^9:15Then³⁸ the four angels who had been prepared for this³⁹ hour, day,⁴⁰ month, and year were set free to kill⁴¹ a third of humanity. ^9:16The⁴² number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million;⁴³ I heard their number. ^9:17Now⁴⁴ this is what the horses and their riders⁴⁵ looked like in my⁴⁶ vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red,⁴⁷ dark blue,⁴⁸ and sulfurous⁴⁹ yellow in color.⁵⁰ The⁵¹ heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur⁵² came out of their mouths. ^9:18A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is,⁵³ by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

38 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
39 The Greek article τήν (tēn) has been translated with demonstrative force here.
40 The Greek term καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term “month” since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
41 Grk “so that they might kill,” but the English infinitive is an equivalent construction to indicate purpose here.
42 Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
43 Grk “twenty thousand of ten thousands.”
44 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of the description of the horses and riders, which is somewhat parenthetical in the narrative.
45 Grk “and those seated on them.”
46 Grk “the vision”; the Greek article has been translated as a possessive pronoun ( ).
47 L&N 79.31 states, “ ‘fiery red’ (probably with a tinge of yellow or orange).”
48 On this term ὑακίνθινος states, “hyacinth-colored, i.e. dark blue (dark red?) w. πύρινος Rv 9:17.”
49 On this term θειώδης states, “sulphurous Rv 9:17.”
50 The colors of the riders’ breastplates parallel the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur in v. 18.
51 Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
52 Traditionally, “brimstone.”
53 The phrase ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τοῦ θείου τοῦ ἐκπορευομένου ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν (“by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths”) is taken as epexegetical (explanatory) to the phrase τῶν τριῶν πληγῶν τούτων (“these three plagues”).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

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 came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. The number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths.

NLTNew Living Translation

Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops.

And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths. One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released, in order that they should kill a third of humanity. And the number of the troops of the cavalry was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And in this way I saw the horses in the vision, and those seated on them, who had fiery red and hyacinth-colored and sulphurous yellow breastplates, and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulphur. By these three plagues a third of humanity was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the sulphur that came out of their mouths.

KJV 1900King James Version

And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

Public Domain