Revelation 9:13-10:11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the [four][a] horns of the gold altar before God,(A) 14 telling the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels[b] who are bound at the banks of the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels were released, who were prepared for this hour, day, month, and year to kill a third of the human race. 16 The number of cavalry troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. 17 Now in my vision this is how I saw the horses and their riders. They wore red, blue, and yellow breastplates,[c] and the horses’ heads were like heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.(B) 18 By these three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths a third of the human race was killed. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like snakes, with heads that inflict harm.
20 The rest of the human race, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands,[d] to give up the worship of demons and idols made from gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.(C) 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic potions, their unchastity, or their robberies.
Chapter 10
The Angel with the Small Scroll. 1 [e]Then I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven wrapped in a cloud, with a halo around his head; his face was like the sun and his feet were like pillars of fire. 2 In his hand he held a small scroll that had been opened. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,[f] 3 and then he cried out in a loud voice as a lion roars. When he cried out, the seven thunders[g] raised their voices, too.(D) 4 When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to write it down; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have spoken, but do not write it down.” 5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and earth and sea[h] and all that is in them, “There shall be no more delay.(E) 7 At the time when you hear the seventh angel blow his trumpet, the mysterious plan of God[i] shall be fulfilled, as he promised to his servants the prophets.”(F)
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. He said to me, “Take and swallow it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet[j] as honey.” 10 I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.(G) 11 Then someone said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”[k]
Footnotes
- 9:13 [Four]: many Greek manuscripts and versions omit the word. The horns were situated at the four corners of the altar (Ex 27:2; 30:2–3); see note on Rev 8:3.
- 9:14–15 The four angels: they are symbolic of the destructive activity that will be extended throughout the universe.
- 9:17 Blue: literally, “hyacinth-colored.” Yellow: literally, “sulfurous.”
- 9:20 The works of their hands: i.e., the gods their hands had made.
- 10:1–11:14 An interlude in two scenes (Rev 10:1–11 and Rev 11:1–14) precedes the sounding of the seventh trumpet; cf. Rev 7:1–17. The first vision describes an angel astride sea and land like a colossus, with a small scroll open, the contents of which indicate that the end is imminent (Rev 10). The second vision is of the measuring of the temple and of two witnesses, whose martyrdom means that the kingdom of God is about to be inaugurated.
- 10:2 He placed…on the land: this symbolizes the universality of the angel’s message, as does the figure of the small scroll open to be read.
- 10:3 The seven thunders: God’s voice announcing judgment and doom; cf. Ps 29:3–9, where thunder, as the voice of Yahweh, is praised seven times.
- 10:6 Heaven and earth and sea: the three parts of the universe. No more delay: cf. Dn 12:7; Hb 2:3.
- 10:7 The mysterious plan of God: literally, “the mystery of God,” the end of the present age when the forces of evil will be put down (Rev 17:1–19:4, 11–21; 20:7–10; cf. 2 Thes 2:6–12; Rom 16:25–26), and the establishment of the reign of God when all creation will be made new (Rev 21:1–22:5).
- 10:9–10 The small scroll was sweet because it predicted the final victory of God’s people; it was sour because it also announced their sufferings. Cf. Ez 3:1–3.
- 10:11 This further prophecy is contained in chaps. 12–22.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.