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].