Revelation 5-11

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Book with Seven Seals

5 I saw ^[a]in the right hand of Him who ^(A)sat on the throne a ^[b](B)book written inside and on the back, ^(C)sealed up with seven seals. ² And I saw a ^(D)strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the ^[c]book and to break its seals?” ³ And no one ^(E)in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the ^[d]book or to look into it. ⁴ Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the ^[e]book or to look into it; ⁵ and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the ^(F)Lion that is ^(G)from the tribe of Judah, the ^(H)Root of David, has overcome so as to open the ^[f]book and its seven seals.”

⁶ And I saw ^[g]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and ^(I)the elders a ^(J)Lamb standing, as if ^(K)slain, having seven ^(L)horns and ^(M)seven eyes, which are ^(N)the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And He came and took ^(O)the book out of the right hand of Him who ^(P)sat on the throne. ⁸ When He had taken the ^[h]book, the ^(Q)four living creatures and the ^(R)twenty-four elders ^(S)fell down before the ^(T)Lamb, each one holding a ^(U)harp and ^(V)golden bowls full of incense, which are the ^(W)prayers of the ^[i]saints. ⁹ And they *sang a ^(X)new song, saying,

Angels Exalt the Lamb

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels ^(AF)around the throne and the ^(AG)living creatures and the ^(AH)elders; and the number of them was ^(AI)myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

¹³ And ^(AM)every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

¹⁴ And the ^(AQ)four living creatures kept saying, “^(AR)Amen.” And the ^(AS)elders ^(AT)fell down and worshiped.

The First Seal—Rider on White Horse

6 Then I saw when the ^(AU)Lamb broke one of the ^(AV)seven seals, and I heard one of the ^(AW)four living creatures saying as with a ^(AX)voice of thunder, “Come^[k].” ² I looked, and behold, a ^(AY)white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and ^(AZ)a crown was given to him, and he went out ^(BA)conquering and to conquer.

The Second Seal—War

³ When He broke the second seal, I heard the ^(BB)second living creature saying, “Come^[l].” ⁴ And another, ^(BC)a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to ^(BD)take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

The Third Seal—Famine

⁵ When He broke the third seal, I heard the ^(BE)third living creature saying, “Come^[m].” I looked, and behold, a ^(BF)black horse; and he who sat on it had a ^(BG)pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard something like a voice in the center of the ^(BH)four living creatures saying, “A ^[n]quart of wheat for a ^[o]denarius, and three ^[p]quarts of barley for a ^[q]denarius; and ^(BI)do not damage the oil and the wine.”

The Fourth Seal—Death

⁷ When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the ^(BJ)fourth living creature saying, “Come^[r].” ⁸ I looked, and behold, an ^[s](BK)ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name ^(BL)Death; and ^(BM)Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, ^(BN)to kill with sword and with famine and with ^[t]pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The Fifth Seal—Martyrs

⁹ When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw ^(BO)underneath the ^(BP)altar the ^(BQ)souls of those who had been slain ^(BR)because of the word of God, and because of the ^(BS)testimony which they had maintained; ¹⁰ and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(BT)How long, O ^[u](BU)Lord, ^(BV)holy and true, ^[v]will You refrain from ^(BW)judging and avenging our blood on ^(BX)those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ And ^(BY)there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should ^(BZ)rest for a little while longer, ^(CA)until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be ^(CB)completed also.

The Sixth Seal—Terror

¹² I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great ^(CC)earthquake; and the ^(CD)sun became black as ^(CE)sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; ¹³ and ^(CF)the stars of the sky fell to the earth, ^(CG)as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. ^14 (CH)The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^(CI)every mountain and island were moved out of their places. ¹⁵ Then ^(CJ)the kings of the earth and the great men and the ^[w]commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; ¹⁶ and they *^(CK)said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the ^[x]presence of Him ^(CL)who sits on the throne, and from the ^(CM)wrath of the Lamb; ¹⁷ for ^(CN)the great day of their wrath has come, and ^(CO)who is able to stand?”

An Interlude

7 After this I saw ^(CP)four angels standing at the ^(CQ)four corners of the earth, holding back ^(CR)the four winds of the earth, ^(CS)so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. ² And I saw another angel ascending ^(CT)from the rising of the sun, having the ^(CU)seal of ^(CV)the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the ^(CW)four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ³ saying, “^(CX)Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have ^(CY)sealed the bond-servants of our God on their ^(CZ)foreheads.”

The 144,000

⁴ And I heard the ^(DA)number of those who were sealed, ^(DB)one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

A Multitude from the Tribulation

⁹ After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from ^(DC)every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing ^(DD)before the throne and ^(DE)before the Lamb, clothed in ^(DF)white robes, and ^(DG)palm branches were in their hands; ¹⁰ and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“^(DH)Salvation to our God ^(DI)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing ^(DJ)around the throne and around ^(DK)the elders and the ^(DL)four living creatures; and they ^(DM)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying,

“^(DN)Amen, ^(DO)blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. ^(DP)Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders ^(DQ)answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the ^(DR)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ I ^[y]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the ^(DS)great tribulation, and they have ^(DT)washed their robes and made them ^(DU)white in the ^(DV)blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ For this reason, they are ^(DW)before the throne of God; and they ^(DX)serve Him day and night in His ^[z](DY)temple; and ^(DZ)He who sits on the throne will spread His ^(EA)tabernacle over them. ^16 (EB)They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun ^[aa]beat down on them, nor any heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their ^(EC)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the ^[ab](ED)water of life; and ^(EE)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

The Seventh Seal—the Trumpets

8 When the Lamb broke the ^(EF)seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² And I saw ^(EG)the seven angels who stand before God, and seven ^(EH)trumpets were given to them.

^3 (EI)Another angel came and stood at the ^(EJ)altar, holding a ^(EK)golden censer; and much ^(EL)incense was given to him, so that he might ^[ac]add it to the ^(EM)prayers of all the ^[ad]saints on the ^(EN)golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And ^(EO)the smoke of the incense, ^[ae]with the prayers of the ^[af]saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel ^[ag]took the censer and ^(EP)filled it with the fire of the altar, and ^(EQ)threw it to the earth; and there followed ^(ER)peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an ^(ES)earthquake.

^6 (ET)And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.

⁷ The first sounded, and there came ^(EU)hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and ^(EV)a third of the earth was burned up, and ^(EW)a third of the ^(EX)trees were burned up, and all the green ^(EY)grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel sounded, and something like a great ^(EZ)mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and ^(FA)a third of the ^(FB)sea became blood, ⁹ and ^(FC)a third of the creatures which were in the sea ^[ah]and had life, died; and a third of the ^(FD)ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded, and a great star ^(FE)fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a ^(FF)third of the rivers and on the ^(FG)springs of waters. ¹¹ The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a ^(FH)third of the waters became ^(FI)wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel sounded, and a ^(FJ)third of the ^(FK)sun and a third of the ^(FL)moon and a ^(FM)third of the ^(FN)stars were struck, so that a ^(FO)third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a ^(FP)third of it, and the night in the same way.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard ^[ai]an eagle flying in ^(FQ)midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “^(FR)Woe, woe, woe to ^(FS)those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the ^(FT)three angels who are about to sound!”

The Fifth Trumpet—the Bottomless Pit

9 Then the ^(FU)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a ^(FV)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the ^(FW)key of the ^[aj](FX)bottomless pit was given to him. ² He opened the ^[ak]bottomless pit, and ^(FY)smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and ^(FZ)the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. ³ Then out of the smoke came ^(GA)locusts ^[al]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(GB)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(GC)hurt the ^(GD)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the ^(GE)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[am]they were not permitted to kill ^[an]anyone, but to torment for ^(GF)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(GG)scorpion when it ^[ao]stings a man. ⁶ And in those days ^(GH)men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

⁷ The ^[ap](GI)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 the faces of men. ⁸ They had hair like the hair of women, and their ^(GJ)teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the ^(GK)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. ¹⁰ They have tails like ^(GL)scorpions, and stings; and in their ^(GM)tails is their power to hurt men for ^(GN)five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them, the angel of the ^(GO)abyss; his name in ^(GP)Hebrew is ^[aq](GQ)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name ^[ar]Apollyon.

^12 (GR)The first woe is past; 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 ^[as]a voice from the ^[at]four ^(GS)horns of the ^(GT)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(GU)four angels who are bound at the ^(GV)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(GW)released, so that they would kill a ^(GX)third of ^[au]mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(GY)two hundred million; ^(GZ)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And ^[av]this is how I saw ^(HA)in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of ^[aw](HB)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(HC)out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and ^[ax](HD)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(HE)third of ^[ay]mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(HF)fire and the smoke and the ^[az]brimstone which proceeded 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 ^[ba]mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(HG)did not repent of ^(HH)the works of their hands, so as not to ^(HI)worship demons, and ^(HJ)the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ and they ^(HK)did not repent of their murders nor of their ^(HL)sorceries nor of their ^(HM)immorality nor of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Book

10 I saw another ^(HN)strong angel ^(HO)coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the ^(HP)rainbow was upon his head, and ^(HQ)his face was like the sun, and his ^(HR)feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a ^(HS)little book which was open. He placed ^(HT)his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, ^(HU)as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the ^(HV)seven peals of thunder ^[bb]uttered their voices. ⁴ When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, ^(HW)I was about to write; and I ^(HX)heard a voice from heaven saying, “^(HY)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 ^(HZ)lifted up his right hand to heaven, ^6 (IA)and swore by ^(IB)Him who lives forever and ever, ^(IC)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 ^(ID)there will be delay no longer, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the ^(IE)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then ^(IF)the mystery of God is finished, as He ^[bc]preached to His servants the prophets.

⁸ Then ^(IG)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take ^(IH)the ^[bd]book which is open in the hand of the angel who ^(II)stands on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, “^(IJ)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 book out of 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 ^(IK)they *said to me, “You must ^(IL)prophesy again concerning ^(IM)many peoples and nations and tongues and ^(IN)kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11 Then there was given me a ^[be](IO)measuring rod like a staff; ^[bf]and ^(IP)someone said, “Get up and measure the ^[bg]temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. ^2 [bh]Leave out the ^(IQ)court which is outside the ^[bi]temple and do not measure it, for ^(IR)it has been given to the nations; and they will ^(IS)tread under foot ^(IT)the holy city for ^(IU)forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two ^(IV)witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(IW)twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in ^(IX)sackcloth.” ⁴ These are the ^(IY)two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, ^(IZ)fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, ^(JA)he must be killed in this way. ⁶ These have the power to ^(JB)shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during ^(JC)the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to ^(JD)turn them into blood, and ^(JE)to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, ^(JF)the beast that comes up out of the ^(JG)abyss will ^(JH)make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. ⁸ And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the ^(JI)great city which ^[bj]mystically is called ^(JJ)Sodom and ^(JK)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ Those from ^(JL)the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead ^[bk]bodies for three and a half days, and ^[bl](JM)will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. ¹⁰ And ^(JN)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will ^(JO)send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented ^(JP)those who dwell on the earth.

¹¹ But after the three and a half days, ^(JQ)the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. ¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “^(JR)Come up here.” Then they ^(JS)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And in that hour there was a great ^(JT)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; ^[bm]seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(JU)gave glory to the ^(JV)God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second ^(JW)woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet—Christ’s Reign Foreseen

¹⁵ Then the ^(JX)seventh angel sounded; and there were ^(JY)loud voices in heaven, saying,

“^(JZ)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(KA)His ^[bn]Christ; and ^(KB)He will reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who ^(KC)sit on their thrones before God, ^(KD)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

“We give You thanks, ^(KE)O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to ^(KF)reign. ¹⁸ And ^(KG)the nations were enraged, and ^(KH)Your wrath came, and ^(KI)the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to ^[bo]reward Your ^(KJ)bond-servants the prophets and the ^[bp]saints and those who fear Your name, ^(KK)the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ And ^(KL)the ^[bq]temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and ^(KM)the ark of His covenant appeared in His ^[br]temple, and there were flashes of ^(KN)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a ^(KO)great ^[bs]hailstorm.