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12 The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great River Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east.(A) 13 And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.(B) 14 These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.(C) 15 (“See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed,[a] not going about naked and exposed to shame.”)(D) 16 And the demonic spirits[b] assembled the kings[c] at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon.

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Footnotes

  1. 16.15 Gk and keeps his robes
  2. 16.16 Gk they
  3. 16.16 Gk them

12 Then[a] the sixth angel[b] poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water[c] to prepare the way[d] for the kings from the east.[e] 13 Then[f] I saw three unclean spirits[g] that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth[h] to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful.[i]

15 (Look ! I will come like a thief!
Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose[j] his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition[k] be seen.)[l]

16 Now[m] the spirits[n] gathered the kings and their armies[o] to the place that is called Armageddon[p] in Hebrew.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 16:12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  2. Revelation 16:12 tn Grk “the sixth”; the referent (the sixth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. Revelation 16:12 tn Grk “and its water was dried up.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
  4. Revelation 16:12 tn Grk “in order that the way might be prepared.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
  5. Revelation 16:12 tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίουfrom the east Rv 7:2; 16:12; simply ἀπὸ ἀ.…21:13.”
  6. Revelation 16:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  7. Revelation 16:13 sn According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.
  8. Revelation 16:14 tn BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the worldὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earthMt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”
  9. Revelation 16:14 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…() κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π.…Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”
  10. Revelation 16:15 tn Grk “and keeps.” BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 2.c states “of holding on to someth. so as not to give it up or lose it…τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Rv 16:15 (or else he will have to go naked).”
  11. Revelation 16:15 tn On the translation of ἀσχημοσύνη (aschēmosunē) as “shameful condition” see L&N 25.202. The indefinite third person plural (“and they see”) has been translated as a passive here.
  12. Revelation 16:15 sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator. Many interpreters have seen this verse as so abrupt that it could not be an original part of the work, but the author has used such asides before (1:7; 14:13) and the suddenness here (on the eve of Armageddon) is completely parallel to Jesus’ warning in Mark 13:15-16 and parallels.
  13. Revelation 16:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption and conclusion of the remarks about the pouring out of the sixth bowl.
  14. Revelation 16:16 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  15. Revelation 16:16 tn Grk “gathered them”; the referent (the kings and [implied] their armies, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  16. Revelation 16:16 tc There are many variations in the spelling of this name among the Greek mss, although ῾Αρμαγεδών (harmagedōn) has the best support. The usual English spelling is Armageddon, used in the translation.tn Or “Harmagedon” (a literal transliteration of the Greek), or “Har-Magedon” (NASB), meaning “the Mount of Magedon” in Hebrew.