Revelation 8-10
English Standard Version
The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer
8 When the Lamb opened (A)the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels (B)who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood (C)at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with (D)the prayers of all the saints on (E)the golden altar before the throne, 4 and (F)the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and (G)filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and (H)there were peals of (I)thunder, rumblings,[a] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
The Seven Trumpets
6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed (J)hail and (K)fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a (L)third of the earth was burned up, and a third of (M)the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like (N)a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea (O)became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of (P)the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and (Q)a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on (R)the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood.[b] A third of the waters (S)became wormwood, and many people died from the water, (T)because it had been made bitter.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of (U)the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, (V)“Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”
9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and (W)I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given (X)the key to the shaft of (Y)the bottomless pit.[c] 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft (Z)rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and (AA)the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came (AB)locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told (AC)not to harm (AD)the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have (AE)the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them (AF)for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days (AG)people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 (AH)In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: (AI)on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were (AJ)like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and (AK)their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was (AL)like the noise of many chariots with (AM)horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people (AN)for five months is in their tails. 11 They have (AO)as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is (AP)Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.[d]
12 (AQ)The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.
13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from (AR)the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release (AS)the four angels who are bound at (AT)the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released (AU)to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of (AV)mounted troops was (AW)twice ten thousand times ten thousand; (AX)I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire[e] and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were (AY)like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming 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 with heads, and by means of them they wound.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, (AZ)did not repent of (BA)the works of their hands nor give up worshiping (BB)demons (BC)and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their (BD)sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The Angel and the Little Scroll
10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with (BE)a rainbow over his head, and (BF)his face was like the sun, and (BG)his legs like pillars of fire. 2 (BH)He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3 and called out with a loud voice, (BI)like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, (BJ)“Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land (BK)raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by (BL)him who lives forever and ever, (BM)who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that (BN)in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, (BO)just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, (BP)“Take and (BQ)eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, (BR)“You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 8:5 Or voices, or sounds
- Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is the name of a plant and of the bitter-tasting extract derived from it
- Revelation 9:1 Greek the abyss; also verses 2, 11
- Revelation 9:11 Abaddon means destruction; Apollyon means destroyer
- Revelation 9:17 Greek hyacinth
Revelation 8-10
New King James Version
Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets
8 When(A) He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 (B)And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, (C)and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with (D)the prayers of all the saints upon (E)the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And (F)the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And (G)there were noises, thunderings, (H)lightnings, (I)and an earthquake.
6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck
7 The first angel sounded: (J)And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown (K)to the [a]earth. And a third (L)of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck
8 Then the second angel sounded: (M)And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, (N)and a third of the sea (O)became blood. 9 (P)And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck
10 Then the third angel sounded: (Q)And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, (R)and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (S)The name of the star is Wormwood. (T)A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck
12 (U)Then 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 [b]did not shine, and likewise the night.
13 And I looked, (V)and I heard an [c]angel 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!”
Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit
9 Then the fifth angel sounded: (X)And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to (Y)the [d]bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the (Z)sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, (AA)as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded (AB)not to harm (AC)the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have (AD)the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And [e]they were not given authority to kill them, (AE)but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days (AF)men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
7 (AG)The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. (AH)On their heads were crowns of something like gold, (AI)and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and (AJ)their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was (AK)like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them (AL)the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is [f]Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name [g]Apollyon.
12 (AM)One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the (AN)golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound (AO)at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a (AP)third of mankind. 16 Now (AQ)the number of the army (AR)of the horsemen was two hundred million; (AS)I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; (AT)and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For [h]their power is in their mouth and in their tails; (AU)for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, (AV)did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship (AW)demons, (AX)and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders (AY)or their [i]sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The Mighty Angel with the Little Book
10 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. (AZ)And a rainbow was on (BA)his head, his face was like the sun, and (BB)his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. (BC)And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, (BD)seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders [j]uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying [k]to me, (BE)“Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”
5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land (BF)raised up his [l]hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, (BG)who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, (BH)that there should be delay no longer, 7 but (BI)in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
John Eats the Little Book
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”
9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, (BJ)“Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, (BK)and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, (BL)my stomach became bitter. 11 And [m]he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 8:7 NU, M add and a third of the earth was burned up
- Revelation 8:12 had no light
- Revelation 8:13 NU, M eagle
- Revelation 9:1 Lit. shaft of the abyss
- Revelation 9:5 The locusts
- Revelation 9:11 Lit. Destruction
- Revelation 9:11 Lit. Destroyer
- Revelation 9:19 NU, M the power of the horses
- Revelation 9:21 NU, M drugs
- Revelation 10:4 NU, M sounded,
- Revelation 10:4 NU, M omit to me
- Revelation 10:5 NU, M right hand
- Revelation 10:11 NU, M they
Revelation 8-10
New American Standard Bible
The Seventh Seal: Trumpets
8 When the Lamb broke the (A)seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw (B)the seven angels who stand before God, and seven (C)trumpets were given to them.
3 (D)Another angel came and stood at the (E)altar, holding a (F)golden censer; and much (G)incense was given to him, so that he might [a]add it to the (H)prayers of all the [b]saints on the (I)golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And (J)the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the [c]saints before God. 5 Then the angel [d]took the [e]censer and (K)filled it with the fire of the altar, and (L)hurled it to the earth; and there were (M)peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an (N)earthquake.
6 (O)And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
7 The first sounded, and there was (P)hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and (Q)a third of the earth was burned up, and (R)a third of the (S)trees were burned up, and all the green (T)grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great (U)mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and (V)a third of the (W)sea became blood, 9 and (X)a third of the creatures which were in the sea [f]and had life, died; and a third of the (Y)ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star (Z)fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a (AA)third of the rivers and on the (AB)springs of waters. 11 The star is named Wormwood; and a (AC)third of the waters became (AD)wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a (AE)third of the (AF)sun, a third of the (AG)moon, and a (AH)third of the (AI)stars were struck, so that a (AJ)third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a (AK)third of it, and the night in the same way.
13 Then I looked, and I heard [g]an eagle flying in (AL)midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “(AM)Woe, woe, woe to (AN)those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the (AO)three angels who are about to sound!”
The Fifth Trumpet: Shaft of the Abyss
9 Then the (AP)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a (AQ)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the (AR)key to the (AS)shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and (AT)smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and (AU)the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke came (AV)locusts [h]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the (AW)scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to (AX)hurt the (AY)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the (AZ)seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And [i]they were not permitted to kill [j]anyone, but to torment for (BA)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a (BB)scorpion when it [k]stings a person. 6 And in those days (BC)people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death [l]will flee from them!
7 The [m](BD)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 (BE)teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the (BF)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like (BG)scorpions, and stings; and in their (BH)tails is their power to hurt people for (BI)five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the (BJ)abyss; his name in (BK)Hebrew is [n](BL)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name [o]Apollyon.
12 (BM)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 [p]a voice from the [q]four (BN)horns of the (BO)golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the (BP)four angels who are bound at the (BQ)great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were (BR)released, so that they would kill a (BS)third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was (BT)two hundred million; (BU)I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw (BV)in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of [r](BW)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and (BX)out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and [s](BY)brimstone. 18 A (BZ)third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the (CA)fire, the smoke, and the [t]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, (CB)did not repent of (CC)the works of their hands so as not to (CD)worship demons and (CE)the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they (CF)did not repent of their murders, nor of their (CG)witchcraft, nor of their (CH)sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.
The Angel and the Little Scroll
10 I saw another (CI)strong angel (CJ)coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the (CK)rainbow was on his head, and (CL)his face was like the sun, and his (CM)feet like pillars of fire; 2 and he had in his hand a (CN)little scroll, which was open. He placed (CO)his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; 3 and he cried out with a loud voice, (CP)as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the (CQ)seven peals of thunder [u]uttered their voices. 4 When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, (CR)I was about to write; and I (CS)heard a voice from heaven, saying, “(CT)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 (CU)raised his right hand to heaven, 6 (CV)and swore by (CW)Him who lives forever and ever, (CX)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 (CY)there will no longer be a delay, 7 but in the days of the voice of the (CZ)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then (DA)the mystery of God is finished, as He announced to His servants the prophets.
8 Then (DB)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take (DC)the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who (DD)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, “(DE)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 (DF)they *said to me, “You must (DG)prophesy again concerning (DH)many peoples, nations, languages, and (DI)kings.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 8:3 Lit give
- Revelation 8:3 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Revelation 8:4 See note 2 v 3
- Revelation 8:5 Lit has taken
- Revelation 8:5 I.e., container to burn incense
- Revelation 8:9 Lit the ones having
- Revelation 8:13 Lit one eagle
- Revelation 9:3 Lit into
- Revelation 9:5 Lit it was given to them
- Revelation 9:5 Lit them
- Revelation 9:5 Lit strikes
- Revelation 9:6 Lit flees (intensive expression)
- Revelation 9:7 Lit likenesses
- Revelation 9:11 I.e., destruction
- Revelation 9:11 I.e., destroyer
- Revelation 9:13 Lit one voice
- Revelation 9:13 Two early mss do not contain four
- Revelation 9:17 I.e., burning sulfur
- Revelation 9:17 I.e., burning sulfur
- Revelation 9:18 I.e., burning sulfur
- Revelation 10:3 Or spoke
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
