Revelation 6
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
6 Then I saw as the Lamb broke open one of the seven seals, and as if in a voice of thunder I heard one of the four living creatures call out, Come!
2 And I looked, and saw there a white horse whose rider carried a bow. And a crown was given him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.(A)
3 And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, Come!
4 And another horse came out, flaming red. And its rider was empowered to take the peace from the earth, so that men slaughtered one another; and he was given a huge sword.
5 When He broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, Come and look! And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and in his hand the rider had a pair of scales (a balance).
6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius [a whole day’s wages], and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine!(B)
7 When the Lamb broke open the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature call out, Come!
8 So I looked, and behold, an ashy pale horse [[a]black and blue as if made so by bruising], and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades (the realm of the dead) followed him closely. And they were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague (pestilence, disease) and with wild beasts of the earth.(C)
9 When the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, I saw at the foot of the altar the souls of those whose lives had been sacrificed for [adhering to] the Word of God and for the testimony they had borne.
10 They cried in a loud voice, O [Sovereign] Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood upon those who dwell on the earth?(D)
11 Then they were each given a [b]long and flowing and festive white robe and told to rest and wait patiently a little while longer, until the number should be complete of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
12 When He [the Lamb] broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun grew black as sackcloth of hair, [the full disc of] the moon became like blood.(E)
13 And the stars of the sky dropped to the earth like a fig tree shedding its unripe fruit out of season when shaken by a strong wind.(F)
14 And the [c]sky rolled up like a scroll and vanished, and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth and their noblemen and their magnates and their military chiefs and the wealthy and the strong and [everyone, whether] slave or free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,(G)
16 And they called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on (before) us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from the [d]deep-seated indignation and wrath of the Lamb.(H)
17 For the great day of His wrath (vengeance, retribution, indignation) has come, and who is able to stand before it?(I)
Footnotes
- Revelation 6:8 A description of the livid, ashen, discolored appearance of the dead; it symbolizes death and pestilence.
- Revelation 6:11 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Revelation 6:14 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament.
- Revelation 6:16 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
Revelation 6
New King James Version
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?”
Footnotes
- Revelation 6:1 NU, M seven seals
- Revelation 6:3 NU, M omit and see
- Revelation 6:5 balances
- Revelation 6:6 Gr. choinix, about 1 quart
- Revelation 6:6 About 1 day’s wage for a worker
- Revelation 6:8 authority
- Revelation 6:12 NU, M omit behold
- Revelation 6:12 NU, M whole moon
- Revelation 6:14 Or split apart
- Revelation 6:15 NU, M the commanders, the rich men,
Revelation 6
English Standard Version
The Seven Seals
6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of (A)the seven seals, and I heard (B)one of the four living creatures say (C)with a voice like thunder, (D)“Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, (E)a white horse! And (F)its rider had a bow, and (G)a crown was given to him, and he came out (H)conquering, and to conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard (I)the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, (J)bright red. Its rider was permitted (K)to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the (L)third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, (M)a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, (N)“A quart[a] of wheat for a denarius,[b] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and (O)do not harm the oil and wine!”
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of (P)the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, (Q)a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill (R)with sword and with famine and with pestilence and (S)by wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under (T)the altar (U)the souls of those who had been slain (V)for the word of God and for (W)the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, (X)holy and true, (Y)how long (Z)before you will judge and (AA)avenge our blood on (AB)those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given (AC)a white robe and (AD)told to rest a little longer, (AE)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers[c] (AF)should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, (AG)there was a great earthquake, and (AH)the sun became black as (AI)sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and (AJ)the stars of the sky fell to the earth (AK)as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 (AL)The sky vanished (AM)like a scroll that is being rolled up, and (AN)every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave[d] and free, (AO)hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 (AP)calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of (AQ)him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for (AR)the great day of their wrath has come, and (AS)who can stand?”
Footnotes
- Revelation 6:6 Greek choinix, a dry measure equal to about a quart
- Revelation 6:6 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Revelation 6:11 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
- Revelation 6:15 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.