The Sixth Trumpet: Army from the East

¹³ Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard ^[a]a voice from the ^[b]four ^(A)horns of the ^(B)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(C)four angels who are bound at the ^(D)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(E)released, so that they would kill a ^(F)third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(G)two hundred million; ^(H)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And this is how I saw ^(I)in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of ^[c](J)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(K)out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and ^[d](L)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(M)third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(N)fire, the smoke, and the ^[e]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, ^(O)did not repent of ^(P)the works of their hands so as not to ^(Q)worship demons and ^(R)the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ and they ^(S)did not repent of their murders, nor of their ^(T)witchcraft, nor of their ^(U)sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 I saw another ^(V)strong angel ^(W)coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the ^(X)rainbow was on his head, and ^(Y)his face was like the sun, and his ^(Z)feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a ^(AA)little scroll, which was open. He placed ^(AB)his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, ^(AC)as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the ^(AD)seven peals of thunder ^[f]uttered their voices. ⁴ When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, ^(AE)I was about to write; and I ^(AF)heard a voice from heaven, saying, “^(AG)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 ^(AH)raised his right hand to heaven, ^6 (AI)and swore by ^(AJ)Him who lives forever and ever, ^(AK)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 ^(AL)there will no longer be a delay, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the ^(AM)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then ^(AN)the mystery of God is finished, as He announced to His servants the prophets.

⁸ Then ^(AO)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take ^(AP)the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who ^(AQ)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, “^(AR)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 ^(AS)they *said to me, “You must ^(AT)prophesy again concerning ^(AU)many peoples, nations, languages, and ^(AV)kings.”