Revelation 6–8

First Seal: The Conqueror

6Now ^aI saw when the Lamb opened one of the ¹seals; and I heard ^bone of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” ²And I looked, and behold, ^ca white horse. ^dHe who sat on it had a bow; ^eand a crown was given to him, and he went out ^fconquering and to conquer.

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

³When He opened the second seal, ^gI heard the second living creature saying, “Come ²and see.” ^4hAnother horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to ⁱtake peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

⁵When He opened the third seal, ^jI heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, ^ka black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of ^lscales ³in his hand. ⁶And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A ⁴quart of wheat for a ⁵denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and ^mdo not harm the oil and the wine.”

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

⁷When He opened the fourth seal, ⁿI heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” ^8oSo I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And ⁶power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, ^pto kill with sword, with hunger, with death, ^qand by the beasts of the earth.

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

⁹When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^rthe altar ^sthe souls of those who had been slain ^tfor the word of God and for ^uthe testimony which they held. ¹⁰And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ^v“How long, O Lord, ^wholy and true, ^xuntil You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹Then a ^ywhite robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them ^zthat they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

¹²I looked when He opened the sixth seal, ^aand ⁷behold, there was a great earthquake; and ^bthe sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the ⁸moon became like blood. ^13cAnd the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. ^14dThen the sky ⁹receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^eevery mountain and island was moved out of its place. ¹⁵And the ^fkings of the earth, the great men, ¹the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, ^ghid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, ^16hand said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who ⁱsits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷For the great day of His wrath has come, ^jand who is able to stand?”

The Sealed of Israel

7After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, ^aholding the four winds of the earth, ^bthat the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. ²Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ³saying, ^c“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God ^don their foreheads.” ^4eAnd I heard the number of those who were sealed. ^fOne hundred and forty-four thousand ^gof all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

⁵of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were ¹sealed;

of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;

⁶of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;

⁷of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;

⁸of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

⁹After these things I looked, and behold, ^ha great multitude which no one could number, ⁱof all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ^jclothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ^k“Salvation belongs to our God ^lwho sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ^11mAll the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and ⁿworshiped God, ^12osaying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,

Be to our God forever and ever.

Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in ^pwhite robes, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴And I said to him, ²“Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, ^q“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and ^rwashed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will ^sdwell among them. ^16tThey shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; ^uthe sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; ¹⁷for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne ^vwill shepherd them and lead them to ³living fountains of waters. ^wAnd God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

8When ^aHe opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ^2bAnd I saw the seven angels who stand before God, ^cand to them were given seven trumpets. ³Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with ^dthe prayers of all the saints upon ^ethe golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴And ^fthe smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. ⁵Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And ^gthere were noises, thunderings, ^hlightnings, ⁱand an earthquake.

⁶So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck

⁷The first angel sounded: ^jAnd hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown ^kto the ¹earth. And a third ^lof the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck

⁸Then the second angel sounded: ^mAnd something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, ⁿand a third of the sea ^obecame blood. ^9pAnd a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck

¹⁰Then the third angel sounded: ^qAnd a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, ^rand it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. ^11sThe name of the star is Wormwood. ^tA third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck

^12uThen the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day ²did not shine, and likewise the night.

¹³And I looked, ^vand I heard an ³angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, ^w“Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”