Beginning

III. God and the Lamb in Heaven

Chapter 4

Vision of Heavenly Worship.^{[a] 1} After this I had a vision of an open door^[b] to heaven, and I heard the trumpetlike voice that had spoken to me before, saying, “Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards.” ^2 [c]At once I was caught up in spirit.^(A) A throne was there in heaven, and on the throne sat ³ one whose appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian. Around the throne was a halo as brilliant as an emerald. ⁴ Surrounding the throne I saw twenty-four other thrones on which twenty-four elders^[d] sat, dressed in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads.^{(B) 5} From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder.^[e] Seven flaming torches burned in front of the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. ^6 (C)In front of the throne was something that resembled a sea of glass like crystal.^[f]

In the center and around the throne, there were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back. ⁷ The first creature resembled a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face like that of a human being, and the fourth looked like an eagle^[g] in flight. ⁸ The four living creatures, each of them with six wings,^[h] were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming:

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne and worship him, who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns before the throne, exclaiming:

Chapter 5

The Scroll and the Lamb.^{[i] 1} I saw a scroll^[j] in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.^{(F) 2} Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to examine it. ⁴ I shed many tears because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to examine it. ⁵ One of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David,^[k] has triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals.”^(G)

⁶ Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb^[l] that seemed to have been slain. He had seven horns and seven eyes; these are the [seven] spirits of God sent out into the whole world.^{(H) 7} He came and received the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. ⁸ When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones. ⁹ They sang a new hymn:

¹¹ I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless^[m] in number,^{(J) 12} and they cried out in a loud voice:

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out:

¹⁴ The four living creatures answered, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

IV. The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Plagues, with Interludes^[n]

Chapter 6^[o]

The First Six Seals. ^1 [p]Then I watched while the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures cry out in a voice like thunder, “Come forward.” ² I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow.^[q] He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.^(K)

³ When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, “Come forward.” ^4 [r](L)Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.

⁵ When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, “Come forward.” I looked, and there was a black horse,^[s] and its rider held a scale in his hand. ⁶ I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. It said, “A ration of wheat costs a day’s pay,^[t] and three rations of barley cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine.”^(M)

⁷ When he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, “Come forward.” ⁸ I looked, and there was a pale green^[u] horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth.^(N)

⁹ When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar^[v] the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice, “How long will it be, holy and true master,^[w] before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” ¹¹ Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.

^12 [x]Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth^[y] and the whole moon became like blood.^{(O) 13} The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs^[z] shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind. ¹⁴ Then the sky was divided^[aa] like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.^{(P) 15} The kings of the earth, the nobles,^[ab] the military officers, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and among mountain crags. ¹⁶ They cried out to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,^{(Q) 17} because the great day of their^[ac] wrath has come and who can withstand it?”

Chapter 7^[ad]

The 144,000 Sealed. ¹ After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,^[ae] holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on land or sea or against any tree.^{(R) 2} Then I saw another angel come up from the East,^[af] holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, ³ “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”^{(S) 4} I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked^[ag] from every tribe of the Israelites:^{(T) 5} twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Judah,^[ah] twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad, ⁶ twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh, ⁷ twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar, ⁸ twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Benjamin.

Triumph of the Elect. ⁹ After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches^[ai] in their hands. ¹⁰ They cried out in a loud voice:

¹¹ All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, ¹² and exclaimed:

¹³ Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;^[ak] they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^(U)

Chapter 8^[am]

The Seven Trumpets. ¹ When he broke open the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven^[an] for about half an hour.^{(X) 2} And I saw that the seven angels who stood before God were given seven trumpets.^(Y)

The Gold Censer. ³ Another angel came and stood at the altar,^[ao] holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne.^{(Z) 4} The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with burning coals from the altar, and hurled it down to the earth. There were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.^(AA)

The First Four Trumpets. ⁶ The seven angels who were holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.^(AB)

⁷ When the first one blew his trumpet, there came hail and fire mixed with blood, which was hurled down to the earth. A third of the land was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all green grass.^[ap]

^8 [aq]When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a large burning mountain was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,^{(AC) 9} a third of the creatures living in the sea^[ar] died, and a third of the ships were wrecked.

¹⁰ When the third angel blew his trumpet, a large star burning like a torch fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.^{(AD) 11} The star was called “Wormwood,”^[as] and a third of all the water turned to wormwood. Many people died from this water, because it was made bitter.^(AE)

¹² When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them became dark. The day lost its light for a third of the time, as did the night.^(AF)

¹³ Then I looked again and heard an eagle flying high overhead cry out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe^[at] to the inhabitants of the earth from the rest of the trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to blow!”