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The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from the sky which had fallen to the earth. The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. He opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke from a[a] burning furnace. The sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke from the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those people who don’t have God’s seal on their foreheads. They were given power, not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a person. In those days people will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like golden crowns, and their faces were like people’s faces. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots and horses rushing to war. 10 They have tails like those of scorpions, with stingers. In their tails they have power to harm men for five months. 11 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is “Abaddon”,[b] but in Greek, he has the name “Apollyon”.[c]

12 The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.

13 The sixth angel sounded. I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!”

15 The four angels were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million.[d] I heard the number of them. 17 Thus I saw the horses in the vision and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the horses’ heads resembled lions’ heads. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur. 18 By these three plagues, one third of mankind was killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, 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 harm.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn’t repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn’t worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood, which can’t see, hear, or walk. 21 They didn’t repent of their murders, their sorceries,[e] their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

Footnotes

  1. 9:2 TR adds “great”
  2. 9:11 “Abaddon” is a Hebrew word that means “ruin”, “destruction”, or “the place of destruction”
  3. 9:11 “Apollyon” means “Destroyer”.
  4. 9:16 literally, “ten thousands of ten thousands”
  5. 9:21 The word for “sorceries” (pharmakeia) also implies the use of potions, poisons, and drugs

And the malach hachamishi (fifth angel) sounded his shofar; and I saw a kokhav (star) having fallen out of Shomayim to ha’aretz. And was given to it the mafte’ach (key) of the shaft of the Tehom (Abyss).

And he opened the shaft of the Tehom (Abyss), and smoke came up out of the shaft as smoke of a great furnace, and the shemesh (sun) was darkened and the air was darkened by the smoke of the shaft. [BERESHIS 19:28; SHEMOT 19:18; YOEL 2:2,10]

And out of the smoke came forth arbeh (locusts) to ha’aretz (the earth), and samchut (authority) was given to them like the samchut of the akrabei ha’aretz (scorpions of the earth). [SHEMOT 10:12-15]

And it was told them that they should not harm the grass of ha’aretz (the earth) nor any greenery nor any etz (tree), except the Bnei Adam, all who do not have the chotam (seal) of Hashem on their metsakhim (foreheads) (YECHEZKEL 9:4).

And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they will be tormented chamishah chodashim (five months). Their torment is as the torment of an akrav when it stings a man.

And in those days Bnei Adam will seek Mavet (Death) and by no means will find it. And they will desire to die and Mavet flees from them. [IYOV 3:21; 7:15; YIRMEYAH 8:3]

And the appearances of the arbeh (locusts) were like susim (horses) having been prepared for milchamah (war), and on the heads of them what looked like atarot (diadems) of zahav (gold) and the faces were like the faces of Bnei Adam. [YOEL 2:4;DANIEL 7:8]

And they had hair that looked like the hair of an isha (a woman), and they had teeth that looked like the teeth of an aryeh (lion), [YOEL 1:6]

and they had breastplates like iron breastplates and the sound of the wings of them was as the sound of many merkavot (chariots) with susim (horses) racing into the sadeh krav (battlefield), [YOEL 2:5]

10 And they have tails like akrabim (scorpions), with stingers, and the ko’ach (power) of them is in their tails to harm Bnei Adam chamishah chodashim (five months).

11 They have over them a melech (king), the malach (angel) of the Tehom (Abyss), the name for him in Ivrit, "Abaddon," (that is, Destruction) and in Elliniki he has the name Apollyon (that is, "Destroyer"). [IYOV 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; TEHILLIM 88:11]

12 The Oy Echad (the First Woe) has passed. Hinei, yet comes two more woes after these things.

13 And the malach hashishi (the sixth angel) sounded his shofar. And I heard kol echad (one voice) from the four horns of the golden Mizbe’ach (altar) before Hashem, [SHEMOT 30:1-3]

14 saying to the malach hashishi, the one having the shofar, Release the arba’at hamalachim (the four angels) having been bound at the great river, Euphrates. [BERESHIS 15:18; DEVARIM 1:7; YEHOSHUA 1:4; YESHAYAH 11:15]

15 And the arba’at hamalachim (four angels) were released, having been prepared for the sha’ah (hour) and the yom (day) and chodesh (month) and shanah (year), that they should kill a third of Bnei Adam.

16 And the mispar (number) of tziveot haparashim (troops of cavalrymen) were twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard the mispar of them.

17 And thus I saw the susim (horses) in my chazon (vision, revelation, prophecy) and the riders on them, having breastplates fiery red and hyacinth blue and sulfur yellow, and the heads of the susim like heads of arayot (lions), and from the mouths of them goes forth eish (fire) and smoke and gofrit (sulfur). [TEHILLIM 11:6; YESHAYAH 30:33; YECHEZKEL 38:22]

18 From these shlosh hamakkot (three plagues T.N. this word makkah, makkot [pl.] comes from the Pesach Haggadah `eser makkot’ or ten plagues, and is a key word from here on in the book of Revelation, showing the endtime plagues of the Brit Chadasha Exodus of the Geulah Redemption) were killed a third of Bnei Adam, by the eish (fire) and the smoke and the gofrit (sulfur) coming out of the mouth of them.

19 For the ko’ach (power) of the susim (horses) is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like nechashim (serpents), having heads, and with them they inflict harm.

20 And the rest of the Bnei Adam, the ones not killed by these makkot (plagues), did not make teshuva and turn from the ma’asim (deeds) of their hands or forsake worship of shedim (demons) and the itztzavim (idols, images, tzelamim), those of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which neither are able to see nor to hear nor to walk. [DEVARIM 4:28; 31:29; YIRMEYAH 1:16; MICHOH 5:13]

21 And they did not make teshuva (repentance, turning from sin to G-d) of the retzichot (murders) of them nor of the kishufim (sorceries) of them nor of the zenunim (fornication) of them nor of the gneyvot (thefts) of them. [YESHAYAH 47:9,12]