Revelation 6-16

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

IV. The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Plagues, with Interludes^[a]

Chapter 6^[b]

The First Six Seals. ^1 [c]Then I watched while the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures cry out in a voice like thunder, “Come forward.” ² I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow.^[d] He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.^(A)

³ When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, “Come forward.” ^4 [e](B)Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.

⁵ When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, “Come forward.” I looked, and there was a black horse,^[f] and its rider held a scale in his hand. ⁶ I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. It said, “A ration of wheat costs a day’s pay,^[g] and three rations of barley cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine.”^(C)

⁷ When he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, “Come forward.” ⁸ I looked, and there was a pale green^[h] horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth.^(D)

⁹ When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar^[i] the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice, “How long will it be, holy and true master,^[j] before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” ¹¹ Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.

^12 [k]Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth^[l] and the whole moon became like blood.^{(E) 13} The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs^[m] shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind. ¹⁴ Then the sky was divided^[n] like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.^{(F) 15} The kings of the earth, the nobles,^[o] the military officers, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and among mountain crags. ¹⁶ They cried out to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,^{(G) 17} because the great day of their^[p] wrath has come and who can withstand it?”

Chapter 7^[q]

The 144,000 Sealed. ¹ After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,^[r] holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on land or sea or against any tree.^{(H) 2} Then I saw another angel come up from the East,^[s] holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, ³ “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”^{(I) 4} I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked^[t] from every tribe of the Israelites:^{(J) 5} twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Judah,^[u] twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad, ⁶ twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh, ⁷ twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar, ⁸ twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Benjamin.

Triumph of the Elect. ⁹ After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches^[v] in their hands. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice:

¹¹ All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, ¹² and exclaimed:

¹³ Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;^[x] they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^(K)

Chapter 8^[z]

The Seven Trumpets. ¹ When he broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven^[aa] for about half an hour.^{(N) 2} And I saw that the seven angels who stood before God were given seven trumpets.^(O)

The Gold Censer. ³ Another angel came and stood at the altar,^[ab] holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne.^{(P) 4} The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with burning coals from the altar, and hurled it down to the earth. There were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.^(Q)

The First Four Trumpets. ⁶ The seven angels who were holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.^(R)

⁷ When the first one blew his trumpet, there came hail and fire mixed with blood, which was hurled down to the earth. A third of the land was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all green grass.^[ac]

^8 [ad]When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a large burning mountain was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,^{(S) 9} a third of the creatures living in the sea^[ae] died, and a third of the ships were wrecked.

¹⁰ When the third angel blew his trumpet, a large star burning like a torch fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.^{(T) 11} The star was called “Wormwood,”^[af] and a third of all the water turned to wormwood. Many people died from this water, because it was made bitter.^(U)

¹² When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them became dark. The day lost its light for a third of the time, as did the night.^(V)

¹³ Then I looked again and heard an eagle flying high overhead cry out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe^[ag] to the inhabitants of the earth from the rest of the trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to blow!”

Chapter 9

The Fifth Trumpet.^{[ah] 1} Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star^[ai] that had fallen from the sky to the earth. It was given the key for the passage to the abyss. ² It opened the passage to the abyss,^(W) and smoke came up out of the passage like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the passage.^{(X) 3} Locusts came out of the smoke onto the land, and they were given the same power as scorpions^[aj] of the earth.^{(Y) 4} They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or any tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were not allowed to kill them but only to torment them for five months;^[ak] the torment they inflicted was like that of a scorpion when it stings a person. ⁶ During that time these people will seek death but will not find it, and they will long to die but death will escape them.^(Z)

^7 [al]The appearance of the locusts was like that of horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,^{(AA) 8} and they had hair like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth,^{(AB) 9} and they had chests like iron breastplates. The sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots racing into battle. ¹⁰ They had tails like scorpions, with stingers; with their tails they had power to harm people for five months. ¹¹ They had as their king the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon^[am] and in Greek Apollyon.

¹² The first woe has passed, but there are two more to come.

The Sixth Trumpet.^{[an] 13} Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the [four]^[ao] horns of the gold altar before God,^{(AC) 14} telling the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels^[ap] who are bound at the banks of the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ So the four angels were released, who were prepared for this hour, day, month, and year to kill a third of the human race. ¹⁶ The number of cavalry troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. ¹⁷ Now in my vision this is how I saw the horses and their riders. They wore red, blue, and yellow breastplates,^[aq] and the horses’ heads were like heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.^{(AD) 18} By these three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths a third of the human race was killed. ¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like snakes, with heads that inflict harm.

²⁰ The rest of the human race, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands,^[ar] to give up the worship of demons and idols made from gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.^{(AE) 21} Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic potions, their unchastity, or their robberies.

Chapter 10

The Angel with the Small Scroll. ^1 [as]Then I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven wrapped in a cloud, with a halo around his head; his face was like the sun and his feet were like pillars of fire. ² In his hand he held a small scroll that had been opened. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,^{[at] 3} and then he cried out in a loud voice as a lion roars. When he cried out, the seven thunders^[au] raised their voices, too.^{(AF) 4} When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to write it down; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have spoken, but do not write it down.” ⁵ Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and earth and sea^[av] and all that is in them, “There shall be no more delay.^{(AG) 7} At the time when you hear the seventh angel blow his trumpet, the mysterious plan of God^[aw] shall be fulfilled, as he promised to his servants the prophets.”^(AH)

⁸ Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went up to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. He said to me, “Take and swallow it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet^[ax] as honey.” ¹⁰ I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.^{(AI) 11} Then someone said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”^[ay]

Chapter 11

The Two Witnesses. ^1 [az](AJ)Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and I was told, “Come and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who are worshiping in it. ² But exclude the outer court^[ba] of the temple; do not measure it, for it has been handed over to the Gentiles, who will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ I will commission my two witnesses^[bb] to prophesy for those twelve hundred and sixty days, wearing sackcloth.” ^4 (AK)These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands^[bc] that stand before the Lord of the earth. ^5 [bd]If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone wanting to harm them is sure to be slain. ⁶ They have the power to close up the sky so that no rain can fall during the time of their prophesying. They also have power to turn water into blood and to afflict the earth with any plague as often as they wish.^(AL)

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss^[be] will wage war against them and conquer them and kill them.^{(AM) 8} Their corpses will lie in the main street of the great city,^[bf] which has the symbolic names “Sodom” and “Egypt,” where indeed their Lord was crucified. ^9 [bg]Those from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation will gaze on their corpses for three and a half days, and they will not allow their corpses to be buried. ¹⁰ The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and be glad and exchange gifts because these two prophets tormented the inhabitants of the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them. When they stood on their feet, great fear fell on those who saw them.^{(AN) 12} Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, “Come up here.” So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on.^{(AO) 13} At that moment there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell in ruins. Seven thousand people^[bh] were killed during the earthquake; the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe has passed, but the third is coming soon.

The Seventh Trumpet.^{[bi] 15} Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world now belongs to our Lord and to his Anointed, and he will reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ The twenty-four elders who sat on their thrones before God prostrated themselves and worshiped God ¹⁷ and said:

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm.

Chapter 12

The Woman and the Dragon. ^1 [bj]A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman^[bk] clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.^{(AQ) 2} She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.^{[bl] 3} Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon,^[bm] with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.^{(AR) 4} Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.^{(AS) 5} She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.^[bn] Her child was caught up to God and his throne.^{(AT) 6} The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.^[bo]

^7 [bp]Then war broke out in heaven; Michael^[bq] and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, ⁸ but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,^[br] who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.^(AU)

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

¹³ When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.^{(AV) 14} But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle,^[bt] so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year.^{(AW) 15} The serpent,^[bu] however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.^{[bv](AX) 18} It took its position^[bw] on the sand of the sea.

Chapter 13

The First Beast.^{[bx] 1} Then I saw a beast come out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads; on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads blasphemous name[s].^{(AY) 2} The beast I saw was like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear’s, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion.^[by](AZ) To it the dragon gave its own power and throne, along with great authority. ³ I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed.^[bz] Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast. ⁴ They worshiped the dragon because it gave its authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast^[ca] and said, “Who can compare with the beast or who can fight against it?”

^5 [cb]The beast was given a mouth uttering proud boasts and blasphemies,^(BA) and it was given authority to act for forty-two months.^{[cc] 6} It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling and those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ It was also allowed to wage war against the holy ones and conquer them, and it was granted authority over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation.^{(BB) 8} All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all whose names were not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb who was slain.^(BC)

Such is the faithful endurance of the holy ones.

The Second Beast.^{[cd] 11} Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb’s but spoke like a dragon. ¹² It wielded all the authority of the first beast in its sight and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. ¹³ It performed great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of everyone.^{(BF) 14} It deceived the inhabitants of the earth with the signs it was allowed to perform in the sight of the first beast, telling them to make an image for the beast who had been wounded by the sword and revived. ¹⁵ It was then permitted to breathe life into the beast’s image, so that the beast’s image could speak and [could] have anyone who did not worship it put to death.^{(BG) 16} It forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image on their right hands or their foreheads,^{(BH) 17} so that no one could buy or sell except one who had the stamped image of the beast’s name or the number that stood for its name.

^18 [ce](BI)Wisdom is needed here; one who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Chapter 14

The Lamb’s Companions.^{[cf] 1} Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,^[cg] and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.^{(BJ) 2} I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. ³ They were singing [what seemed to be] a new hymn before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the earth.^{(BK) 4} These are they who were not defiled with women; they are virgins^[ch] and these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed as the firstfruits of the human race for God and the Lamb.^{(BL) 5} On their lips no deceit^[ci] has been found; they are unblemished.^(BM)

The Three Angels.^{[cj] 6} Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with everlasting good news^[ck] to announce to those who dwell on earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for his time has come to sit in judgment. Worship him who made heaven and earth and sea and springs of water.”^(BN)

⁸ A second angel followed, saying:

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, “Anyone who worships the beast or its image, or accepts its mark on forehead or hand, ¹⁰ will also drink the wine of God’s fury,^[cm] poured full strength into the cup of his wrath, and will be tormented in burning sulfur before the holy angels and before the Lamb. ¹¹ The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name.”^{(BP) 12} Here is what sustains the holy ones who keep God’s commandments^(BQ) and their faith in Jesus.^[cn]

^13 (BR)I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” said the Spirit, “let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them.”^[co]

The Harvest of the Earth.^{[cp] 14} Then I looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.^{(BS) 15} Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.”^{(BT) 16} So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven who also had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Then another angel [came] from the altar,^[cq] [who] was in charge of the fire, and cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth’s vines, for its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth’s vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury.^{(BU) 20} The wine press was trodden outside the city and blood poured out of the wine press to the height of a horse’s bridle for two hundred miles.^[cr]

Chapter 15

The Seven Last Plagues. ^1 [cs]Then I saw in heaven another sign,^[ct] great and awe-inspiring: seven angels with the seven last plagues, for through them God’s fury is accomplished.

² Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire.^[cu] On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and the number that signified its name. They were holding God’s harps,^{(BV) 3} and they sang the song of Moses,^[cv] the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

^5 [cw]After this I had another vision. The temple that is the heavenly tent of testimony^[cx] opened, ⁶ and the seven angels with the seven plagues came out of the temple. They were dressed in clean white linen, with a gold sash around their chests.^{(BY) 7} One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls filled with the fury of God, who lives forever and ever. ⁸ Then the temple became so filled with the smoke from God’s glory and might that no one could enter it until the seven plagues of the seven angels had been accomplished.^(BZ)

Chapter 16

The Seven Bowls.^{[cy] 1} I heard a loud voice speaking from the temple to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s fury upon the earth.”

² The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Festering and ugly sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast or worshiped its image.^[cz]

^3 [da]The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. The sea turned to blood like that from a corpse; every creature living in the sea died.

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water. These also turned to blood.^{(CA) 5} Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

⁷ Then I heard the altar cry out,

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. It was given the power to burn people with fire. ⁹ People were burned by the scorching heat and blasphemed the name of God who had power over these plagues, but they did not repent or give him glory.^(CE)

^10 (CF)The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast.^[db] Its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and people bit their tongues in pain ¹¹ and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their works.^(CG)

¹² The sixth angel emptied his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.^{[dc] 13} I saw three unclean spirits like frogs^[dd] come from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.^{(CH) 14} These were demonic spirits who performed signs. They went out to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God the almighty.^{(CI) 15} (“Behold, I am coming like a thief.”^[de] Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his clothes ready, so that he may not go naked and people see him exposed.)^{(CJ) 16} They then assembled the kings in the place that is named Armageddon^[df] in Hebrew.

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”^{(CK) 18} Then there were lightning flashes, rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake. It was such a violent earthquake that there has never been one like it since the human race began on earth.^{(CL) 19} The great city^[dg] was split into three parts, and the gentile cities fell. But God remembered great Babylon, giving it the cup filled with the wine of his fury and wrath. ^20 [dh]Every island fled, and mountains disappeared. ²¹ Large hailstones like huge weights came down from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because this plague was so severe.^(CM)