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

¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free,^(H) hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.^{(I) 16} They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us^(J) and hide us^[a] from the face of him who sits on the throne^(K) and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day^(L) of their^[b] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”^(M)

²⁷ For as lightning^(A) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming^(B) of the Son of Man.^{(C) 28} Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.^(D)

²⁹ “Immediately after the distress of those days

³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth^[b] will mourn^(F) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,^(G) with power and great glory.^[c]

¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword^(A) with which to strike down^(B) the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a](C) He treads the winepress^(D) of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

¹³ The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns^(A) of the golden altar that is before God.^{(B) 14} It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels^(C) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”^{(D) 15} And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released^(E) to kill a third^(F) of mankind.^{(G) 16} The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.^(H)

¹⁷ The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths^(I) came fire, smoke and sulfur.^{(J) 18} A third^(K) of mankind was killed^(L) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur^(M) that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent^(N) of the work of their hands;^(O) they did not stop worshiping demons,^(P) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.^{(Q) 21} Nor did they repent^(R) of their murders, their magic arts,^(S) their sexual immorality^(T) or their thefts.

¹⁶ Then they gathered the kings together^(A) to the place that in Hebrew^(B) is called Armageddon.^(C)

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,^(D) and out of the temple^(E) came a loud voice^(F) from the throne, saying, “It is done!”^{(G) 18} Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder^(H) and a severe earthquake.^(I) No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth,^(J) so tremendous was the quake. ¹⁹ The great city^(K) split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered^(L) Babylon the Great^(M) and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.^{(N) 20} Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.^{(O) 21} From the sky huge hailstones,^(P) each weighing about a hundred pounds,^[a] fell on people. And they cursed God^(Q) on account of the plague of hail,^(R) because the plague was so terrible.