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The Fifth Trumpet Brings the First Terror

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.[a] When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.

Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. They had hair like women’s hair and teeth like the teeth of a lion. They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months they had the power to torment people. 11 Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.

12 The first terror is past, but look, two more terrors are coming!

The Sixth Trumpet Brings the Second Terror

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. 14 And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.” 15 Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. 16 I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops.

17 And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths. 18 One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses. 19 Their power was in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people.

20 But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Footnotes

  1. 9:1 Or the abyss, or the underworld; also in 9:11.

The Fifth Trumpet: Shaft of the Abyss

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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!

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. They had hair like the hair of women, and their (P)teeth were like the teeth of lions. 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

  1. Revelation 9:3 Lit into
  2. Revelation 9:5 Lit it was given to them
  3. Revelation 9:5 Lit them
  4. Revelation 9:5 Lit strikes
  5. Revelation 9:6 Lit flees (intensive expression)
  6. Revelation 9:7 Lit likenesses
  7. Revelation 9:11 I.e., destruction
  8. Revelation 9:11 I.e., destroyer
  9. Revelation 9:13 Lit one voice
  10. Revelation 9:13 Two early mss do not contain four
  11. Revelation 9:17 I.e., burning sulfur
  12. Revelation 9:17 I.e., burning sulfur
  13. Revelation 9:18 I.e., burning sulfur