The Fifth Trumpet: Shaft of the Abyss

9 Then the ^(A)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a ^(B)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the ^(C)key to the ^(D)shaft of the abyss was given to him. ² He opened the shaft of the abyss, and ^(E)smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and ^(F)the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. ³ Then out of the smoke came ^(G)locusts ^[a]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(H)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(I)hurt the ^(J)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the ^(K)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[b]they were not permitted to kill ^[c]anyone, but to torment for ^(L)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(M)scorpion when it ^[d]stings a person. ⁶ And in those days ^(N)people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death ^[e]will flee from them!

⁷ The ^[f](O)appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like human faces. ⁸ They had hair like the hair of women, and their ^(P)teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the ^(Q)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. ¹⁰ They have tails like ^(R)scorpions, and stings; and in their ^(S)tails is their power to hurt people for ^(T)five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them, the angel of the ^(U)abyss; his name in ^(V)Hebrew is ^[g](W)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name ^[h]Apollyon.

^12 (X)The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

The Sixth Trumpet: Army from the East

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard ^[i]a voice from the ^[j]four ^(Y)horns of the ^(Z)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(AA)four angels who are bound at the ^(AB)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(AC)released, so that they would kill a ^(AD)third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(AE)two hundred million; ^(AF)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And this is how I saw ^(AG)in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of ^[k](AH)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(AI)out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and ^[l](AJ)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(AK)third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(AL)fire, the smoke, and the ^[m]brimstone which came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

²⁰ The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(AM)did not repent of ^(AN)the works of their hands so as not to ^(AO)worship demons and ^(AP)the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ and they ^(AQ)did not repent of their murders, nor of their ^(AR)witchcraft, nor of their ^(AS)sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 I saw another ^(AT)strong angel ^(AU)coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the ^(AV)rainbow was on his head, and ^(AW)his face was like the sun, and his ^(AX)feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a ^(AY)little scroll, which was open. He placed ^(AZ)his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, ^(BA)as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the ^(BB)seven peals of thunder ^[n]uttered their voices. ⁴ When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, ^(BC)I was about to write; and I ^(BD)heard a voice from heaven, saying, “^(BE)Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them.” ⁵ Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land ^(BF)raised his right hand to heaven, ^6 (BG)and swore by ^(BH)Him who lives forever and ever, ^(BI)who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that ^(BJ)there will no longer be a delay, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the ^(BK)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then ^(BL)the mystery of God is finished, as He announced to His servants the prophets.

⁸ Then ^(BM)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take ^(BN)the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who ^(BO)stands on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little scroll. And he *said to me, “^(BP)Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And ^(BQ)they *said to me, “You must ^(BR)prophesy again concerning ^(BS)many peoples, nations, languages, and ^(BT)kings.”