Bible: Revelation 1-11
The Prologue
1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, 1 which God gave him to show his servants 2 what must happen very soon. 3 He made it clear 4 by sending his angel to his servant 5 John, 1:2 who then 6 testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about 7 Jesus Christ. 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this 8 prophecy aloud, 9 and blessed are 10 those who hear and obey 11 the things written in it, because the time is near! 12
1:4 From John, 13 to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: 14 Grace and peace to you 15 from “he who is,” 16 and who was, and who is still to come, 17 and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful 18 witness, 19 the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free 20 from our sins at the cost of 21 his own blood 1:6 and has appointed 22 us as a kingdom, 23 as priests 24 serving his God and Father – to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! 25 Amen.
1:7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds, 26
and every eye will see him,
even 27 those who pierced him, 28
and all the tribes 29 on the earth will mourn because 30 of him.
This will certainly come to pass! 31 Amen.) 32
1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” 33 says the Lord God – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful! 34
1:9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares 35 with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that 36 are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. 37 1:10 I was in the Spirit 38 on the Lord’s Day 39 when 40 I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 1:11 saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches – to Ephesus, 41 Smyrna, 42 Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
1:12 I 43 turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, 44 and when I did so, 45 I saw seven golden lampstands, 1:13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. 46 He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt 47 around his chest. 1:14 His 48 head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, 49 and his eyes were like a fiery 50 flame. 1:15 His feet were like polished bronze 51 refined 52 in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar 53 of many waters. 1:16 He held 54 seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His 55 face shone like the sun shining at full strength. 1:17 When 56 I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but 57 he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 1:18 and the one who lives! I 58 was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! 59 1:19 Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things. 60 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: 61 The seven stars are the angels 62 of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
To the Church in Ephesus
2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus, 63 write the following: 64
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 65 the one who has a firm grasp on 66 the seven stars in his right hand 67 – the one who walks among the seven golden 68 lampstands: 2:2 ‘I know your works as well as your 69 labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate 70 evil. You have even put to the test 71 those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false. 2:3 I am also aware 72 that you have persisted steadfastly, 73 endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary. 2:4 But I have this against you: You have departed 74 from your first love! 2:5 Therefore, remember from what high state 75 you have fallen and repent! Do 76 the deeds you did at the first; 77 if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – that is, if you do not repent. 78 2:6 But you do have this going for you: 79 You hate what the Nicolaitans 80 practice 81 – practices I also hate. 2:7 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, 82 I will permit 83 him to eat from the tree of life that is 84 in the paradise of God.’ 85
To the Church in Smyrna
2:8 “To 86 the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: 87
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 88 the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but 89 came to life: 2:9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering 90 and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know 91 the slander against you 92 by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue 93 of Satan. 2:10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown 94 into prison so you may be tested, 95 and you will experience suffering 96 for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. 97 2:11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers 98 will in no way be harmed by the second death.’
To the Church in Pergamum
2:12 “To 99 the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following: 100
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 101 the one who has the sharp double-edged sword: 102 2:13 ‘I know 103 where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet 104 you continue to cling 105 to my name and you have not denied your 106 faith in me, 107 even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, 108 who was killed in your city 109 where Satan lives. 2:14 But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, 110 who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block 111 before the people 112 of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. 113 2:15 In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 114 2:16 Therefore, 115 repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people 116 with the sword of my mouth. 2:17 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, 117 I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white 118 stone, 119 and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand 120 except the one who receives it.’
To the Church in Thyatira
2:18 “To 121 the angel of the church in Thyatira writethe following: 122
“ This is the solemn pronouncement of 123 the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame 124 and whose feet are like polished bronze: 125 2:19 ‘I know your deeds: your love, faith, 126 service, and steadfast endurance. 127 In fact, 128 your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones. 2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that 129 woman 130 Jezebel, 131 who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives 132 my servants 133 to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 134 2:21 I 135 have given her time to repent, but 136 she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality. 2:22 Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, 137 and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, 138 unless they repent of her deeds. 2:23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers 139 with a deadly disease, 140 and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay 141 each one of you 142 what your deeds deserve. 143 2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching 144 (who have not learned the so-called “deep secrets 145 of Satan”), to you I say: I do not put any additional burden on you. 2:25 However, hold on to what you have until I come. 2:26 And to the one who conquers 146 and who continues in 147 my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations 148 –
2:27 he 149 will rule 150 them with an iron rod 151
and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, 152
2:28 just as I have received the right to rule 153 from my Father – and I will give him the morning star. 154 2:29 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
To the Church in Sardis
3:1 “To 155 the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: 156
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 157 the one who holds 158 the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation 159 that you are alive, but 160 in reality 161 you are dead. 3:2 Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about 162 to die, because I have not found your deeds complete 163 in the sight 164 of my God. 3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, 165 and obey it, 166 and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never 167 know at what hour I will come against 168 you. 3:4 But you have a few individuals 169 in Sardis who have not stained 170 their clothes, and they will walk with me dressed 171 in white, because they are worthy. 3:5 The one who conquers 172 will be dressed like them 173 in white clothing, 174 and I will never 175 erase 176 his name from the book of life, but 177 will declare 178 his name before my Father and before his angels. 3:6 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
To the Church in Philadelphia
3:7 “To 179 the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: 180
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 181 the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors 182 no one can shut, and shuts doors 183 no one can open: 3:8 ‘I know your deeds. (Look! I have put 184 in front of you an open door that no one can shut.) 185 I know 186 that you have little strength, 187 but 188 you have obeyed 189 my word and have not denied my name. 3:9 Listen! 190 I am going to make those people from the synagogue 191 of Satan – who say they are Jews yet 192 are not, but are lying – Look, I will make 193 them come and bow down 194 at your feet and acknowledge 195 that I have loved you. 3:10 Because you have kept 196 my admonition 197 to endure steadfastly, 198 I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away 199 your crown. 200 3:12 The one who conquers 201 I will make 202 a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I 203 will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God), 204 and my new name as well. 3:13 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
To the Church in Laodicea
3:14 “To 205 the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: 206
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 207 the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator 208 of God’s creation: 3:15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. 209 I wish you were either cold or hot! 3:16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going 210 to vomit 211 you out of my mouth! 3:17 Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, 212 and need nothing,” but 213 do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, 214 poor, blind, and naked, 3:18 take my advice 215 and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich! Buy from me 216 white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness 217 will not be exposed, and buy eye salve 218 to put on your eyes so you can see! 3:19 All those 219 I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent! 3:20 Listen! 220 I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home 221 and share a meal with him, and he with me. 3:21 I will grant the one 222 who conquers 223 permission 224 to sit with me on my throne, just as I too conquered 225 and sat down with my Father on his throne. 3:22 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
The Amazing Scene in Heaven
4:1 After these things I looked, and there was 226 a door standing open in heaven! 227 And the first voice I had heard speaking to me 228 like a trumpet 229 said: “Come up here so that 230 I can show you what must happen after these things.” 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, 231 and 232 a throne was standing 233 in heaven with someone seated on it! 4:3 And the one seated on it was like jasper 234 and carnelian 235 in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald 236 encircled the throne. 4:4 In 237 a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were 238 dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns 239 on their heads. 4:5 From 240 the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring 241 and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, 242 were burning in front of the throne 4:6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. 243
In 244 the middle of the throne 245 and around the throne were four living creatures 246 full of eyes in front and in back. 4:7 The 247 first living creature was like a lion, the 248 second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings 249 and was full of eyes all around and inside. 250 They never rest day or night, saying: 251
“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, 252
Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”
4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, 253 and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 4:10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground 254 before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns 255 before his 256 throne, saying:
4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
since you created all things,
and because of your will they existed and were created!” 257
The Opening of the Scroll
5:1 Then 258 I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back 259 and sealed with seven seals. 260 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 261 no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 5:4 So 262 I began weeping bitterly 263 because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5:5 Then 264 one of the elders said 265 to me, “Stop weeping! 266 Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; 267 thus he can open 268 the scroll and its seven seals.”
5:6 Then 269 I saw standing in the middle of the throne 270 and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. 271 He had 272 seven horns and seven eyes, which 273 are the seven 274 spirits of God 275 sent out into all the earth. 5:7 Then 276 he came and took the scroll 277 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 278 before the Lamb. Each 279 of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). 280 5:9 They were singing a new song: 281
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals
because you were killed, 282
and at the cost of your own blood 283 you have purchased 284 for God
persons 285 from every tribe, language, 286 people, and nation.
5:10 You have appointed 287 them 288 as a kingdom and priests 289 to serve 290 our God, and they will reign 291 on the earth.”
5:11 Then 292 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 293 number was ten thousand times ten thousand 294 – thousands times thousands – 5:12 all of whom 295 were singing 296 in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the lamb who was killed 297
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and praise!”
5:13 Then 298 I heard every creature – in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them – singing: 299
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power 300 forever and ever!”
5:14 And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground 301 and worshiped.
The Seven Seals
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, 302 “Come!” 303 6:2 So 304 I looked, 305 and here came 306 a white horse! The 307 one who rode it 308 had a bow, and he was given a crown, 309 and as a conqueror 310 he rode out to conquer.
6:3 Then 311 when the Lamb 312 opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 6:4 And another horse, fiery red, 313 came out, and the one who rode it 314 was granted permission 315 to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher 316 one another, and he was given a huge sword.
6:5 Then 317 when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So 318 I looked, 319 and here came 320 a black horse! The 321 one who rode it 322 had a balance scale 323 in his hand. 6:6 Then 324 I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart 325 of wheat will cost a day’s pay 326 and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But 327 do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
6:7 Then 328 when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 6:8 So 329 I looked 330 and here came 331 a pale green 332 horse! The 333 name of the one who rode it 334 was Death, and Hades followed right behind. 335 They 336 were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, 337 famine, and disease, 338 and by the wild animals of the earth.
6:9 Now 339 when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed 340 because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 6:10 They 341 cried out with a loud voice, 342 “How long, 343 Sovereign Master, 344 holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 6:11 Each 345 of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached 346 of both their fellow servants 347 and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
6:12 Then 348 I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge 349 earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, 350 and the full moon became blood red; 351 6:13 and the stars in the sky 352 fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping 353 its unripe figs 354 when shaken by a fierce 355 wind. 6:14 The sky 356 was split apart 357 like a scroll being rolled up, 358 and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 6:15 Then 359 the kings of the earth, the 360 very important people, the generals, 361 the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave 362 and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 6:16 They 363 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, 364 6:17 because the great day of their 365 wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” 366
The Sealing of the 144,000
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 367 I saw another angel ascending from the east, 368 who had 369 the seal 370 of the living God. He 371 shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission 372 to damage the earth and the sea: 373 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 374 of our God.” 7:4 Now 375 I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, 376 one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from all 377 the tribes of the people of Israel: 378
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 379 an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, 380 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, 381
to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
7:11 And all the angels stood 382 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 383 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 384 one of the elders asked 385 me, “These dressed in long white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” 7:14 So 386 I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” 387 Then 388 he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They 389 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 390 him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. 391 7:16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, 392 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.” 393
The Seventh Seal
8:1 Now 394 when the Lamb 395 opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 8:2 Then 396 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 8:3 Another 397 angel holding 398 a golden censer 399 came and was stationed 400 at the altar. A 401 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 402 smoke coming from the incense, 403 along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 8:5 Then 404 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, 405 flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
8:6 Now 406 the seven angels holding 407 the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
8:7 The 408 first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that 409 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 410 the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A 411 third of the sea became blood, 8:9 and a third of the creatures 412 living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed. 413
8:10 Then 414 the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; 415 it landed 416 on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 8:11 (Now 417 the name of the star is 418 Wormwood.) 419 So 420 a third of the waters became wormwood, 421 and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned. 422
8:12 Then 423 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 424 and for a third of the night likewise. 8:13 Then 425 I looked, and I heard an 426 eagle 427 flying directly overhead, 428 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!” 429
9:1 Then 430 the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky 431 to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. 432 9:2 He 433 opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it 434 like smoke from a giant furnace. The 435 sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. 9:3 Then 436 out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power 437 like that of the scorpions of the earth. 9:4 They 438 were told 439 not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people 440 who did not have the seal of God on their 441 forehead. 9:5 The locusts 442 were not given permission 443 to kill 444 them, but only to torture 445 them 446 for five months, and their torture was like that 447 of a scorpion when it stings a person. 448 9:6 In 449 those days people 450 will seek death, but 451 will not be able to 452 find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
9:7 Now 453 the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On 454 their heads were something like crowns similar to gold, 455 and their faces looked like men’s 456 faces. 9:8 They 457 had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9:9 They had breastplates 458 like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. 9:10 They have 459 tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability 460 to injure people for five months is in their tails. 9:11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. 461
9:12 The first woe has passed, but 462 two woes are still coming after these things!
9:13 Then 463 the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a single voice coming from the 464 horns on the golden altar that is before God, 9:14 saying to the sixth angel, the one holding 465 the trumpet, “Set free 466 the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!” 9:15 Then 467 the four angels who had been prepared for this 468 hour, day, 469 month, and year were set free to kill 470 a third of humanity. 9:16 The 471 number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million; 472 I heard their number. 9:17 Now 473 this is what the horses and their riders 474 looked like in my 475 vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, 476 dark blue, 477 and sulfurous 478 yellow in color. 479 The 480 heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur 481 came out of their mouths. 9:18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, 482 by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. 9:19 For the power 483 of the horses resides 484 in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails are like snakes, having heads that inflict injuries. 9:20 The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they did not stop worshiping demons and idols made 485 of gold, silver, 486 bronze, stone, and wood – idols that cannot see or hear or walk about. 9:21 Furthermore, 487 they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells, 488 of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.
The Angel with the Little Scroll
10:1 Then 489 I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped 490 in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire. 491 10:2 He held 492 in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. 10:3 Then 493 he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded their voices. 10:4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but 494 just then 495 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.” 10:5 Then 496 the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 10:6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, and the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will be no more delay! 497 10:7 But in the days 498 when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed, 499 just as he has 500 proclaimed to his servants 501 the prophets.” 10:8 Then 502 the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak 503 to me 504 again, 505 “Go and take the open 506 scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 10:9 So 507 I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He 508 said to me, “Take the scroll 509 and eat it. It 510 will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10:10 So 511 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste 512 as sweet as honey in my mouth, but 513 when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 10:11 Then 514 they 515 told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, 516 languages, and kings.”
The Fate of the Two Witnesses
11:1 Then 517 a measuring rod 518 like a staff was given to me, and I was told, 519 “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the ones who worship there. 11:2 But 520 do not measure the outer courtyard 521 of the temple; leave it out, 522 because it has been given to the Gentiles, 523 and they will trample on the holy city 524 for forty-two months. 11:3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority 525 to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth. 11:4 (These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.) 526 11:5 If 527 anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths 528 and completely consumes 529 their enemies. If 530 anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this way. 11:6 These two have the power 531 to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the time 532 they are prophesying. They 533 have power 534 to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want. 11:7 When 535 they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them and conquer 536 them and kill them. 11:8 Their 537 corpses will lie in the street 538 of the great city that is symbolically 539 called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified. 11:9 For three and a half days those from every 540 people, tribe, 541 nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb. 542 11:10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. 11:11 But 543 after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized 544 those who were watching them. 11:12 Then 545 they 546 heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: “Come up here!” So the two prophets 547 went up to heaven in a cloud while 548 their enemies stared at them. 11:13 Just then 549 a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people 550 were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
11:14 The second woe has come and gone; 551 the third is coming quickly.
The Seventh Trumpet
11:15 Then 552 the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:
“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ, 553
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
11:16 Then 554 the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground 555 and worshiped God 11:17 with these words: 556
“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 557
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and begun to reign. 558
11:18 The 559 nations 560 were enraged,
but 561 your wrath has come,
and the time has come for the dead to be judged,
and the time has come to give to your servants, 562
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere 563 your name, both small and great,
and the time has come 564 to destroy those who destroy 565 the earth.”
11:19 Then 566 the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, 567 crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. 568