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, having the ^(F)seal of ^(G)the living God; and he cried 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)one hundred and forty-four thousand 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 tribes and peoples and tongues, 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 cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“^(S)Salvation to our God ^(T)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 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,

“^(Y)Amen, ^(Z)blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. ^(AA)Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders ^(AB)answered, 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 hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun ^[c]beat down on them, nor any 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—the Trumpets

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

^3 (D)Another angel came and stood at the ^(E)altar, holding a ^(F)golden censer; and much ^(G)incense was given to him, so that he might ^[a]add it to the ^(H)prayers of all the ^[b]saints on the ^(I)golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And ^(J)the smoke of the incense, ^[c]with the prayers of the ^[d]saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel ^[e]took the censer and ^(K)filled it with the fire of the altar, and ^(L)threw it to the earth; and there followed ^(M)peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an ^(N)earthquake.

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

⁷ The first sounded, and there came ^(P)hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and ^(Q)a third of the earth was burned up, and ^(R)a third of the ^(S)trees were burned up, and all the green ^(T)grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel sounded, and something like a great ^(U)mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and ^(V)a third of the ^(W)sea became blood, ⁹ and ^(X)a third of the creatures which were in the sea ^[f]and had life, died; and a third of the ^(Y)ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded, and a great star ^(Z)fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a ^(AA)third of the rivers and on the ^(AB)springs of waters. ¹¹ The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a ^(AC)third of the waters became ^(AD)wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel sounded, and a ^(AE)third of the ^(AF)sun and a third of the ^(AG)moon and a ^(AH)third of the ^(AI)stars were struck, so that a ^(AJ)third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a ^(AK)third of it, and the night in the same way.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard ^[g]an eagle flying in ^(AL)midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “^(AM)Woe, woe, woe to ^(AN)those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the ^(AO)three angels who are about to sound!”

The Fifth Trumpet—the Bottomless Pit

9 Then the ^(A)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a ^(B)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the ^(C)key of the ^[a](D)bottomless pit was given to him. ² He opened the ^[b]bottomless pit, and ^(E)smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and ^(F)the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. ³ Then out of the smoke came ^(G)locusts ^[c]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(H)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(I)hurt the ^(J)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the ^(K)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[d]they were not permitted to kill ^[e]anyone, but to torment for ^(L)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(M)scorpion when it ^[f]stings a man. ⁶ And in those days ^(N)men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

⁷ The ^[g](O)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 the faces of men. ⁸ They had hair like the hair of women, and their ^(P)teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the ^(Q)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. ¹⁰ They have tails like ^(R)scorpions, and stings; and in their ^(S)tails is their power to hurt men for ^(T)five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them, the angel of the ^(U)abyss; his name in ^(V)Hebrew is ^[h](W)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name ^[i]Apollyon.

^12 (X)The first woe is past; 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 ^[j]a voice from the ^[k]four ^(Y)horns of the ^(Z)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(AA)four angels who are bound at the ^(AB)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(AC)released, so that they would kill a ^(AD)third of ^[l]mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(AE)two hundred million; ^(AF)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And ^[m]this is how I saw ^(AG)in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of ^[n](AH)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(AI)out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and ^[o](AJ)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(AK)third of ^[p]mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(AL)fire and the smoke and the ^[q]brimstone which proceeded 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 ^[r]mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(AM)did not repent of ^(AN)the works of their hands, so as not to ^(AO)worship demons, and ^(AP)the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ and they ^(AQ)did not repent of their murders nor of their ^(AR)sorceries nor of their ^(AS)immorality nor of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Book

10 I saw another ^(A)strong angel ^(B)coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the ^(C)rainbow was upon his head, and ^(D)his face was like the sun, and his ^(E)feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a ^(F)little book which was open. He placed ^(G)his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, ^(H)as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the ^(I)seven peals of thunder ^[a]uttered their voices. ⁴ When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, ^(J)I was about to write; and I ^(K)heard a voice from heaven saying, “^(L)Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” ⁵ Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land ^(M)lifted up his right hand to heaven, ^6 (N)and swore by ^(O)Him who lives forever and ever, ^(P)who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that ^(Q)there will be delay no longer, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the ^(R)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then ^(S)the mystery of God is finished, as He ^[b]preached to His servants the prophets.

⁸ Then ^(T)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take ^(U)the ^[c]book which is open in the hand of the angel who ^(V)stands on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, “^(W)Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And ^(X)they *said to me, “You must ^(Y)prophesy again concerning ^(Z)many peoples and nations and tongues and ^(AA)kings.”