Revelation 4:1–11:9
4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing openi in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpetj said, “Come up here,k and I will show you what must take place after this.”l 2 At once I was in the Spirit,m and there before me was a throne in heavenn with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jaspero and ruby.p A rainbowq that shone like an emeraldr encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders.s They were dressed in whitet and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.u In front of the throne, seven lampsv were blazing. These are the seven spiritsa w of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass,x clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures,y and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.z 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.a 8 Each of the four living creaturesb had six wingsc and was covered with eyes all around,d even under its wings. Day and nighte they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy
who was, and is, and is to come.”g
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throneh and who lives for ever and ever,i 10 the twenty-four eldersj fall down before himk who sits on the thronel and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,m
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”n
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throneo a scroll with writing on both sidesp and sealedq with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angelr proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lions of the tribe of Judah,t the Root of David,u has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb,v looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creaturesw and the elders.x The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,y which are the seven spiritsa z of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.a 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creaturesb and the twenty-four eldersc fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harpd and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayerse of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:f
“You are worthyg to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your bloodh you purchasedi for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.j
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priestsk to serve our God,
and they will reignb on the earth.”l
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.m They encircled the throne and the living creaturesn and the elders.o 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb,p who was slain,q
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”r
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earths and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the thronet and to the Lambu
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”v
14 The four living creaturesw said, “Amen,”x and the eldersy fell down and worshiped.z
6 I watched as the Lamba opened the first of the seven seals.b Then I heard one of the four living creaturesc say in a voice like thunder,d “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse!e Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown,f and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.g
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creatureh say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.i Its rider was given power to take peace from the earthj and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creaturek say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse!l Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures,m saying, “Two poundsa of wheat for a day’s wages,b and six poundsc of barley for a day’s wages,d n and do not damageo the oil and the wine!”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creaturep say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse!q Its rider was named Death, and Hadesr was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.s
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw undert the altaru the souls of those who had been slainv because of the word of Godw and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long,x Sovereign Lord,y holy and true,z until you judge the inhabitants of the eartha and avenge our blood?”b 11 Then each of them was given a white robe,c and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,e were killed just as they had been.d
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake.e The sun turned blackf like sackclothg made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth,h as figs drop from a fig treei when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up,j and every mountain and island was removed from its place.k
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free,l hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.m 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on usn and hide usf from the face of him who sits on the throneo and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great dayp of theirg wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”q
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four cornersr of the earth, holding back the four windss of the earth to preventt 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 sealu of the living God.v He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:w 3 “Do not harmx the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheadsy of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the numberz of those who were sealed: 144,000a from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
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,b standing before the thronec and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robesd and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,e
who sits on the throne,f
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the eldersg and the four living creatures.h They fell down on their facesi before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”j
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robesk—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 robesl and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.m 15 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of Godn
and serve himo day and night in his temple;p
and he who sits on the throneq
will shelter them with his presence.r
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.s
The sun will not beat down on them,’a
nor any scorching heat.t
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;u
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’b v
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’c”w
The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer
8 When he opened the seventh seal,x there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angelsy who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.z
3 Another angel,a 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,b on the golden altarc in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before Godd from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,e and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,f rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.g
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpetsh prepared to sound them.
7 The first angeli