Chronological
The Seven Seals
6 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice,[a] “Come!”[b] 2 So[c] I looked,[d] and here came[e] a white horse! The[f] one who rode it[g] had a bow, and he was given a crown,[h] and as a conqueror[i] he rode out to conquer.
3 Then[j] when the Lamb[k] opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 4 And another horse, fiery red,[l] came out, and the one who rode it[m] was granted permission[n] to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher[o] one another, and he was given a huge sword.
5 Then[p] when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So[q] I looked,[r] and here came[s] a black horse! The[t] one who rode it[u] had a balance scale[v] in his hand. 6 Then[w] I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart[x] of wheat will cost a day’s pay[y] and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But[z] do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
7 Then[aa] when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 8 So[ab] I looked[ac] and here came[ad] a pale green[ae] horse! The[af] name of the one who rode it[ag] was Death, and Hades followed right behind.[ah] They[ai] were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword,[aj] famine, and disease,[ak] and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 Now[al] when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed[am] because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 10 They[an] cried out with a loud voice,[ao] “How long,[ap] Sovereign Master,[aq] holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Each[ar] of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached[as] of both their fellow servants[at] and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
12 Then[au] I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge[av] earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair,[aw] and the full moon became blood red;[ax] 13 and the stars in the sky[ay] fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping[az] its unripe figs[ba] when shaken by a fierce[bb] wind. 14 The sky[bc] was split apart[bd] like a scroll being rolled up,[be] and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 15 Then[bf] the kings of the earth, the[bg] very important people, the generals,[bh] the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave[bi] and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They[bj] said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,[bk] 17 because the great day of their[bl] wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”[bm]
The Sealing of the 144,000
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then[bn] I saw another angel ascending from the east,[bo] who had[bp] the seal[bq] of the living God. He[br] shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission[bs] to damage the earth and the sea:[bt] 3 “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants[bu] of our God.” 4 Now[bv] I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal,[bw] 144,000, sealed from all[bx] the tribes of the people of Israel:[by]
5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After these things I looked, and here was[bz] an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe,[ca] people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs to our God,[cb] who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood[cc] there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground[cd] before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen! Praise and glory,
and wisdom and thanksgiving,
and honor and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then[ce] one of the elders asked[cf] me, “These dressed in long white robes—who are they and where have they come from?” 14 So[cg] I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.”[ch] Then[ci] he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They[cj] have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve[ck] him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them.[cl] 16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat,[cm] 17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”[cn]
The Seventh Seal
8 Now[co] when the Lamb[cp] opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then[cq] I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another[cr] angel holding[cs] a golden censer[ct] came and was stationed[cu] at the altar. A[cv] large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne. 4 The[cw] smoke coming from the incense,[cx] along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then[cy] the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring,[cz] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
6 Now[da] the seven angels holding[db] the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The[dc] first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that[dd] a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 Then[de] the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A[df] third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures[dg] living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed.[dh]
10 Then[di] the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky;[dj] it landed[dk] on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (Now[dl] the name of the star is[dm] Wormwood.)[dn] So[do] a third of the waters became wormwood,[dp] and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.[dq]
12 Then[dr] 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 them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day[ds] and for a third of the night likewise. 13 Then[dt] I looked, and I heard an[du] eagle[dv] flying directly overhead,[dw] proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”[dx]
9 Then[dy] the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky[dz] to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss.[ea] 2 He[eb] opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it[ec] like smoke from a giant furnace. The[ed] sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. 3 Then[ee] out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power[ef] like that of the scorpions of the earth. 4 They[eg] were told[eh] not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people[ei] who did not have the seal of God on their[ej] forehead. 5 The locusts[ek] were not given permission[el] to kill[em] them, but only to torture[en] them[eo] for five months, and their torture was like that[ep] of a scorpion when it stings a person.[eq] 6 In[er] those days people[es] will seek death, but[et] will not be able to[eu] find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 Now[ev] the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On[ew] their heads were something like crowns similar to gold,[ex] and their faces looked like men’s[ey] faces. 8 They[ez] had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates[fa] like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. 10 They have[fb] tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability[fc] to injure people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.[fd]
12 The first woe has passed, but[fe] two woes are still coming after these things!
13 Then[ff] the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a single voice coming from the[fg] horns on the golden altar that is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel, the one holding[fh] the trumpet, “Set free[fi] the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!” 15 Then[fj] the four angels who had been prepared for this[fk] hour, day,[fl] month, and year were set free to kill[fm] a third of humanity. 16 The[fn] number of soldiers on horseback was 200,000,000;[fo] I heard their number. 17 Now[fp] this is what the horses and their riders[fq] looked like in my[fr] vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red,[fs] dark blue,[ft] and sulfurous[fu] yellow in color.[fv] The[fw] heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur[fx] came out of their mouths. 18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is,[fy] by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 For the power[fz] of the horses resides[ga] in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails are like snakes, having heads that inflict injuries. 20 The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they did not stop worshiping demons and idols made[gb] of gold, silver,[gc] bronze, stone, and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk about. 21 Furthermore,[gd] they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells,[ge] of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.
The Angel with the Little Scroll
10 Then[gf] I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped[gg] in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire.[gh] 2 He held[gi] in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. 3 Then[gj] he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded their voices. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but[gk] just then[gl] I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.” 5 Then[gm] the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, and the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will be no more delay![gn] 7 But in the days[go] when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed,[gp] just as he has[gq] proclaimed to his servants[gr] the prophets.” 8 Then[gs] the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak[gt] to me[gu] again,[gv] “Go and take the open[gw] scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So[gx] I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He[gy] said to me, “Take the scroll[gz] and eat it. It[ha] will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10 So[hb] I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste[hc] as sweet as honey in my mouth, but[hd] when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 Then[he] they[hf] told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations,[hg] languages, and kings.”
The Fate of the Two Witnesses
11 Then[hh] a measuring rod[hi] like a staff was given to me, and I was told,[hj] “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the ones who worship there. 2 But[hk] do not measure the outer courtyard[hl] of the temple; leave it out,[hm] because it has been given to the Gentiles,[hn] and they will trample on the holy city[ho] for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority[hp] to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.” 4 (These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.)[hq] 5 If[hr] anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths[hs] and completely consumes[ht] their enemies. If[hu] anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this way. 6 These two have the power[hv] to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the time[hw] they are prophesying. They[hx] have power[hy] to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want. 7 When[hz] they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them and conquer[ia] them and kill them. 8 Their[ib] corpses will lie in the street[ic] of the great city that is symbolically[id] called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified. 9 For three and a half days those from every[ie] people, tribe,[if] nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb.[ig] 10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. 11 But[ih] after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized[ii] those who were watching them. 12 Then[ij] they[ik] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: “Come up here!” So the two prophets[il] went up to heaven in a cloud while[im] their enemies stared at them. 13 Just then[in] a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people[io] were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has come and gone;[ip] the third is coming quickly.
The Seventh Trumpet
15 Then[iq] the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:
“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ,[ir]
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
16 Then[is] the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground[it] and worshiped God 17 with these words:[iu]
“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful,[iv]
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.[iw]
18 The[ix] nations[iy] were enraged,
but[iz] your wrath has come,
and the time has come for the dead to be judged,
and the time has come to give to your servants,[ja]
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere[jb] your name, both small and great,
and the time has come[jc] to destroy those who destroy[jd] the earth.”
19 Then[je] the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring,[jf] crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.[jg]
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