Revelation 8-11

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Seventh Seal—the Trumpets

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

^3 (D)Another angel came and stood at the ^(E)altar, holding a ^(F)golden censer; and much ^(G)incense was given to him, so that he might ^[a]add it to the ^(H)prayers of all the ^[b]saints on the ^(I)golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And ^(J)the smoke of the incense, ^[c]with the prayers of the ^[d]saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel ^[e]took the censer and ^(K)filled it with the fire of the altar, and ^(L)threw it to the earth; and there followed ^(M)peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an ^(N)earthquake.

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

⁷ The first sounded, and there came ^(P)hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and ^(Q)a third of the earth was burned up, and ^(R)a third of the ^(S)trees were burned up, and all the green ^(T)grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel sounded, and something like a great ^(U)mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and ^(V)a third of the ^(W)sea became blood, ⁹ and ^(X)a third of the creatures which were in the sea ^[f]and had life, died; and a third of the ^(Y)ships were destroyed.

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

¹² The fourth angel sounded, and a ^(AE)third of the ^(AF)sun and a third of the ^(AG)moon and a ^(AH)third of the ^(AI)stars were struck, so that a ^(AJ)third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a ^(AK)third of it, and the night in the same way.

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

The Fifth Trumpet—the Bottomless Pit

9 Then the ^(AP)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a ^(AQ)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the ^(AR)key of the ^[h](AS)bottomless pit was given to him. ² He opened the ^[i]bottomless pit, and ^(AT)smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and ^(AU)the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. ³ Then out of the smoke came ^(AV)locusts ^[j]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the ^(AW)scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ They were told not to ^(AX)hurt the ^(AY)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the ^(AZ)seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ And ^[k]they were not permitted to kill ^[l]anyone, but to torment for ^(BA)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a ^(BB)scorpion when it ^[m]stings a man. ⁶ And in those days ^(BC)men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

⁷ The ^[n](BD)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 ^(BE)teeth were like the teeth of lions. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the ^(BF)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. ¹⁰ They have tails like ^(BG)scorpions, and stings; and in their ^(BH)tails is their power to hurt men for ^(BI)five months. ¹¹ They have as king over them, the angel of the ^(BJ)abyss; his name in ^(BK)Hebrew is ^[o](BL)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name ^[p]Apollyon.

^12 (BM)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 ^[q]a voice from the ^[r]four ^(BN)horns of the ^(BO)golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the ^(BP)four angels who are bound at the ^(BQ)great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were ^(BR)released, so that they would kill a ^(BS)third of ^[s]mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the armies of the horsemen was ^(BT)two hundred million; ^(BU)I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And ^[t]this is how I saw ^(BV)in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of ^[u](BW)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and ^(BX)out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and ^[v](BY)brimstone. ¹⁸ A ^(BZ)third of ^[w]mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the ^(CA)fire and the smoke and the ^[x]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 ^[y]mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(CB)did not repent of ^(CC)the works of their hands, so as not to ^(CD)worship demons, and ^(CE)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 ^(CF)did not repent of their murders nor of their ^(CG)sorceries nor of their ^(CH)immorality nor of their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Book

10 I saw another ^(CI)strong angel ^(CJ)coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the ^(CK)rainbow was upon his head, and ^(CL)his face was like the sun, and his ^(CM)feet like pillars of fire; ² and he had in his hand a ^(CN)little book which was open. He placed ^(CO)his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; ³ and he cried out with a loud voice, ^(CP)as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the ^(CQ)seven peals of thunder ^[z]uttered their voices. ⁴ When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, ^(CR)I was about to write; and I ^(CS)heard a voice from heaven saying, “^(CT)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 ^(CU)lifted up his right hand to heaven, ^6 (CV)and swore by ^(CW)Him who lives forever and ever, ^(CX)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 ^(CY)there will be delay no longer, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the ^(CZ)seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then ^(DA)the mystery of God is finished, as He ^[aa]preached to His servants the prophets.

⁸ Then ^(DB)the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take ^(DC)the ^[ab]book which is open in the hand of the angel who ^(DD)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, “^(DE)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 ^(DF)they *said to me, “You must ^(DG)prophesy again concerning ^(DH)many peoples and nations and tongues and ^(DI)kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11 Then there was given me a ^[ac](DJ)measuring rod like a staff; ^[ad]and ^(DK)someone said, “Get up and measure the ^[ae]temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. ^2 [af]Leave out the ^(DL)court which is outside the ^[ag]temple and do not measure it, for ^(DM)it has been given to the nations; and they will ^(DN)tread under foot ^(DO)the holy city for ^(DP)forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two ^(DQ)witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(DR)twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in ^(DS)sackcloth.” ⁴ These are the ^(DT)two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, ^(DU)fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, ^(DV)he must be killed in this way. ⁶ These have the power to ^(DW)shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during ^(DX)the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to ^(DY)turn them into blood, and ^(DZ)to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, ^(EA)the beast that comes up out of the ^(EB)abyss will ^(EC)make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. ⁸ And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the ^(ED)great city which ^[ah]mystically is called ^(EE)Sodom and ^(EF)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ Those from ^(EG)the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead ^[ai]bodies for three and a half days, and ^[aj](EH)will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. ¹⁰ And ^(EI)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will ^(EJ)send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented ^(EK)those who dwell on the earth.

¹¹ But after the three and a half days, ^(EL)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, “^(EM)Come up here.” Then they ^(EN)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And in that hour there was a great ^(EO)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; ^[ak]seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(EP)gave glory to the ^(EQ)God of heaven.

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

The Seventh Trumpet—Christ’s Reign Foreseen

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

“^(EU)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(EV)His ^[al]Christ; and ^(EW)He will reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who ^(EX)sit on their thrones before God, ^(EY)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

“We give You thanks, ^(EZ)O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to ^(FA)reign. ¹⁸ And ^(FB)the nations were enraged, and ^(FC)Your wrath came, and ^(FD)the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to ^[am]reward Your ^(FE)bond-servants the prophets and the ^[an]saints and those who fear Your name, ^(FF)the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ And ^(FG)the ^[ao]temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and ^(FH)the ark of His covenant appeared in His ^[ap]temple, and there were flashes of ^(FI)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a ^(FJ)great ^[aq]hailstorm.