Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Maschil of Asaph.

¹ ¶ Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

² I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter enigmas of old,

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

⁴ We will not hide them from their sons, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD and his strength and his wonderful works that he has done.

⁵ For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their sons:

⁶ That the generation to come might know them, even the sons which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their sons

⁷ that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments

¹⁰ ¶ And the sons of Israel encamped in Gilgal and celebrated the passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, in the plains of Jericho.

¹¹ And they ate of the fruit of the land, unleavened cakes, on the next day after the passover and parched new ears of grain in the same day.

¹² And the manna ceased on the next day after they had begun to eat of the fruit of the land; and the sons of Israel never had manna again; but they ate of the fruits of the land of Canaan that year.

⁶ And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound their trumpets.

⁷ ¶ The first angel sounded the trumpet, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the land; and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

⁸ And the second angel sounded the trumpet, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood;

⁹ and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ And the third angel sounded the trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, burning as a lit torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters;

¹¹ and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter.

¹² And the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, and the third part of the sun was smitten and the third part of the moon and the third part of the stars, in such a manner that the third part of them was darkened, and the third part of the day did not shine, and the night likewise.

¹³ And I saw and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound their trumpets!

9 ¶ And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

² And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

³ And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

⁴ And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth neither any green thing neither any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.

⁵ And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should torment them five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man.

⁶ And in those days men 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 unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as 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, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

¹⁰ And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months.

¹¹ And they had a king over them, who is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon meaning destroyer.

¹² The first woe is past; and, behold, there come two more woes after these things.