Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
—and are ordered to pour out the bowls of his wrath
16 Then I heard a loud voice from the Temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out upon the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God!”
The first bowl: Ulcers
2 The first angel went off and emptied his bowl upon the earth. Whereupon loathsome and malignant ulcers attacked all those who bore the mark of the animal and worshipped its statue.
The second bowl: Death in the sea
3 The second angel emptied his bowl into the sea, which turned into a fluid like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in it died.
The third bowl: Water becomes blood
4-6 Then the third angel emptied his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned into blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, “You are righteous, O Lord, the one who is and who was and who is to be, because you have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
7 And I heard the altar say, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.”
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.