Revelation 9
Complete Jewish Bible
9 The fifth angel sounded his shofar; and I saw a star that had fallen out of heaven onto the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft leading down to the Abyss. 2 He opened the shaft of the Abyss, and there went up smoke from the shaft like the smoke of a huge furnace; the sun was darkened, and the sky too, by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke onto the earth came locusts, and they were given power like the power scorpions have on earth. 4 They were instructed not to harm the grass on the earth, any green plant or any tree, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 The locusts were not allowed to kill them, only to inflict pain on them for five months; and the pain they caused was like the pain of a scorpion sting. 6 In those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 Now these locusts looked like horses outfitted for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. 9 Their chests were like iron breastplates, and the sound their wings made was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails like those of scorpions, with stings; and in their tails was their power to hurt people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is “Abaddon” and in our language, “Destroyer.”
12 The first woe has passed, but there are still two woes to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his shofar, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the gold altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel, the one with the shofar, “Release the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates!” 15 And they were released. These four angels had been kept ready for this moment, for this day and month and year, to kill a third of mankind; 16 and the number of cavalry soldiers was two hundred million! — I heard the number.
17 Here is how the horses looked in the vision: the riders had breastplates that were fire-red, iris-blue and sulfur-yellow; the horses’ heads were like lions’ heads; and from their mouths issued fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 It was these three plagues that killed a third of mankind — the fire, smoke and sulfur issuing from the horses’ mouths. 19 For the power of the horses was in their mouths — and also in their tails, for their tails were like snakes with heads, and with them they could cause injury.
20 The rest of mankind, those who were not killed by these plagues, even then did not turn from what they had made with their own hands — they did not stop worshipping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.[a] 21 Nor did they turn from their murdering, their involvement with the occult and with drugs, their sexual immorality or their stealing.
Footnotes
- Revelation 9:20 Psalms 115:4–7; 135:15–17; Daniel 5:23
Revelation 9
New American Standard Bible
The Fifth Trumpet: Shaft of the Abyss
9 Then the (A)fifth angel sounded, and I saw a (B)star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the (C)key to the (D)shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and (E)smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and (F)the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke came (G)locusts [a]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the (H)scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to (I)hurt the (J)grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the (K)seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And [b]they were not permitted to kill [c]anyone, but to torment for (L)five months; and their torment was like the torment of a (M)scorpion when it [d]stings a person. 6 And in those days (N)people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death [e]will flee from them!
7 The [f](O)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 human faces. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their (P)teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the (Q)sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like (R)scorpions, and stings; and in their (S)tails is their power to hurt people for (T)five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the (U)abyss; his name in (V)Hebrew is [g](W)Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name [h]Apollyon.
12 (X)The first woe has passed; 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 [i]a voice from the [j]four (Y)horns of the (Z)golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the (AA)four angels who are bound at the (AB)great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were (AC)released, so that they would kill a (AD)third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was (AE)two hundred million; (AF)I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw (AG)in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of [k](AH)brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and (AI)out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and [l](AJ)brimstone. 18 A (AK)third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the (AL)fire, the smoke, and the [m]brimstone which came 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 mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, (AM)did not repent of (AN)the works of their hands so as not to (AO)worship demons and (AP)the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they (AQ)did not repent of their murders, nor of their (AR)witchcraft, nor of their (AS)sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.
Footnotes
- Revelation 9:3 Lit into
- Revelation 9:5 Lit it was given to them
- Revelation 9:5 Lit them
- Revelation 9:5 Lit strikes
- Revelation 9:6 Lit flees (intensive expression)
- Revelation 9:7 Lit likenesses
- Revelation 9:11 I.e., destruction
- Revelation 9:11 I.e., destroyer
- Revelation 9:13 Lit one voice
- Revelation 9:13 Two early mss do not contain four
- Revelation 9:17 I.e., burning sulfur
- Revelation 9:17 I.e., burning sulfur
- Revelation 9:18 I.e., burning sulfur
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.