5:1 Then 1 I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back 2 and sealed with seven seals. 3 5:2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 5:3 But 4 no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 5:4 So 5 I began weeping bitterly 6 because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5:5 Then 7 one of the elders said 8 to me, “Stop weeping! 9 Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; 10 thus he can open 11 the scroll and its seven seals.”
5:6 Then 12 I saw standing in the middle of the throne 13 and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. 14 He had 15 seven horns and seven eyes, which 16 are the seven 17 spirits of God 18 sent out into all the earth. 5:7 Then 19 he came and took the scroll 20 from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, 5:8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground 21 before the Lamb. Each 22 of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). 23 5:9 They were singing a new song: 24
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals
because you were killed, 25
and at the cost of your own blood 26 you have purchased 27 for God
persons 28 from every tribe, language, 29 people, and nation.
5:10 You have appointed 30 them 31 as a kingdom and priests 32 to serve 33 our God, and they will reign 34 on the earth.”
5:11 Then 35 I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their 36 number was ten thousand times ten thousand 37 – thousands times thousands – 5:12 all of whom 38 were singing 39 in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the lamb who was killed 40
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and praise!”
5:13 Then 41 I heard every creature – in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them – singing: 42
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power 43 forever and ever!”
5:14 And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground 44 and worshiped.
6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, 45 “Come!” 46 6:2 So 47 I looked, 48 and here came 49 a white horse! The 50 one who rode it 51 had a bow, and he was given a crown, 52 and as a conqueror 53 he rode out to conquer.
6:3 Then 54 when the Lamb 55 opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 6:4 And another horse, fiery red, 56 came out, and the one who rode it 57 was granted permission 58 to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher 59 one another, and he was given a huge sword.
6:5 Then 60 when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So 61 I looked, 62 and here came 63 a black horse! The 64 one who rode it 65 had a balance scale 66 in his hand. 6:6 Then 67 I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart 68 of wheat will cost a day’s pay 69 and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But 70 do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
6:7 Then 71 when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 6:8 So 72 I looked 73 and here came 74 a pale green 75 horse! The 76 name of the one who rode it 77 was Death, and Hades followed right behind. 78 They 79 were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, 80 famine, and disease, 81 and by the wild animals of the earth.
6:9 Now 82 when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed 83 because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 6:10 They 84 cried out with a loud voice, 85 “How long, 86 Sovereign Master, 87 holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 6:11 Each 88 of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached 89 of both their fellow servants 90 and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
6:12 Then 91 I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge 92 earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, 93 and the full moon became blood red; 94 6:13 and the stars in the sky 95 fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping 96 its unripe figs 97 when shaken by a fierce 98 wind. 6:14 The sky 99 was split apart 100 like a scroll being rolled up, 101 and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 6:15 Then 102 the kings of the earth, the 103 very important people, the generals, 104 the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave 105 and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 6:16 They 106 said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 107 6:17 because the great day of their 108 wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” 109
7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 7:2 Then 110 I saw another angel ascending from the east, 111 who had 112 the seal 113 of the living God. He 114 shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission 115 to damage the earth and the sea: 116 7:3 “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants 117 of our God.” 7:4 Now 118 I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, 119 one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from all 120 the tribes of the people of Israel: 121
7:5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,
7:6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,
7:7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,
7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
7:9 After these things I looked, and here was 122 an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, 123 people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 7:10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs to our God, 124
to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
7:11 And all the angels stood 125 there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground 126 before the throne and worshiped God, 7:12 saying,
“Amen! Praise and glory,
and wisdom and thanksgiving,
and honor and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
7:13 Then 127 one of the elders asked 128 me, “These dressed in long white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” 7:14 So 129 I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” 130 Then 131 he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They 132 have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! 7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve 133 him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. 134 7:16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, 135 7:17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 136
8:1 Now 137 when the Lamb 138 opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 8:2 Then 139 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 8:3 Another 140 angel holding 141 a golden censer 142 came and was stationed 143 at the altar. A 144 large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne. 8:4 The 145 smoke coming from the incense, 146 along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 8:5 Then 147 the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring, 148 flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
8:6 Now 149 the seven angels holding 150 the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
8:7 The 151 first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that 152 a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8:8 Then 153 the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A 154 third of the sea became blood, 8:9 and a third of the creatures 155 living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed. 156
8:10 Then 157 the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; 158 it landed 159 on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 8:11 (Now 160 the name of the star is 161 Wormwood.) 162 So 163 a third of the waters became wormwood, 164 and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned. 165
8:12 Then 166 the fourth angel blew his 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 were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day 167 and for a third of the night likewise. 8:13 Then 168 I looked, and I heard an 169 eagle 170 flying directly overhead, 171 proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!” 172