9 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from ·the sky [or heaven] to the earth. The star was given the key to the ·deep hole [shaft] ·that leads to the bottomless pit [^Lof the Abyss; ^Cthe place of the dead and/or a prison for fallen angels; Luke 8:31; Rom. 10:7]. ² Then ·it [or he] opened up the ·hole that leads to the bottomless pit [shaft of the Abyss], and smoke came up from the ·hole [shaft] like smoke from a ·big [great; giant] furnace. Then the sun and ·sky [air] became dark because of the smoke from the ·hole [shaft]. ³ Then locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke [^Csimilar to the eighth Egyptian plague; Ex. 10:1–20; see also Joel 1:2—2:10], and they were given the power ·to sting like [^Llike the power of] scorpions [^Lof the earth]. ⁴ They were told not to ·harm [damage] the grass on the earth or any ·plant [greenery] or tree. They could ·harm [damage] only the people who did not have the ·sign [seal] of God on their foreheads [7:3]. ⁵ These locusts were not ·given the power [permitted] to kill anyone, but to ·cause pain to [torture; torment] the people for five months [^Cperhaps referring to the limited life span of a locust]. And ·the pain they felt was like the pain a scorpion gives [^Ltheir torture/torment was like the torture/torment of a scorpion] when it stings someone. ⁶ During those days people will ·look for a way to die [^Lseek death], but they will not find it. They will ·want [long; desire] to die, but death will ·run away [flee] from them.

⁷ The locusts looked like horses ·prepared [equipped; trained] for battle [Joel 2:4]. On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold [^Cindicating their victory; 2:10], and their faces looked like human faces. ⁸ Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth [Joel 1:6]. ⁹ Their chests looked like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horses and chariots ·hurrying [charging; running] into battle [Joel 2:5]. ¹⁰ The locusts had tails with stingers like scorpions, and in their tails was their ·power [authority] to ·hurt [damage; harm] people for five months. ¹¹ The locusts had a king who was the ·angel [or messenger] of the ·bottomless pit [^LAbyss; 9:1]. His name in the Hebrew language is Abaddon and in the Greek language is Apollyon [^Cboth mean “Destroyer”; perhaps a reference to Satan].

¹² The first ·trouble [^Lwoe] is past; there are still two other ·troubles [^Lwoes] that will come [8:13].

¹³ Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns [^Csome ancient manuscripts specify that there are four horns; protrusions on the four corners of the altar symbolizing God’s strength] on the golden altar [^Cthe incense altar; Ex. 30:1–10] that is before God. ¹⁴ The voice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “·Free [Release] the four angels who are ·tied [bound] at the great river Euphrates [7:1].” ¹⁵ And they ·let loose [released] the four angels who had been ·kept ready [prepared] for this hour and day and month and year so they could kill a third of ·all people on the earth [^Lhumanity; mankind]. ¹⁶ I heard how many troops on horses were in their army—two hundred million.

¹⁷ The horses and their riders I saw in the vision looked like this: They had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue [^Lhyacinth-colored], and yellow like sulfur [brimstone]. The heads of the horses looked like heads of lions, with fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths. ¹⁸ A third of ·all the people on earth [humanity; mankind] were killed by these three ·terrible disasters [plagues] coming out of the horses’ mouths: the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur. ¹⁹ The horses’ ·power [authority] was in their mouths and in their tails; their tails were like snakes with heads [12:9; Gen. 3:1–7], and with them they ·hurt [damaged; injured; wounded] people.

²⁰ The ·other [rest of the] people who were not killed by these ·terrible disasters [plagues] still did not ·change their hearts and turn away from what they had made with their own hands [^Lrepent from the works of their hands]. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—things that cannot see or hear or walk [Ps. 115:4–7; 135:17; Jer. 10:1–16]. ²¹ These people did not ·change their hearts and turn away from [repent of] murder or ·evil magic [sorcery], from their ·sexual sins [fornication] or stealing.