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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.[a] 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 were one third of mankind 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,[b] their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:16 literally, “ten thousands of ten thousands”
  2. 9:21 The word for “sorceries” (pharmakeia) also implies the use of potions, poisons, and drugs

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