The Beast from the Sea

13 Then ^[a]I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw ^(A)a beast rising up out of the sea, ^(B)having ^[b]seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a ^(C)blasphemous name. ² Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The ^(D)dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ And I saw one of his heads ^(E)as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And ^(F)all the world marveled and followed the beast. ⁴ So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ^(G)“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

⁵ And he was given ^(H)a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to ^[c]continue for ^(I)forty-two months. ⁶ Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, ^(J)His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ It was granted to him ^(K)to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And ^(L)authority was given him over every ^[d]tribe, tongue, and nation. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, ^(M)whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain ^(N)from the foundation of the world.

^9 (O)If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ^10 (P)He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; ^(Q)he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. ^(R)Here is the ^[e]patience and the faith of the saints.

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw another beast ^(S)coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. ¹² And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, ^(T)whose deadly wound was healed. ^13 (U)He performs great signs, ^(V)so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. ^14 (W)And he deceives ^[f]those who dwell on the earth ^(X)by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword ^(Y)and lived. ¹⁵ He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak ^(Z)and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, ^(AA)to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has ^[g]the mark or ^(AB)the name of the beast, ^(AC)or the number of his name.

^18 (AD)Here is wisdom. Let him who has ^(AE)understanding calculate ^(AF)the number of the beast, ^(AG)for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

First Seal: The Conqueror

6 Now ^(A)I saw when the Lamb opened one of the ^[a]seals; and I heard ^(B)one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” ² And I looked, and behold, ^(C)a white horse. ^(D)He who sat on it had a bow; ^(E)and a crown was given to him, and he went out ^(F)conquering and to conquer.

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

³ When He opened the second seal, ^(G)I heard the second living creature saying, “Come ^[b]and see.” ^4 (H)Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to ^(I)take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

⁵ When He opened the third seal, ^(J)I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, ^(K)a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of ^(L)scales^[c] in his hand. ⁶ And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A ^[d]quart of wheat for a ^[e]denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and ^(M)do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

⁷ When He opened the fourth seal, ^(N)I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” ^8 (O)So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And ^[f]power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, ^(P)to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, ^(Q)and by the beasts of the earth.

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

⁹ When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^(R)the altar ^(S)the souls of those who had been slain ^(T)for the word of God and for ^(U)the testimony which they held. ¹⁰ And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ^(V)“How long, O Lord, ^(W)holy and true, ^(X)until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then a ^(Y)white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them ^(Z)that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

¹² I looked when He opened the sixth seal, ^(AA)and ^[g]behold, there was a great earthquake; and ^(AB)the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the ^[h]moon became like blood. ^13 (AC)And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. ^14 (AD)Then the sky ^[i]receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^(AE)every mountain and island was moved out of its place. ¹⁵ And the ^(AF)kings of the earth, the great men, ^[j]the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, ^(AG)hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, ^16 (AH)and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who ^(AI)sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of His wrath has come, ^(AJ)and who is able to stand?”

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: ^(A)And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to ^(B)the ^[a]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 ^(C)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, ^(D)as the scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were commanded ^(E)not to harm ^(F)the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have ^(G)the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[b]they were not given authority to kill them, ^(H)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 ^(I)men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

^7 (J)The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. ^(K)On their heads were crowns of something like gold, ^(L)and their faces were like the faces of men. ⁸ They had hair like women’s hair, and ^(M)their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was ^(N)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 ^(O)the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is ^[c]Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name ^[d]Apollyon.

^12 (P)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 ^(Q)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound ^(R)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 ^(S)third of mankind. ¹⁶ Now ^(T)the number of the army ^(U)of the horsemen was two hundred million; ^(V)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; ^(W)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 ^[e]their power is in their mouth and in their tails; ^(X)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, ^(Y)did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship ^(Z)demons, ^(AA)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 ^(AB)or their ^[f]sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given ^(A)a reed like a measuring rod. ^[a]And the angel stood, saying, ^(B)“Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. ² But leave out ^(C)the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, ^(D)for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will ^(E)tread the holy city underfoot for ^(F)forty-two months. ³ And I will give power to my two ^(G)witnesses, ^(H)and they will prophesy ^(I)one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the ^(J)two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the ^[b]God of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, ^(K)fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. ^(L)And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. ⁶ These ^(M)have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

The Witnesses Killed

⁷ When they ^(N)finish their testimony, ^(O)the beast that ascends ^(P)out of the bottomless pit ^(Q)will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. ⁸ And their dead bodies will lie in the street of ^(R)the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, ^(S)where also ^[c]our Lord was crucified. ^9 (T)Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations ^[d]will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, ^(U)and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. ^10 (V)And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, ^(W)and send gifts to one another, ^(X)because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

^11 (Y)Now after the three-and-a-half days ^(Z)the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² And ^[e]they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” ^(AA)And they ascended to heaven ^(AB)in a cloud, ^(AC)and their enemies saw them. ¹³ In the same hour ^(AD)there was a great earthquake, ^(AE)and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid ^(AF)and gave glory to the God of heaven.

^14 (AG)The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed

¹⁵ Then ^(AH)the seventh angel sounded: ^(AI)And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ^(AJ)“The ^[f]kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, ^(AK)and He shall reign forever and ever!” ¹⁶ And ^(AL)the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and ^(AM)worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

¹⁹ Then ^(AR)the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of ^[i]His covenant was seen in His temple. And ^(AS)there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, ^(AT)and great hail.