Revelation 8-14

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

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

³ Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne.^{(C) 4} And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.^{(D) 5} Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.^(E)

The Seven Trumpets

⁶ Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them.^[a]

⁷ The first angel blew his trumpet, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were hurled to the earth, and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.^(F)

⁸ The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea.^{(G) 9} A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.^{(H) 11} The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water because it was made bitter.^(I)

¹² The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining and likewise the night.^(J)

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew in midheaven, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”^(K)

9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit;^{(L) 2} he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.^{(M) 3} Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the earth.^{(N) 4} They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.^{(O) 5} They were allowed to torment them for five months but not to kill them, and the agony suffered was like that caused by a scorpion when it stings someone.^{(P) 6} And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.^(Q)

⁷ In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,^{(R) 8} their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth;^{(S) 9} they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.^{(T) 10} They have tails like scorpions, with stingers, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon,^[b] and in Greek he is called Apollyon.^[c](U)

¹² The first woe has passed. There are still two woes to come.^(V)

¹³ Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the horns^[d] of the golden altar before God,^{(W) 14} saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great River Euphrates.”^{(X) 15} So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of humankind. ¹⁶ The number of the troops of cavalry was two hundred million; I heard their number.^{(Y) 17} And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire^[e] and of sulfur; the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.^{(Z) 18} By these three plagues a third of humankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of the horses’^[f] mouths. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents, with heads, and with them they inflict harm.

²⁰ The rest of humankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.^{(AA) 21} And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their prostitution or their thefts.

The Angel with the Little Scroll

10 And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun and his legs like pillars of fire.^{(AB) 2} He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded.^{(AC) 4} And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”^{(AD) 5} Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land

who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will be no more delay,^{(AF) 7} but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets.”^(AG)

⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll, and he said to me, “Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach but sweet as honey in your mouth.”^{(AH) 10} So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.^(AI)

¹¹ Then they said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,^{(AJ) 2} but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.^{(AK) 3} And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth.”^(AL)

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.^{(AM) 5} And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner.^{(AN) 6} They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.^(AO)

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will wage war on them and conquer them and kill them,^{(AP) 8} and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically^[g] called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.^{(AQ) 9} For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets tormented the inhabitants of the earth.^(AR)

¹¹ But after the three and a half days, the breath^[h] of life from God entered the two witnesses,^[i] and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified.^{(AS) 12} Then they^[j] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them.^{(AT) 13} At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.^(AU)

¹⁴ The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming very soon.^(AV)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

¹⁶ Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,^{(AX) 17} singing,

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple, and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.^(BA)

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ² She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.^{(BB) 3} Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems on his heads.^{(BC) 4} His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to deliver a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.^{(BD) 5} And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule^[l] all the nations with a scepter of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne,^{(BE) 6} and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.^(BF)

Michael Defeats the Dragon

⁷ And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back,^{(BG) 8} but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.^(BH)

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven proclaiming,

The Dragon Fights Again on Earth

¹³ So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued^[n] the woman who had delivered the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.^{(BL) 15} Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.^{(BM) 16} But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.^(BN)

The First Beast

¹⁸ Then the dragon^[o] took his stand on the sand of the seashore. 13 ¹ And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names.^{(BO) 2} And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.^{(BP) 3} One of its heads seemed to have received a death blow, but its fatal wound^[p] had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast.^{(BQ) 4} They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”^(BR)

⁵ The beast was given a mouth speaking arrogant and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.^{(BS) 6} It opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ Also, it was allowed to wage war on the saints and to conquer them.^[q] It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation,^{(BT) 8} and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.^[r](BU)

⁹ Let anyone who has an ear listen:

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.^(BV)

The Second Beast

¹¹ Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound^[s] had been healed. ¹³ It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all,^{(BW) 14} and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword^[t] and yet lived,^{(BX) 15} and it was allowed to give breath^[u] to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be given a brand on the right hand or the forehead,^{(BY) 17} so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the brand, that is, the name of the beast or the number for its name.^{(BZ) 18} This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number for a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.^[v](CA)

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.^{(CB) 2} And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,^{(CC) 3} and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb,^{(CD) 5} and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.^(CE)

The Messages of the Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live^[w] on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people.^{(CF) 7} He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”^(CG)

⁸ Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her prostitution.”^(CH)

⁹ Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the brand on their foreheads or on their hands,^{(CI) 10} they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.^{(CJ) 11} And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the brand of its name.”^(CK)

¹² Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of^[x] Jesus.^(CL)

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,”^[y] says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”^(CM)

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand!^{(CN) 15} Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”^{(CO) 16} So the one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he, too, had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.”^{(CP) 19} So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about one thousand six hundred stadia.^(CQ)