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

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(I) came fire, smoke and sulfur.(J) 18 A third(K) of mankind was killed(L) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur(M) 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(N) of the work of their hands;(O) they did not stop worshiping demons,(P) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.(Q) 21 Nor did they repent(R) of their murders, their magic arts,(S) their sexual immorality(T) or their thefts.

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13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the horns[a] of the golden altar before God,(A) 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great River Euphrates.”(B) 15 So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of humankind. 16 The number of the troops of cavalry was two hundred million; I heard their number.(C) 17 And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire[b] and of sulfur; the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.(D) 18 By these three plagues a third of humankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of the horses’[c] mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents, with heads, and with them they inflict harm.

20 The rest of humankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.(E) 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their prostitution or their thefts.

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Footnotes

  1. 9.13 Other ancient authorities read four horns
  2. 9.17 Gk hyacinth
  3. 9.18 Gk their