144,000 Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners^(A) of the earth, holding back the four winds^(B) of the earth to prevent^(C) any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ² Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal^(D) of the living God.^(E) He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:^{(F) 3} “Do not harm^(G) the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads^(H) of the servants of our God.” ⁴ Then I heard the number^(I) of those who were sealed: 144,000^(J) from all the tribes of Israel.

The Great Multitude in White Robes

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,^(K) standing before the throne^(L) and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes^(M) and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders^(P) and the four living creatures.^(Q) They fell down on their faces^(R) before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes^(T)—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes^(U) and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^{(V) 15} Therefore,

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When he opened the seventh seal,^(AG) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

² And I saw the seven angels^(AH) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.^(AI)

³ Another angel,^(AJ) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,^(AK) on the golden altar^(AL) in front of the throne. ⁴ The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God^(AM) from the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,^(AN) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,^(AO) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.^(AP)

The Trumpets

⁶ Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets^(AQ) prepared to sound them.

⁷ The first angel^(AR) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire^(AS) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third^(AT) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.^(AU)

⁸ The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,^(AV) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third^(AW) of the sea turned into blood,^{(AX) 9} a third^(AY) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky^(AZ) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water^(BA)— ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood.^[d] A third^(BB) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.^(BC)

¹² The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third^(BD) of them turned dark.^(BE) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.^(BF)

¹³ As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair^(BG) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe^(BH) to the inhabitants of the earth,^(BI) because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.^(BJ) The star was given the key^(BK) to the shaft of the Abyss.^{(BL) 2} When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.^(BM) The sun and sky were darkened^(BN) by the smoke from the Abyss.^{(BO) 3} And out of the smoke locusts^(BP) came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions^(BQ) of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm^(BR) the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,^(BS) but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.^{(BT) 5} They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months.^(BU) And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion^(BV) when it strikes. ⁶ During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.^(BW)

⁷ The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.^(BX) On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.^{(BY) 8} Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.^{(BZ) 9} They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.^{(CA) 10} They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.^{(CB) 11} They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss,^(CC) whose name in Hebrew^(CD) is Abaddon^(CE) and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

¹² The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.^(CF)

¹³ The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns^(CG) of the golden altar that is before God.^{(CH) 14} It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels^(CI) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”^{(CJ) 15} And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released^(CK) to kill a third^(CL) of mankind.^{(CM) 16} The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.^(CN)

¹⁷ The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths^(CO) came fire, smoke and sulfur.^{(CP) 18} A third^(CQ) of mankind was killed^(CR) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur^(CS) that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent^(CT) of the work of their hands;^(CU) they did not stop worshiping demons,^(CV) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.^{(CW) 21} Nor did they repent^(CX) of their murders, their magic arts,^(CY) their sexual immorality^(CZ) or their thefts.

More Proverbs of Solomon

25 These are more proverbs^(A) of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:^(B)