Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Who Is Worthy To Open The Scroll? A Lamb Takes It From The One On The Throne

5 And I saw upon the right hand of the One sitting on the throne a scroll having been written inside and on-the-back, having been sealed-down with seven seals. ² And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” ³ And no one in heaven nor on earth nor under the earth was able to open the scroll, nor to look-at ^[a] it. ⁴ And I was weeping greatly because no one worthy was found to open the scroll, nor to look-at it. ⁵ And one of the elders says to me, “Do not be weeping. Behold— the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, overcame so as to open the scroll and its seven seals”. ⁶ And I saw in the midst of the throne and the four living-creatures, and in the midst of the elders, there was a Lamb as-if ^[b] having been slain, standing, having seven horns, and seven eyes (which are the seven Spirits^[c] of God having been sent-forth into all the earth). ⁷ And He came, and He has taken it out of the right hand of the One sitting on the throne.

Then The One On The Throne And The Lamb Are Worshiped By All Creation

⁸ And when He took the scroll, the four living-creatures and the twenty four elders fell before the Lamb— each one holding a harp and golden bowls being full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). ⁹ And they are singing a new song, saying “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and You bought^[d] for God with Your blood some from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, ¹⁰ and You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon^[e] the earth”. ¹¹ And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and of the living-creatures, and of the elders— and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands— ¹² saying with a loud voice “Worthy is the Lamb having been slain to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing”. ¹³ And I heard every creature which is in the heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and^[f] all the things in them, saying “To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the dominion forever and ever”. ¹⁴ And the four living-creatures were saying “amen”. And the elders fell and worshiped.

The Lamb Opens The First Six Seals

6 And I saw when the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living-creatures saying like a voice of ^[g] thunder, “Come^[h]”. ² And I saw, and behold— there was a white horse, and the one sitting on it having a bow. And a crown was given to him. And he went out conquering, and^[i] in order that he might conquer.

³ And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living-creature saying, “Come”. ⁴ And another horse— a fire-red one— went out. And to the one sitting on it, authority was given to him to take the peace^[j] from the earth, and^[k] that they will slay one another. And a great sword was given to him.

⁵ And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living-creature saying, “Come”. And I saw, and behold— there was a black horse, and the one sitting on it holding a balance-scale in his hand. ⁶ And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living-creatures, saying “A quart^[l] of wheat for a denarius^[m], and three quarts of barley for a denarius. And do not harm the olive-oil and the wine”.

⁷ And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living-creature saying, “Come”. ⁸ And I saw, and behold— there was a pale-green horse, and the one sitting on it. Death was the name for him. And Hades was following with him. And authority^[n] was given to them over a fourth of the earth^[o], to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild-beasts of the earth.

⁹ And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of the ones having been slain because of the word of God and^[p] because of the testimony which they were holding^[q]. ¹⁰ And they cried-out with a loud voice, saying “How long, holy and true Master, are You not judging and avenging^[r] our blood from the ones dwelling upon the earth?” ¹¹ And a white robe was given to them, to each one. And it was told to them that they shall^[s] rest^[t] a short time longer, until also^[u] the number of their fellow-slaves and^[v] their brothers going to be killed as also they, may be completed^[w].

¹² And I saw when He opened the sixth seal. And a great earthquake took place. And the sun became black like a sackcloth made-of-hair, and the whole moon became like blood^[x], ¹³ and the stars of the heaven fell to the earth— as a fig tree being shaken by a great wind throws its late-figs. ¹⁴ And the heaven was split^[y] like a scroll being rolled-up. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. ¹⁵ And the kings of the earth and the princes and the commanders and the rich and the powerful and every slave and free one hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. ¹⁶ And they are saying to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall upon us and hide us from the face^[z] of the One sitting on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ because the great day of Their wrath came, and who is able to stand?”.