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Revelation 9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 9

The Fifth Trumpet.[a] 1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star[b] 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,(A) 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.(B) 3 Locusts came out of the smoke onto the land, and they were given the same power as scorpions[c] of the earth.(C) 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;[d] 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.(D)

7 [e]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,(E) 8 and they had hair like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth,(F) 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[f] and in Greek Apollyon.

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

The Sixth Trumpet.[g] 13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the [four][h] horns of the gold altar before God,(G) 14 telling the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels[i] 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,[j] and the horses’ heads were like heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.(H) 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,[k] to give up the worship of demons and idols made from gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.(I) 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic potions, their unchastity, or their robberies.

Footnotes

  1. 9:1–12 The fifth trumpet heralds a woe containing elements from the eighth and ninth plagues of Egypt (Ex 10:12–15, 21–23) but specifically reminiscent of the invasion of locusts in Jl 1:4–2:10.
  2. 9:1 A star: late Judaism represented fallen powers as stars (Is 14:12–15; Lk 10:18; Jude 13), but a comparison with Rev 1:20 and Rev 20:1 suggests that here it means an angel. The passage to the abyss: referring to Sheol, the netherworld, where Satan and the fallen angels are kept for a thousand years, to be cast afterwards into the pool of fire; cf. Rev 20:7–10. The abyss was conceived of as a vast subterranean cavern full of fire. Its only link with the earth was a kind of passage or mine shaft, which was kept locked.
  3. 9:3 Scorpions: their poisonous sting was proverbial; Ez 2:6; Lk 11:12.
  4. 9:5 For five months: more or less corresponding to the life-span of locusts.
  5. 9:7–10 Eight characteristics are listed to show the eschatological and diabolical nature of these locusts.
  6. 9:11 Abaddon: Hebrew (more precisely, Aramaic) for destruction or ruin. Apollyon: Greek for the “Destroyer.”
  7. 9:13–21 The sixth trumpet heralds a woe representing another diabolical attack symbolized by an invasion by the Parthians living east of the Euphrates; see note on Rev 6:2. At the appointed time (Rev 9:15), the frightful horses act as God’s agents of judgment. The imaginative details are not to be taken literally; see Introduction and the note on Rev 6:12–14.
  8. 9:13 [Four]: many Greek manuscripts and versions omit the word. The horns were situated at the four corners of the altar (Ex 27:2; 30:2–3); see note on Rev 8:3.
  9. 9:14–15 The four angels: they are symbolic of the destructive activity that will be extended throughout the universe.
  10. 9:17 Blue: literally, “hyacinth-colored.” Yellow: literally, “sulfurous.”
  11. 9:20 The works of their hands: i.e., the gods their hands had made.
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启示录 9
Chinese New Version (Simplified)

9 第五位天使吹号，我就看见一颗星从天上落到地上，有无底坑的钥匙赐给它。 2 它开了无底坑，就有烟从坑里冒出来，好象大火炉的烟，太阳和天空因这坑的烟就都变黑了。 3 有蝗虫从烟里出来到了地上；有能力赐给牠们，好象地上蝎子的能力一样。 4 有话吩咐牠们，不可伤害地上的草，和所有青翠的东西，以及所有的树木，只可伤害那些额上没有　神印记的人。 5 蝗虫没有能力杀死他们，只可使他们受痛苦五个月。他们的痛苦就像人给蝎子螫了的痛苦一样。 6 在那些日子，人要求死，却决不得死；切愿要死，死却远离他们。

7 蝗虫的形象，好象是预备好了要上阵的战马一样。牠们头上戴的好象金冠冕，脸像人的面孔， 8 牠们的头发好象女人的头发，牙齿好象狮子的牙齿； 9 牠们的胸甲像铁甲，牠们翅膀的声音好象许多马车奔驰上阵的声音。 10 牠们好象蝎子一样有尾巴和毒刺，牠们的尾巴能伤害人五个月。 11 牠们有无底坑的使者作王统治牠们。这王的名字，希伯来话叫阿巴顿，希腊话叫阿波伦。

12 第一样灾祸过去了。看哪，以后还有两样灾祸要来！

13 第六位天使吹号，我听见有一个声音从　神面前金坛的四角发出来， 14 对拿着号筒的第六位天使说：“把捆绑在幼发拉底大河的那四个使者放了吧！” 15 那四个使者就被释放了，他们已经预备好，要在某年某月某日某时杀害人类的三分之一。 16 马兵的数目有二万万；他们这个数目我听见了。 17 在异象中，我看见那些马和骑马的是这样：骑马的穿著火红紫青和硫磺色的胸甲，马的头好象狮子头，有火、烟和硫磺从马的口中喷出来。 18 马口中喷出来的火、烟和硫磺这三种灾害，杀死了人类的三分之一。 19 马的能力是在口中和尾巴上。牠们的尾巴像蛇，并且有头用来伤人。

20 其余没有在这些灾难中被杀的人，仍然不为他们手所作的悔改，还是去拜鬼魔和那些金、银、铜、石头、木头做的，不能看、不能听、也不能走路的偶像。 21 他们也不为自己的凶杀、邪术、淫乱和偷盗悔改。

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Revelation 9
New International Version

9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.(A) The star was given the key(B) to the shaft of the Abyss.(C) 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.(D) The sun and sky were darkened(E) by the smoke from the Abyss.(F) 3 And out of the smoke locusts(G) came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions(H) of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm(I) the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,(J) but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.(K) 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months.(L) And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion(M) 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.(N)

7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.(O) On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.(P) 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.(Q) 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.(R) 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.(S) 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss,(T) whose name in Hebrew(U) is Abaddon(V) and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

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

13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns(X) of the golden altar that is before God.(Y) 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels(Z) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”(AA) 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released(AB) to kill a third(AC) of mankind.(AD) 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.(AE)

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(AF) came fire, smoke and sulfur.(AG) 18 A third(AH) of mankind was killed(AI) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur(AJ) 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(AK) of the work of their hands;(AL) they did not stop worshiping demons,(AM) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.(AN) 21 Nor did they repent(AO) of their murders, their magic arts,(AP) their sexual immorality(AQ) or their thefts.

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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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