the mountains. ¹⁶ They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us. Hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the ·anger [wrath] of the Lamb! ¹⁷ [^LBecause] The great day for their ·anger [wrath] has come [^Cthe final judgment], and who can stand against it [^Ca rhetorical question]?”