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Revelation 8:2-9:21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

2 And I saw that the seven angels who stood before God were given seven trumpets.(A)

The Gold Censer. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar,[a] holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne.(B) 4 The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with burning coals from the altar, and hurled it down to the earth. There were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.(C)

The First Four Trumpets. 6 The seven angels who were holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.(D)

7 When the first one blew his trumpet, there came hail and fire mixed with blood, which was hurled down to the earth. A third of the land was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all green grass.[b]

8 [c]When the second angel blew his trumpet, something like a large burning mountain was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,(E) 9 a third of the creatures living in the sea[d] died, and a third of the ships were wrecked.

10 When the third angel blew his trumpet, a large star burning like a torch fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.(F) 11 The star was called “Wormwood,”[e] and a third of all the water turned to wormwood. Many people died from this water, because it was made bitter.(G)

12 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, so that a third of them became dark. The day lost its light for a third of the time, as did the night.(H)

13 Then I looked again and heard an eagle flying high overhead cry out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe[f] to the inhabitants of the earth from the rest of the trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to blow!”

Chapter 9

The Fifth Trumpet.[g] 1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star[h] that had fallen from the sky to the earth. It was given the key for the passage to the abyss. 2 It opened the passage to the abyss,(I) and smoke came up out of the passage like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the passage.(J) 3 Locusts came out of the smoke onto the land, and they were given the same power as scorpions[i] of the earth.(K) 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or any tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torment them for five months;[j] the torment they inflicted was like that of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 During that time these people will seek death but will not find it, and they will long to die but death will escape them.(L)

7 [k]The appearance of the locusts was like that of horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,(M) 8 and they had hair like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth,(N) 9 and they had chests like iron breastplates. The sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots racing into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, with stingers; with their tails they had power to harm people for five months. 11 They had as their king the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon[l] and in Greek Apollyon.

12 The first woe has passed, but there are two more to come.

The Sixth Trumpet.[m] 13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the [four][n] horns of the gold altar before God,(O) 14 telling the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels[o] who are bound at the banks of the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels were released, who were prepared for this hour, day, month, and year to kill a third of the human race. 16 The number of cavalry troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. 17 Now in my vision this is how I saw the horses and their riders. They wore red, blue, and yellow breastplates,[p] and the horses’ heads were like heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.(P) 18 By these three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths a third of the human race was killed. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like snakes, with heads that inflict harm.

20 The rest of the human race, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands,[q] to give up the worship of demons and idols made from gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.(Q) 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic potions, their unchastity, or their robberies.

Footnotes

  1. 8:3 Altar: there seems to be only one altar in the heavenly temple, corresponding to the altar of holocausts in Rev 6:9, and here to the altar of incense in Jerusalem; cf. also Rev 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7.
  2. 8:7 This woe resembles the seventh plague of Egypt (Ex 9:23–24); cf. Jl 3:3.
  3. 8:8–11 The background of these two woes is the first plague of Egypt (Ex 7:20–21).
  4. 8:9 Creatures living in the sea: literally, “creatures in the sea that had souls.”
  5. 8:11 Wormwood: an extremely bitter and malignant plant symbolizing the punishment God inflicts on the ungodly; cf. Jer 9:12–14; 23:15.
  6. 8:13 Woe! Woe! Woe: each of the three woes pronounced by the angel represents a separate disaster; cf. Rev 9:12; 11:14. The final woe, released by the seventh trumpet blast, includes the plagues of Rev 16.
  7. 9:1–12 The fifth trumpet heralds a woe containing elements from the eighth and ninth plagues of Egypt (Ex 10:12–15, 21–23) but specifically reminiscent of the invasion of locusts in Jl 1:4–2:10.
  8. 9:1 A star: late Judaism represented fallen powers as stars (Is 14:12–15; Lk 10:18; Jude 13), but a comparison with Rev 1:20 and Rev 20:1 suggests that here it means an angel. The passage to the abyss: referring to Sheol, the netherworld, where Satan and the fallen angels are kept for a thousand years, to be cast afterwards into the pool of fire; cf. Rev 20:7–10. The abyss was conceived of as a vast subterranean cavern full of fire. Its only link with the earth was a kind of passage or mine shaft, which was kept locked.
  9. 9:3 Scorpions: their poisonous sting was proverbial; Ez 2:6; Lk 11:12.
  10. 9:5 For five months: more or less corresponding to the life-span of locusts.
  11. 9:7–10 Eight characteristics are listed to show the eschatological and diabolical nature of these locusts.
  12. 9:11 Abaddon: Hebrew (more precisely, Aramaic) for destruction or ruin. Apollyon: Greek for the “Destroyer.”
  13. 9:13–21 The sixth trumpet heralds a woe representing another diabolical attack symbolized by an invasion by the Parthians living east of the Euphrates; see note on Rev 6:2. At the appointed time (Rev 9:15), the frightful horses act as God’s agents of judgment. The imaginative details are not to be taken literally; see Introduction and the note on Rev 6:12–14.
  14. 9:13 [Four]: many Greek manuscripts and versions omit the word. The horns were situated at the four corners of the altar (Ex 27:2; 30:2–3); see note on Rev 8:3.
  15. 9:14–15 The four angels: they are symbolic of the destructive activity that will be extended throughout the universe.
  16. 9:17 Blue: literally, “hyacinth-colored.” Yellow: literally, “sulfurous.”
  17. 9:20 The works of their hands: i.e., the gods their hands had made.
Listen to Revelation 8:2-9:21
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Revelation 8:2-9:21
New International Version

2 And I saw the seven angels(A) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.(B)

3 Another angel,(C) 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,(D) on the golden altar(E) in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God(F) from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,(G) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,(H) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.(I)

The Trumpets

6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets(J) prepared to sound them.

7 The first angel(K) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire(L) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third(M) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.(N)

8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,(O) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third(P) of the sea turned into blood,(Q) 9 a third(R) 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(S) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water(T)— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third(U) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.(V)

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(W) of them turned dark.(X) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.(Y)

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair(Z) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe(AA) to the inhabitants of the earth,(AB) 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.(AC) The star was given the key(AD) to the shaft of the Abyss.(AE) 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.(AF) The sun and sky were darkened(AG) by the smoke from the Abyss.(AH) 3 And out of the smoke locusts(AI) came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions(AJ) of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm(AK) the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,(AL) but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.(AM) 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months.(AN) And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion(AO) 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.(AP)

7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.(AQ) On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.(AR) 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.(AS) 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.(AT) 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.(AU) 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss,(AV) whose name in Hebrew(AW) is Abaddon(AX) and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.(AY)

13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns(AZ) of the golden altar that is before God.(BA) 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels(BB) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”(BC) 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released(BD) to kill a third(BE) of mankind.(BF) 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.(BG)

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(BH) came fire, smoke and sulfur.(BI) 18 A third(BJ) of mankind was killed(BK) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur(BL) 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(BM) of the work of their hands;(BN) they did not stop worshiping demons,(BO) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.(BP) 21 Nor did they repent(BQ) of their murders, their magic arts,(BR) their sexual immorality(BS) or their thefts.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is a bitter substance.
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

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