Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer for Help against Persecutors.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

Judgment on Neighboring Nations

1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of ^[a]Tekoa, which he saw [in a divine revelation] concerning ^[b]Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.^(A)

Judgment on Moab

Judgment on Judah

⁶ Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them [initiating the judgments].

⁷ The first [angel] sounded [his trumpet], and there was [a storm of] hail and fire, mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.^(A)

⁸ The second angel sounded [his trumpet], and something like a great mountain blazing with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea was turned to blood;^{(B) 9} and a third of the living creatures that were in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded [his trumpet], and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch [flashing across the sky], and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of [fresh] waters. ¹¹ The name of the star is ^[a]Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters, because they had become bitter (toxic).

¹² Then the fourth angel sounded [his trumpet], and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and a third of the daylight would not shine, and the night in the same way [would not shine].^(C)

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard a solitary eagle flying in ^[b]midheaven [for all to see], saying with a loud voice, “^[c]Woe, woe, woe [great wrath is coming] to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpets which the three angels are about to sound [announcing ever greater judgments]!”

The Fifth Trumpet—the Bottomless Pit

9 Then the fifth angel sounded [his trumpet], and I saw a star (angelic being) that had fallen from heaven to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit (abyss) was given to him (the star-angel).^{(D) 2} He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke like the smoke of a great furnace flowed out of the pit; and the sun and the atmosphere were darkened by the smoke from the pit.^{(E) 3} Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power [to hurt] was given to them, like the power which the earth’s scorpions have.^{(F) 4} They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but [to hurt] only the people who do not have the seal (mark of ownership, protection) of God on their foreheads.^{(G) 5} They were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment and cause them extreme pain for five months; and their torment was like the torment from a scorpion when it stings a man. ⁶ And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die [to escape the pain], but [will discover that] death evades them.^(H)

⁷ The locusts resembled horses prepared and equipped for battle; and on their heads appeared to be [something like] golden crowns, and their faces resembled human faces.^{(I) 8} They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.^{(J) 9} They had breastplates (scales) like breastplates made of iron; and the [whirring] noise of their wings was like the [thunderous] noise of countless horse-drawn chariots charging [at full speed] into battle.^{(K) 10} They have tails like scorpions, and stingers; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months.^{(L) 11} They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss (the bottomless pit); in Hebrew his name is Abaddon (destruction), and in Greek he is called Apollyon (destroyer-king).

¹² The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.