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Revelation 6-11
Contemporary English Version
Revelation 6-11
Contemporary English Version
Opening the Seven Seals
6 At the same time I saw the Lamb open the first of the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures shout with a voice like thunder. It said, “Come out!” 2 (A) Then I saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow and was given a crown. He had already won some victories, and he went out to win more.
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come out!” 4 (B) Then another horse came out. It was fiery red. And its rider was given the power to take away all peace from the earth, so people would slaughter one another. He was also given a big sword.
5 (C) When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come out!” Then I saw a black horse, and its rider had a balance scale in one hand. 6 I heard what sounded like a voice from somewhere among the four living creatures. It said, “A liter of wheat will cost you a whole day's wages! Three liters of barley will cost you a day's wages too. But don't ruin the olive oil or the wine.”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come out!” 8 (D) Then I saw a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Death's Kingdom followed close behind. They were given power over one fourth of the earth, and they could kill its people with swords, famines, diseases, and wild animals.
9 When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of everyone who had been killed for speaking God's message and telling about their faith. 10 They shouted, “Master, you are holy and faithful! How long will it be before you judge and punish the people of this earth who killed us?”
11 (E) Then each of those who had been killed was given a white robe and told to rest for a little while. They had to wait until the complete number of the Lord's other servants and followers would be killed.
12 (F) When I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, I looked and saw a great earthquake. The sun turned as dark as sackcloth,[a] and the moon became red as blood. 13 (G) The stars in the sky fell to earth, just like figs shaken loose by a windstorm. 14 (H) Then the sky was rolled up like a scroll,[b] and all mountains and islands were moved from their places.
15 (I) The kings of the earth, its famous people, and its military leaders hid in caves or behind rocks on the mountains. They hid there together with the rich and the powerful and with all the slaves and free people. 16 (J) Then they shouted to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us! Hide us from the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb. 17 (K) That terrible day has come! God and the Lamb will show their anger, and who can face it?”
The 144,000 Are Marked for God
7 1-2 (L) After this I saw four angels. Each one was standing on one of the earth's four corners. The angels held back the four winds, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. These angels had also been given the power to harm the earth and the sea. Then I saw another angel come up from where the sun rises in the east, and he was ready to put the mark of the living God on people. He shouted to the four angels, 3 (M) “Don't harm the earth or the sea or any tree! Wait until I have marked the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
4 Then I heard how many people had been marked on the forehead. There were 144,000, and they came from every tribe of Israel:
5 12,000 from Judah,
12,000 from Reuben,
12,000 from Gad,
6 12,000 from Asher,
12,000 from Naphtali,
12,000 from Manasseh,
7 12,000 from Simeon,
12,000 from Levi,
12,000 from Issachar,
8 12,000 from Zebulun,
12,000 from Joseph, and
12,000 from Benjamin.
People from Every Nation
9 (N) After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, 10 as they shouted,
“Our God, who sits
upon the throne,
has the power
to save his people,
and so does the Lamb.”
11 The angels who stood around the throne knelt in front of it with their faces to the ground. The elders and the four living creatures knelt there with them. Then they all worshiped God 12 and said,
“Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom,
thanks, honor, power,
and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen!”
13 One of the elders asked me, “Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?”
14 (O) “Sir,” I answered, “you must know.”
Then he told me:
“These are the ones
who have gone through
the great suffering.
They have washed their robes
in the blood of the Lamb
and have made them white.
15 And so they stand
before the throne of God
and worship him in his temple
day and night.
The one who sits on the throne
will spread his tent
over them.
16 (P) They will never hunger
or thirst again,
and they won't be troubled
by the sun
or any scorching heat.
17 (Q) “The Lamb in the center
of the throne
will be their shepherd.
He will lead them to streams
of life-giving water,
and God will wipe all tears
from their eyes.”
The Seventh Seal Is Opened
8 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 I noticed that the seven angels who stood before God were each given a trumpet.
3 (R) Another angel, who had a gold container for incense,[c] came and stood at the altar. This one was given a lot of incense to offer with the prayers of God's people on the gold altar in front of the throne. 4 Then the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up to God from the hand of the angel.
5 (S) After this, the angel filled the incense container with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the earth shook.
The Trumpets
6 (T) The seven angels now got ready to blow their trumpets.
7 (U) When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. A third of the earth, a third of the trees, and a third of all green plants were burned.
8 When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a great fiery mountain was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 (V) When the third angel blew his trumpet, a great star fell from heaven. It was burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on a third of the springs of water. 11 (W) The name of the star was Bitter, and a third of the water turned bitter. Many people died because the water was so bitter.
12 (X) When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck. They each lost a third of their light. So during a third of the day there was no light, and a third of the night was also without light.
13 Then I looked and saw a lone eagle flying across the sky. It was shouting, “Trouble, trouble, trouble to everyone who lives on earth! The other three angels are now going to blow their trumpets.”
9 When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star[d] fall from the sky to earth. It was given the key to the tunnel that leads down to the deep pit. 2 (Y) As it opened the tunnel, smoke poured out like the smoke of a great furnace. The sun and the air turned dark because of the smoke. 3 (Z) Locusts[e] came out of the smoke and covered the earth. They were given the same power that scorpions have.
4 (AA) The locusts were told not to harm the grass on the earth or any plant or any tree. They were to punish only those people who did not have God's mark on their foreheads. 5 The locusts were allowed to make them suffer for five months, but not to kill them. The suffering they caused was like the sting of a scorpion. 6 (AB) In those days people will want to die, but they will not be able to. They will hope for death, but it will escape from them.
7 (AC) These locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore something like gold crowns, and they had human faces. 8 (AD) Their hair was like a woman's long hair, and their teeth were like those of a lion. 9 (AE) On their chests they wore armor made of iron. Their wings roared like an army of horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle. 10 Their tails were like a scorpion's tail with a stinger that had the power to hurt someone for five months. 11 Their king was the angel in charge of the deep pit. In Hebrew his name was Abaddon, and in Greek it was Apollyon.[f]
12 The first horrible thing has now happened! But wait. Two more horrible things will happen soon.
13 (AF) Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet. I heard a voice speak from the four corners of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. 14 The voice spoke to this angel and said, “Release the four angels who are tied up beside the great Euphrates River.” 15 The four angels had been prepared for this very hour and day and month and year. Now they were set free to kill a third of all people.
16 By listening, I could tell there were more than 200,000,000 war horses. 17 (AG) In my vision their riders wore fiery-red, dark-blue, and yellow armor on their chests. The heads of the horses looked like lions, with fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 18 One third of all people were killed by the three terrible troubles caused by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur. 19 The horses had powerful mouths, and their tails were like poisonous snakes that bite and hurt.
20 (AH) The people who lived through these terrible troubles did not turn away from the idols they had made, and they did not stop worshiping demons. They kept on worshiping idols that were made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. Not one of these idols could see, hear, or walk. 21 No one stopped murdering or practicing witchcraft or being immoral or stealing.
The Angel and the Little Scroll
10 I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. This one was covered with a cloud, and a rainbow was over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like columns of fire, 2 and with his hand he held a little scroll[g] that had been unrolled. He stood there with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 Then he shouted with a voice that sounded like a growling lion. Thunder roared seven times.
4 After the thunder stopped, I was about to write what it had said. But a voice from heaven shouted, “Keep it secret! Don't write these things.”
5 (AI) The angel I had seen standing on the sea and the land then held his right hand up toward heaven. 6 He made a promise in the name of God who lives forever and who created heaven, earth, the sea, and every living creature. The angel said, “You won't have to wait any longer. 7 God told his secret plans to his servants the prophets, and it will all happen by the time the seventh angel sounds his trumpet.”
8 (AJ) Once again the voice from heaven spoke to me. It said, “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel standing on the sea and the land.”
9 When I went over to ask the angel for the little scroll, the angel said, “Take the scroll and eat it! Your stomach will turn sour, but the taste in your mouth will be sweet as honey.” 10 I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. The taste was sweet as honey, but my stomach turned sour.
11 Then some voices said, “Keep on telling what will happen to the people of many nations, races, and languages, and also to kings.”
The Two Witnesses
11 (AK) An angel gave me a measuring stick and said:
Measure around God's temple. Be sure to include the altar and everyone worshiping there. 2 (AL) But don't measure the courtyard outside the temple building. Leave it out. It has been given to those people who don't know God, and they will trample all over the holy city for 42 months. 3 My two witnesses will wear sackcloth,[h] while I let them preach for 1,260 days.
4 (AM) These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth. 5 Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths. 6 (AN) They have the power to lock up the sky and to keep rain from falling while they are prophesying. And whenever they want to, they can turn water to blood and cause all kinds of terrible troubles on earth.
7 (AO) After the two witnesses have finished preaching God's message, the beast that lives in the deep pit will come up and fight against them. It will win the battle and kill them. 8 (AP) Their bodies will be left lying in the streets of the same great city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. And this city is spiritually like the city of Sodom or the country of Egypt.
9 For three and a half days the people of every nation, tribe, language, and race will stare at the bodies of these two witnesses and refuse to let them be buried. 10 Everyone on earth will celebrate and be happy. They will give gifts to each other, because of what happened to the two prophets who caused them so much trouble. 11 (AQ) But three and a half days later, God will breathe life into their bodies. They will stand up, and everyone who sees them will be terrified.
12 (AR) The witnesses then heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, “Come up here.” And while their enemies were watching, they were taken up to heaven in a cloud. 13 (AS) At that same moment there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were frightened and praised the God who rules in heaven.
14 The second horrible thing has now happened! And the third one will be here soon.
The Seventh Trumpet
15 (AT) At the sound of the seventh trumpet, loud voices were heard in heaven. They said,
“Now the kingdom
of this world
belongs to our Lord
and to his Chosen One!
And he will rule
forever and ever!”
16 Then the 24 elders, who were seated on thrones in God's presence, knelt down and worshiped him. 17 They said,
“Lord God All-Powerful,
you are and you were,
and we thank you.
You used your great power
and started ruling.
18 (AU) When the nations got angry,
you became angry too!
Now the time has come
for the dead
to be judged.
It is time for you to reward
your servants the prophets
and all your people
who honor your name,
no matter who they are.
It is time to destroy everyone
who has destroyed
the earth.”
19 (AV) The door to God's temple in heaven was then opened, and the sacred chest[i] could be seen inside the temple. I saw lightning and heard roars of thunder. The earth trembled and huge hailstones fell to the ground.
Footnotes
- 6.12 sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.
- 6.14 scroll: See the note at 5.1.
- 8.3 incense: See the note at 5.8.
- 9.1 star: In the ancient world, stars were often thought of as living beings, such as angels.
- 9.3 Locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to crops.
- 9.11 Abaddon … Apollyon: The Hebrew word “Abaddon” and the Greek word “Apollyon” each mean “destruction.”
- 10.2 scroll: See the note at 5.1.
- 11.3 sackcloth: See the note at 6.12.
- 11.19 sacred chest: In Old Testament times the sacred chest was kept in the tent used for worship. It was the symbol of God's presence with his people and also of his agreement with them.
Revelation 6-11
New International Version
Revelation 6-11
New International Version
The Seals
6 I watched as the Lamb(A) opened the first of the seven seals.(B) Then I heard one of the four living creatures(C) say in a voice like thunder,(D) “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse!(E) Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown,(F) and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.(G)
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature(H) say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.(I) Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth(J) and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature(K) say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse!(L) Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures,(M) saying, “Two pounds[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,[b] and six pounds[c] of barley for a day’s wages,[d](N) and do not damage(O) the oil and the wine!”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature(P) say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse!(Q) Its rider was named Death, and Hades(R) was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.(S)
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under(T) the altar(U) the souls of those who had been slain(V) because of the word of God(W) and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long,(X) Sovereign Lord,(Y) holy and true,(Z) until you judge the inhabitants of the earth(AA) and avenge our blood?”(AB) 11 Then each of them was given a white robe,(AC) and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[e] were killed just as they had been.(AD)
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake.(AE) The sun turned black(AF) like sackcloth(AG) made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth,(AH) as figs drop from a fig tree(AI) when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up,(AJ) and every mountain and island was removed from its place.(AK)
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free,(AL) hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.(AM) 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us(AN) and hide us[f] from the face of him who sits on the throne(AO) and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day(AP) of their[g] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”(AQ)
144,000 Sealed
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners(AR) of the earth, holding back the four winds(AS) of the earth to prevent(AT) any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal(AU) of the living God.(AV) He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:(AW) 3 “Do not harm(AX) the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads(AY) of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number(AZ) of those who were sealed: 144,000(BA) from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,(BB) standing before the throne(BC) and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes(BD) and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders(BG) and the four living creatures.(BH) They fell down on their faces(BI) before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”(BJ)
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes(BK)—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes(BL) and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.(BM) 15 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God(BN)
and serve him(BO) day and night in his temple;(BP)
and he who sits on the throne(BQ)
will shelter them with his presence.(BR)
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.(BS)
The sun will not beat down on them,’[h]
nor any scorching heat.(BT)
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;(BU)
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[i](BV)
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[j]”(BW)
The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer
8 When he opened the seventh seal,(BX) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels(BY) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.(BZ)
3 Another angel,(CA) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,(CB) on the golden altar(CC) in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God(CD) from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,(CE) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,(CF) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.(CG)
The Trumpets
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets(CH) prepared to sound them.
7 The first angel(CI) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire(CJ) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third(CK) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.(CL)
8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,(CM) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third(CN) of the sea turned into blood,(CO) 9 a third(CP) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky(CQ) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water(CR)— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood.[k] A third(CS) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.(CT)
12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third(CU) of them turned dark.(CV) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.(CW)
13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair(CX) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe(CY) to the inhabitants of the earth,(CZ) because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”
9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.(DA) The star was given the key(DB) to the shaft of the Abyss.(DC) 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.(DD) The sun and sky were darkened(DE) by the smoke from the Abyss.(DF) 3 And out of the smoke locusts(DG) came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions(DH) of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm(DI) the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,(DJ) but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.(DK) 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months.(DL) And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion(DM) when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.(DN)
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.(DO) On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.(DP) 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.(DQ) 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.(DR) 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.(DS) 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss,(DT) whose name in Hebrew(DU) is Abaddon(DV) and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.(DW)
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns(DX) of the golden altar that is before God.(DY) 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels(DZ) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”(EA) 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released(EB) to kill a third(EC) of mankind.(ED) 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.(EE)
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths(EF) came fire, smoke and sulfur.(EG) 18 A third(EH) of mankind was killed(EI) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur(EJ) that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent(EK) of the work of their hands;(EL) they did not stop worshiping demons,(EM) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.(EN) 21 Nor did they repent(EO) of their murders, their magic arts,(EP) their sexual immorality(EQ) or their thefts.
The Angel and the Little Scroll
10 Then I saw another mighty angel(ER) coming down from heaven.(ES) He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow(ET) above his head; his face was like the sun,(EU) and his legs were like fiery pillars.(EV) 2 He was holding a little scroll,(EW) which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,(EX) 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.(EY) When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders(EZ) spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write;(FA) but I heard a voice from heaven(FB) say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”(FC)
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land(FD) raised his right hand to heaven.(FE) 6 And he swore(FF) by him who lives for ever and ever,(FG) who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,(FH) and said, “There will be no more delay!(FI) 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet,(FJ) the mystery(FK) of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”(FL)
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven(FM) spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll(FN) that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[l]”(FO) 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,(FP) but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy(FQ) again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”(FR)
The Two Witnesses
11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod(FS) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court;(FT) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.(FU) They will trample on the holy city(FV) for 42 months.(FW) 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses,(FX) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,(FY) clothed in sackcloth.”(FZ) 4 They are “the two olive trees”(GA) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”[m](GB) 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.(GC) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.(GD) 6 They have power to shut up the heavens(GE) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;(GF) and they have power to turn the waters into blood(GG) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast(GH) that comes up from the Abyss(GI) will attack them,(GJ) and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city(GK)—which is figuratively called Sodom(GL) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.(GM) 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation(GN) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.(GO) 10 The inhabitants of the earth(GP) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,(GQ) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days(GR) the breath[n] of life from God entered them,(GS) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”(GT) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,(GU) while their enemies looked on.
13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake(GV) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory(GW) to the God of heaven.(GX)
14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.(GY)
The Seventh Trumpet
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,(GZ) and there were loud voices(HA) in heaven, which said:
“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,(HB)
and he will reign for ever and ever.”(HC)
16 And the twenty-four elders,(HD) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces(HE) and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give thanks(HF) to you, Lord God Almighty,(HG)
the One who is and who was,(HH)
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.(HI)
18 The nations were angry,(HJ)
and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,(HK)
and for rewarding your servants the prophets(HL)
and your people who revere your name,
both great and small(HM)—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then God’s temple(HN) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.(HO) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,(HP) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.(HQ)
Footnotes
- Revelation 6:6 Or about 1 kilogram
- Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
- Revelation 6:6 Or about 3 kilograms
- Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
- Revelation 6:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 12:10; 19:10.
- Revelation 6:16 See Hosea 10:8.
- Revelation 6:17 Some manuscripts his
- Revelation 7:16 Isaiah 49:10
- Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 49:10
- Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 25:8
- Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is a bitter substance.
- Revelation 10:9 Ezek. 3:3
- Revelation 11:4 See Zech. 4:3,11,14.
- Revelation 11:11 Or Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5,14)
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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