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

The Trumpets

6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpetsh prepared to sound them.

7 The first angeli sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and firej mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A thirdk of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.l

8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,m all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A thirdn of the sea turned into blood,o 9 a thirdp 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 skyq on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waterr—11 the name of the star is Wormwood.a A thirds of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.t

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 thirdu of them turned dark.v A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.w

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midairx call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woey to the inhabitants of the earth,z because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”