1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star hfallen from heaven to earth, and he was given ithe key to the shaft of jthe bottomless pit.1 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose ksmoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came llocusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told mnot to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but nonly those people who do not have the oseal of God pon their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people qwill seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 rIn appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and stheir teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was tlike the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is uAbaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.2
12 The first vwoe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.
13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from wthe four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill xa third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; yI heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire3 and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, zdid not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The Lamb and the 144,000
1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the tLamb, and with him u144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name vwritten on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven wlike the roar of many waters and xlike the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a ynew song before the throne and before the zfour living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been aredeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as bfirstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and cin their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
The Messages of the Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel dto proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every enation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, f“Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, g“Fallen, fallen is hBabylon the great, she who made all nations drink the iwine of the passion1 of her sexual immorality.”
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his jforehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the kwine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with lfire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And mthe smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, nday or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives othe mark of its name.”
12 pHere is a call for the endurance of the saints, qthose who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.2
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, r“Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may srest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
The Harvest of the Earth
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, tand seated on the cloud uone like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, v“Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great wwinepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.3
The River of Life
1 Then the angel1 showed me the briver of the cwater of life, bright as dcrystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the eLamb 2 through the middle of fthe street of the city; also, gon either side of the river, the htree of life2 with its twelve kinds of fruit, iyielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 jNo longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will ksee his face, and lhis name will be on their foreheads. 5 And mnight will be no more. nThey will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will oreign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, p“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of qthe spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants rwhat must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, sI am coming soon. tBlessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, uI fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not vseal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for wthe time is near. 11 xLet the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, yand the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, zbringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 aI am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who bwash their robes,3 cso that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 dOutside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my eangel to testify to you about these things for fthe churches. I am the groot and the descendant of David, the bright hmorning star.”
17 The Spirit and the iBride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And jlet the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone kadds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. lCome, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.4 Amen.
