Revelation 9–17

Tormenting Locusts from the Abyss

9And the fifth angel blew the trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and the key of the shaft of the abyss was given to him. ²And he opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke went up from the shaft like smoke from a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. ³And out of the smoke locusts came to the earth, and power was given to them like the scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴And it was told to them that they should not damage the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, except those people who do not have the seal of God on their^* foreheads. ⁵And it was granted to them that they should not kill them, but that they would be tormented five months, and their torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. ⁶And in those days people will seek death and will never find it, and they will long to die, and death will flee from them.

⁷And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads were something like crowns similar in appearance to gold, and their faces were like men’s faces, ⁸and they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions, ⁹and they had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots^a running into battle. ¹⁰And they have tails similar in appearance to scorpions, and stings, and their power to injure people for five months is in their tails. ¹¹They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name^b in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

¹²The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

A Third of Humanity Killed by Plagues

¹³And the sixth angel blew the trumpet, and I heard one voice from the horns^c of the golden altar that is before God ¹⁴saying to the sixth angel, the one who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who have been bound at the great river Euphrates!” ¹⁵And 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. ¹⁶And the number of the troops of the cavalry was two hundred million^d; I heard the number of them. ¹⁷And 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. ¹⁸By these three plagues a third of humanity was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the sulphur that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are similar in appearance to snakes, having heads, and with them they cause injury.^e

²⁰And the rest of humanity who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, in order not to worship^f the demons and the gold and silver and bronze and stone and wooden idols, which are able neither to see nor to hear nor to walk, ²¹and they did not repent of their murders or of their magic spells or of their sexual immorality or of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10And I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, and a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire,^{a 2}and holding in his hand a little scroll that was opened. And he put his right foot on the sea and his^* left on the land. ³And he cried out with a loud voice like a lion roars, and when he cried out, the seven thunders sounded^b their own voices. ⁴And when the seven thunders spoke,^c I was about to write, and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders spoke, and do not write them!”

⁵And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶and swore by the one who lives forever and ever^d, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, “There will be no more delay! ⁷But in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, whenever he is about to blow the trumpet, then^e the mystery of God is completed, as he announced to his own slaves the prophets.”

⁸And the voice that I had heard from heaven was speaking with me again and saying, “Go, take the opened scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹And I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll, and he said to me, “Take and eat it up, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it up, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth, and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹And they said to me, “It is necessary for you to prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11And a measuring rod similar in appearance to a staff was given to me, saying, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it. ²And leave out the courtyard outside of the temple, and do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample the holy city for forty two months. ³And I will grant authority^* to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, dressed in sackcloth.” ⁴These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵And if anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and consumes their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, in this way he must be killed. ⁶These have the authority to shut the sky, so that it does not rain^a during the days of their prophecy. And they have authority over the waters, to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they wish.

⁷And when they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war with them and will conquer them and will kill them. ⁸And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is called symbolically Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹And those from peoples and tribes and languages and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days, and they will not allow their dead bodies to be placed in a tomb. ¹⁰And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them, and will celebrate and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹And after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹²And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here,” and they went up into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³And at that hour a great earthquake took place, and a tenth of the city collapsed, and seven thousand people^b were killed by the earthquake, and the rest became terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. ¹⁴The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly!

The Blowing of the Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵And the seventh angel blew the trumpet, and there was a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ,

and he will reign forever and ever^c.”

¹⁶And the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God fell down on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God All-Powerful,

the one who is and the one who was,

because you have taken your great power

and have begun to reign.

¹⁸And the nations were angry,

and your wrath has come,

and the time for the dead to be judged,

and to give their^* reward to your slaves the prophets

and to the saints and to the ones who fear your name,

the small and the great,

and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple, and there were lightnings and sounds and thunders and an earthquake and large hail.^d

The Woman and Her Son Versus the Dragon

12And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars, ²and who was pregnant^a and was crying out because she^* was having birth pains, and was in torment to give birth. ³And another sign appeared in heaven, and behold, a great fiery red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal headbands.^{b 4}And his tail swept away a third of the stars from heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, in order that whenever she gave birth to her child he could devour it. ⁵And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is going to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod,^c and her child was snatched away to God and to his throne. ⁶And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared there by God, so that they could feed her there for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

Satan Thrown Down from Heaven to Earth

⁷And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against^d the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back^e. ⁸And they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them any longer in heaven. ⁹And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

¹⁰And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“Now the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Christ have come,

because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down,

the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

¹¹And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word…