144,000 Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners^(A) of the earth, holding back the four winds^(B) of the earth to prevent^(C) any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ² Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal^(D) of the living God.^(E) He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:^{(F) 3} “Do not harm^(G) the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads^(H) of the servants of our God.” ⁴ Then I heard the number^(I) of those who were sealed: 144,000^(J) from all the tribes of Israel.

The Great Multitude in White Robes

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,^(K) standing before the throne^(L) and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes^(M) and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders^(P) and the four living creatures.^(Q) They fell down on their faces^(R) before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes^(T)—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes^(U) and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^{(V) 15} Therefore,

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When he opened the seventh seal,^(AG) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

² And I saw the seven angels^(AH) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.^(AI)

³ Another angel,^(AJ) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,^(AK) on the golden altar^(AL) in front of the throne. ⁴ The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God^(AM) from the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,^(AN) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,^(AO) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.^(AP)

The Trumpets

⁶ Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets^(AQ) prepared to sound them.

⁷ The first angel^(AR) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire^(AS) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third^(AT) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.^(AU)

⁸ The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,^(AV) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third^(AW) of the sea turned into blood,^{(AX) 9} a third^(AY) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky^(AZ) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water^(BA)— ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood.^[d] A third^(BB) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.^(BC)

¹² The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third^(BD) of them turned dark.^(BE) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.^(BF)

¹³ As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair^(BG) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe^(BH) to the inhabitants of the earth,^(BI) because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.^(BJ) The star was given the key^(BK) to the shaft of the Abyss.^{(BL) 2} When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.^(BM) The sun and sky were darkened^(BN) by the smoke from the Abyss.^{(BO) 3} And out of the smoke locusts^(BP) came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions^(BQ) of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm^(BR) the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,^(BS) but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.^{(BT) 5} They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months.^(BU) And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion^(BV) when it strikes. ⁶ During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.^(BW)

⁷ The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.^(BX) On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.^{(BY) 8} Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.^{(BZ) 9} They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.^{(CA) 10} They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.^{(CB) 11} They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss,^(CC) whose name in Hebrew^(CD) is Abaddon^(CE) and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

¹² The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.^(CF)

¹³ The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns^(CG) of the golden altar that is before God.^{(CH) 14} It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels^(CI) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”^{(CJ) 15} And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released^(CK) to kill a third^(CL) of mankind.^{(CM) 16} The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.^(CN)

¹⁷ The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths^(CO) came fire, smoke and sulfur.^{(CP) 18} A third^(CQ) of mankind was killed^(CR) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur^(CS) that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent^(CT) of the work of their hands;^(CU) they did not stop worshiping demons,^(CV) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.^{(CW) 21} Nor did they repent^(CX) of their murders, their magic arts,^(CY) their sexual immorality^(CZ) or their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel^(DA) coming down from heaven.^(DB) He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow^(DC) above his head; his face was like the sun,^(DD) and his legs were like fiery pillars.^{(DE) 2} He was holding a little scroll,^(DF) which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,^{(DG) 3} and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.^(DH) When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders^(DI) spoke. ⁴ And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write;^(DJ) but I heard a voice from heaven^(DK) say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”^(DL)

⁵ Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land^(DM) raised his right hand to heaven.^{(DN) 6} And he swore^(DO) by him who lives for ever and ever,^(DP) who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,^(DQ) and said, “There will be no more delay!^{(DR) 7} But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet,^(DS) the mystery^(DT) of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”^(DU)

⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven^(DV) spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll^(DW) that lies 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 asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’^[e]”^{(DX) 10} I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,^(DY) but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy^(DZ) again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”^(EA)