Revelation 9:1-12
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit;(A) 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.(B) 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the earth.(C) 4 They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.(D) 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months but not to kill them, and the agony suffered was like that caused by a scorpion when it stings someone.(E) 6 And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.(F)
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,(G) 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth;(H) 9 they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.(I) 10 They have tails like scorpions, with stingers, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon,[a] and in Greek he is called Apollyon.[b](J)
12 The first woe has passed. There are still two woes to come.(K)
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Revelation 9:1-12
New English Translation
9 Then[a] the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky[b] to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss.[c] 2 He[d] opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it[e] like smoke from a giant furnace. The[f] sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. 3 Then[g] out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power[h] like that of the scorpions of the earth. 4 They[i] were told[j] not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people[k] who did not have the seal of God on their[l] forehead. 5 The locusts[m] were not given permission[n] to kill[o] them, but only to torture[p] them[q] for five months, and their torture was like that[r] of a scorpion when it stings a person.[s] 6 In[t] those days people[u] will seek death, but[v] will not be able to[w] find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 Now[x] the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On[y] their heads were something like crowns similar to gold,[z] and their faces looked like men’s[aa] faces. 8 They[ab] had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates[ac] like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. 10 They have[ad] tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability[ae] to injure people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.[af]
12 The first woe has passed, but[ag] two woes are still coming after these things!
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- Revelation 9:1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 9:1 tn Or “from heaven” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
- Revelation 9:1 tn On this term BDAG 2 s.v. ἄβυσσος 2 states, “netherworld, abyss, esp. the abode of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8; of ᾿Αβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the underworld 9:11…φρέαρ τῆς ἀ. 9:1f; capable of being sealed 9:1; 20:1, 3.”
- Revelation 9:2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 9:2 tn Grk “the shaft,” but since this would be somewhat redundant in English, the pronoun “it” is used here.
- Revelation 9:2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 9:3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 9:3 tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”
- Revelation 9:4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 9:4 tn The dative indirect object (αὐταῖς, autais) was converted into the subject (“they”) as this more closely approximates English usage. The following ἵ῞να (hina) is taken as substantival, introducing a direct object clause. In this case, because it is reported speech, the ἵνα is similar to the declarative ὅτι (hoti).
- Revelation 9:4 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
- Revelation 9:4 tn The article τῶν (tōn) has been translated as a possessive pronoun here (ExSyn 215).
- Revelation 9:5 tn Grk “It was not permitted to them”; the referent (the locusts) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Revelation 9:5 tn The word “permission” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
- Revelation 9:5 tn The two ἵνα (hina) clauses of 9:5 are understood to be functioning as epexegetical or complementary clauses related to ἐδόθη (edothē).
- Revelation 9:5 tn On this term BDAG 168 s.v. βασανισμός states, “1. infliction of severe suffering or pain associated with torture or torment, tormenting, torture Rv 9:5b.—2. the severe pain experienced through torture, torment vs. 5a; 14:11; 18:10, 15; (w. πένθος) vs. 7.”
- Revelation 9:5 tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text but is picked up from the previous clause.
- Revelation 9:5 tn Grk “like the torture,” but this is redundant in contemporary English.
- Revelation 9:5 tn Grk “a man”; but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used here in an individualized sense without being limited to the male gender.
- Revelation 9:6 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 9:6 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
- Revelation 9:6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
- Revelation 9:6 tn The phrase “not be able to” was used in the translation to emphasize the strong negation (οὐ μή, ou mē) in the Greek text.
- Revelation 9:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of the description of the locusts, which is somewhat parenthetical in the narrative.
- Revelation 9:7 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 9:7 tn The translation attempts to bring out the double uncertainty in this clause in the Greek text, involving both the form (ὡς στέφανοι, hōs stephanoi, “like crowns”) and the material (ὅμοιοι χρυσῷ, homoioi chrusō, “similar to gold”).
- Revelation 9:7 tn Or “human faces.” The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is often used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women. However, because “women’s hair” in the next clause suggests a possible gender distinction here, “men’s” was retained.
- Revelation 9:8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 9:9 tn Or perhaps, “scales like iron breastplates” (RSV, NRSV) although the Greek term θώραξ (thōrax) would have to shift its meaning within the clause, and elsewhere in biblical usage (e.g., Eph 6:14; 1 Thess 5:8) it normally means “breastplate.” See also L&N 8.38.
- Revelation 9:10 tn In the Greek text there is a shift to the present tense here; the previous verbs translated “had” are imperfects.
- Revelation 9:10 tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”
- Revelation 9:11 sn Both the Hebrew Abaddon and the Greek Apollyon mean “Destroyer.”
- Revelation 9:12 tn Grk “behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
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