Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

78 Hear my doctrine, O my people. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

² I will open my mouth in a parable. I will declare high sentences of old

³ which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

⁴ We will not hide them from their children; but to the generation to come we will show the praise of the LORD, His power also, and His wonderful works that He has done.

⁵ How He established a testimony in Jacob and ordained a Law in Israel. Which He commanded our fathers that they should teach their children,

⁶ so that the posterity might know it and the children which should be born should stand up and declare it to their children.

⁷ So that they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His Commandments.

¹⁰ So the children of Israel stayed in Gilgal and kept the Feast of the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, on the plain of Jericho.

¹¹ And on the day after the Passover — on the same day — they ate from the old grain of the land, unleavened bread and parched corn.

¹² And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten from the old grain of the land. Nor did the children of Israel have manna anymore, but ate from the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

⁶ Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to blow the trumpets.

⁷ So, the first angel blew the trumpet. And there was hail and fire, mingled with blood. And they were cast into the Earth. And a third of the trees was burnt. And all green grass was burnt.

⁸ And the second angel blew the trumpet. And (as it were) a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast into the sea. And a third of the sea became blood.

⁹ And a third of the creatures which were in the sea (and had life) died. And a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ Then the third angel blew the trumpet. And there fell a great star from Heaven, burning like a torch. And it fell into a third of the rivers, and into the fountains of waters.

¹¹ And the name of the star is called Wormwood. Therefore, a third of the waters became wormwood. And many men died of the waters because they were made bitter.

¹² And the fourth angel blew the trumpet. And a third of the Sun was struck, and a third of the Moon, and a third of the stars; so that a third of them was darkened. And the day was struck, so that a third of it could not shine; and likewise the night.

¹³ And I looked, and heard one angel flying through the midst of Heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the Earth because of the sounds to come of the trumpet of the three angels who are yet to blow the trumpets!”

9 And the fifth angel blew the trumpet. And I saw a star fall from Heaven to the Earth. And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

² And he opened the bottomless pit. And there arose the smoke of the pit; the smoke of a great furnace. And the Sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

³ And there came locusts upon the Earth, out of the smoke. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the Earth have power.

⁴ And they were commanded not to hurt the grass of the Earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree; but only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.

⁵ And they were commanded not to kill them; but that they should be tormented for five months, and that their pain should be as the pain that comes from a scorpion when he has stung a man.

⁶ Therefore, in those days, man shall seek death and shall not find it; and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them.

⁷ And the appearance of the locusts was like that of horses prepared for battle. And on their heads were something like crowns, like gold. And their faces were like the faces of men.

⁸ And they had hair as the hair of women. And their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

⁹ And they had breastplates, like breastplates of iron. And the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots when many horses run into battle.

¹⁰ And they had tails like scorpions. And there were stings in their tails with power to hurt man for five months.

¹¹ And they have a king over them - the angel of the bottomless pit - whose name in Hebrew is ‘Abaddon’. And in Greek, he is named ‘Apollyon’; that is, ‘destroying’.

¹² One woe is past! And behold, yet two more woes come after this!