When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under(A) the altar(B) the souls of those who had been slain(C) because of the word of God(D) and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long,(E) Sovereign Lord,(F) holy and true,(G) until you judge the inhabitants of the earth(H) and avenge our blood?”(I) 11 Then each of them was given a white robe,(J) and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[a] were killed just as they had been.(K)

12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake.(L) The sun turned black(M) like sackcloth(N) made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth,(O) as figs drop from a fig tree(P) when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up,(Q) and every mountain and island was removed from its place.(R)

15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free,(S) hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.(T) 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us(U) and hide us[b] from the face of him who sits on the throne(V) and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day(W) of their[c] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”(X)

144,000 Sealed

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners(Y) of the earth, holding back the four winds(Z) of the earth to prevent(AA) any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal(AB) of the living God.(AC) He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:(AD) “Do not harm(AE) the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads(AF) of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number(AG) of those who were sealed: 144,000(AH) from all the tribes of Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 6:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 12:10; 19:10.
  2. Revelation 6:16 See Hosea 10:8.
  3. Revelation 6:17 Some manuscripts his

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