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| DB1 | New English Bible
41 AFTER THIS I LOOKED, and there before my eyes was a door opened in heaven; and the voice that I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must happen hereafter.' 2 At once I was caught up by the Spirit. There in heaven stood a throne, 3 and on the throne sat one whose appearance was like the gleam of jasper and cornelian; and round the throne was a rainbow, bright as an emerald. 4 In a circle about this throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on them sat twenty-four elders, robed in white and wearing crowns of gold. 5 From the throne went out flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. Burning before the throne were seven flaming torches, the seven spirits of God, 6 and in front of it stretched what seemed a sea of glass, like a sheet of ice.
In the centre, round the throne itself, were four living creatures, covered with eyes, in front and behind. 7 The first creature was like a lion, the second like an ox, the third had a human face, the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, had eyes all over, inside and out; and by day and by night without a pause they sang:
51 Then I saw in the right hand of the One who sat on the throne a scroll, with writing inside and out, and it was sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?' 3 There was no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth able to open the scroll or to look inside it. 4 I was in tears because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look inside it. 5 But one of the elders said to me: 'Do not weep; for the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won the right to open the scroll and break its seven seals.'
6 Then I saw standing in the very middle of the throne, inside the circle of living creatures and the circle of elders, a Lamb with the marks of slaughter upon him. He had seven horns and seven eyes, the eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out over all the world. 7 And the Lamb went up and took the scroll from the right hand of the One who sat on the throne. 8 When he took it, the four living creatures and s the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders had a harp, and they held golden bowls full of incense, the prayers of God's people, 9 and they were singing a new song:
61 THEN I WATCHED as the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, 2 'Come!' And there before my eyes was a white horse, and its rider held a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth, conquering and to conquer.
3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second creature say, 'Come!' 4 And out came another horse, all red. To its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and make men slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword.
5 When he broke the third seal, I heard the third creature say, 'Come!' And there, as I looked, was a black horse; and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. 6 And I heard what sounded like a voice from the midst of the living creatures, which said, 'A whole day's wage for a quart of flour, a whole day's wage for three quarts of barley-meal! But spare the olive and the vine.'
7 When he broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth creature say, 'Come!' 8 And there, as I looked, was another horse, sickly pale; and its rider's name was Death, and Hades came close behind. To him was given power over a quarter of the earth, with the right to kill by sword and by famine, by pestilence and wild beasts.
9 When he broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for God's word and for the testimony they bore. 10 They gave a great cry: 'How long, sovereign Lord, holy and true, must it be before thou wilt vindicate us and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?' 11 Each of them was given a white robe; and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the tally should be complete of all their brothers in Christ's service who were to be killed as they had been.
12 Then I watched as he broke the sixth seal. And there was a violent earthquake; the sun turned black as a funeral pall and the moon all red as blood; 13 the stars in the sky fell to the earth, like figs shaken down by a gale; 14 the sky vanished, as a scroll is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, magnates and marshals, the rich and the powerful, and all men, slave or free, hid themselves in caves and mountain crags; 16 and they called out to the mountains and the is crags, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the vengeance of the Lamb.' 17 For the great day of their vengeance has come, and who will be able to stand?
71 After this I saw four angels stationed at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so that no wind should blow on sea or land or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel rising out of the east, carrying the seal of the living God; and he called aloud to the four angels who had been given the power to ravage land and sea: 3 'Do no damage to sea or land or trees until we have set the seal of our God upon the foreheads of his servants.' 4 And I heard the number of those who had received the seal. From all the tribes of Israel there were a hundred and forty-four thousand : 5 twelve thousand from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad, 6 twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar, 8 twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin.
9 After this I looked and saw a vast throng, which no one could count, from every nation, of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white and had palms in their hands, 10 and they shouted together:
81 Now when the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for what seemed half an hour. 2 Then I looked, and the seven angels that stand in the presence of God were given seven trumpets.
3 Then another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all God's people upon the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 And from the angel's hand the smoke of the incense went up before God with the prayers of his people. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it from the altar fire, and threw it down upon the earth; and there were peals of thunder, lightning, and an earthquake.
6 THEN THE SEVEN ANGELS that held the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The first blew his trumpet; and there came hail and fire mingled with blood, and this was hurled upon the earth. A third of the earth was burnt, a third of the trees were burnt, all the green grass was burnt.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet; and what looked like a great blazing mountain was hurled into the sea. 9 A third of the sea was turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in it died, and a third of the ships on it foundered.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet; and a great star shot from the sky, flaming like a torch; and it fell on a third of the rivers and springs. 11 The name of the star was Wormwood; and a third of the water turned to wormwood, and men in great numbers died of the water because it had been poisoned.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet; and a third part of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that the third part went dark and a third of the light of the day failed, and of the night.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle calling with a loud cry as it flew in mid-heaven: 'Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth when the trumpets sound which the three last angels must now blow!'
91 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet; and I saw a star that had fallen to the earth, and the star was given the key of the shaft of the abyss. 2 With this he opened the shaft of the abyss; and from the shaft smoke rose like smoke from a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then over the earth, out of the smoke, came locusts, and they were given the powers that earthly scorpions have. 4 They were told to do no injury to the grass or to any plant or tree, but only to those men who had not received the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 These they were allowed to torment for five months, with torment like a scorpion's sting, but they were not to kill them. 6 During that time these men will seek death, but they will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like golden crowns; 8 their faces were like human faces and their hair like women's hair; they had teeth like lions' teeth, 9 and wore breastplates like iron; the sound of their wings was like the noise of horses and chariots rushing to battle; 10 they had tails like scorpions, with stings in them, and in their tails lay their power to plague mankind for five months. 11 They had for their king the angel of the abyss, whose name, in Hebrew, is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon, or the Destroyer.
12 The first woe has now passed.
But there are still two more to come.
13 The sixth angel then blew his trumpet; and I heard a voice coming from between the horns of the golden altar that stood in the presence of God. 14 It said to the sixth angel, who held the trumpet: 'Release the four angels held bound at the great river Euphrates!' 15 So the four angels were let loose, to kill a third of mankind. They had been held ready for this moment, for this very year and month, day and hour. 16 And their squadrons of cavalry, whose count I heard, numbered two hundred million.
17 This was how I saw the horses and their riders in my vision: They wore breastplates, fiery red, blue, and sulphur-yellow; the horses had heads like lions' heads, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulphur. 18 By these three plagues, that is, by the fire, the smoke, and the sulphur that came from their mouths, a third of mankind was killed. 19 The power of the horses lay in their mouths, and in their tails also; for their tails were like snakes, with heads, and with them too they dealt injuries.
20 The rest of mankind who survived these plagues still did not abjure the gods their hands had fashioned, nor cease their worship of devils and of idols made from gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their sorcery, their fornication, or their robberies.
101 THEN I SAW another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was wrapped in cloud, with the rainbow round his head; his face shone like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire. 2 In his hand he held a little scroll unrolled. His right foot he planted on the sea, and his left on the land. 3 Then he gave a great shout, like the roar of a lion; and when he shouted, the seven thunders spoke. 4 I was about to write down what the seven thunders had said; but I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Seal up what the seven thunders have said, do not write it down.' 5 Then the angel that I saw standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them: 'There shall be no more delay; 7 but when the time comes for the seventh angel to sound his trumpet, the hidden purpose of God will have been fulfilled, as he promised to his servants the prophets.'
8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven was speaking to me again, and it said, 'Go and take the open scroll in the hand of the angel that stands on the sea and 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, although in your mouth it will taste sweet as honey.' 10 So I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it did taste sweet as honey; but when I swallowed it my stomach turned sour.
11 Then they said to me, 'Once again you must utter prophecies over peoples and nations and languages and many kings.'
111 I was given a long cane, a kind of measuring-rod, and told: 'Now go and measure the temple of God, the altar, and the number of the worshippers. 2 But have nothing to do with the outer court of the temple; do not measure that; for it has been given over to the Gentiles, and they will trample the Holy City underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I have two witnesses, whom I will appoint to prophesy, dressed in sackcloth, all through those twelve hundred and sixty days.' 4 These are the two olive-trees and the two lamps that stand in the presence of the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone seeks to do them harm, fire pours from their mouths and consumes their enemies; and thus shall the man die who seeks to do them harm. 6 These two have the power to shut up the sky, so that no rain may fall during the time of their prophesying; and they have the power to turn water to blood and to strike the earth at will with every kind of plague. 7 But when they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will wage war upon them and will defeat and kill them. 8 Their corpses will lie in the street of the great city, whose name in allegory is Sodom, or Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three days and a half men from every people and tribe, of every language and nation, gaze upon their corpses and refuse them burial. 10 All men on earth gloat over them, make merry, and exchange presents; for these two prophets were a torment to the whole earth. 11 But at the end of the three days and a half the breath of life from God came into them; and they stood up on their feet to the terror of all who saw it. 12 Then a loud voice was heard speaking to them from heaven, which said, 'Come up here!' And they went up to heaven in a cloud, in full view of their enemies. 13 At that same moment there was a violent earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake; the rest in terror did homage to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has now passed.
But the third is soon to come.
121 NEXT APPEARED a great portent in heaven, a woman robed with the sun, beneath her feet the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant, and in the anguish of her labour she cried out to be delivered. 3 Then a second portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns; 4 on his heads were seven diadems, and with his tail he swept down a third of the stars in the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when her child was born 5 She gave birth to a male child, who is destined to rule all nations with an iron rod. But her child was snatched up to God and his throne; 6 and the woman herself fled into the wilds, where she had a place prepared for her by God, there to be sustained for twelve hundred and sixty days.
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels waged war upon the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they had not the strength to win, and no foothold was left them in heaven. 9 So the great dragon was thrown down, that serpent of old that led the whole world astray, whose name is Satan, or the Devil-thrown down to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a voice in heaven proclaiming aloud: 'This is the hour of victory for our God, the hour of his sovereignty and power, when his Christ comes to his rightful rule! For the accuser of our brothers is overthrown, who day and night accused them before our God. 11 By the sacrifice of the Lamb they have conquered him, and by the testimony which they uttered; for they did not hold their lives too dear to lay them down. 12 Rejoice then, you heavens and you that dwell in them! But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, knowing that his time is short!'
13 When the dragon found that he had been thrown down to the earth, he went in pursuit of the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given two great eagle's wings, to fly to the place in the wilds where for three years and a half she was to be sustained, out of reach of the serpent. 15 From his mouth the serpent spewed a flood of water after the woman to sweep her away with its spate. 16 But the earth came to her rescue and opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon spewed from his mouth. 17 At this the dragon grew furious with the woman, and went off to wage war on the rest of her offspring, that is, on those who keep God's commandments and maintain their testimony to Jesus.
Then out of the sea I saw a beast rising. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten diadems, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear's and its mouth like a lion's mouth. The dragon conferred upon it his power and rule, and great authority. 3 One of its heads appeared to have received a death-blow; but the mortal wound was healed. The whole world went after the beast in wondering admiration. 4 Men worshipped the dragon because he had conferred his authority upon the beast; they worshipped the beast also, and chanted, 'Who is like the Beast? Who can fight against it?'
5 The beast was allowed to mouth bombast and | blasphemy, and was given the right to reign for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth in blasphemy against God, reviling his name and his heavenly dwelling. 7 It was also allowed to wage war on God's people and to defeat them, and was granted authority over every tribe and people, language and nation. 8 All on earth will worship it, except those whose names the Lamb that was slain keeps in his roll of the living, written i there since the world was made.
9 Hear, you who have ears to hear! 10 Whoever is meant for prison, to prison he goes. Whoever takes the sword to kill, by the sword he is bound to be killed. Here the fortitude and faithfulness of God's people have their place.
11 Then I saw another beast, which came up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb's, but spoke like a dragon. 12 It wielded all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship this first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13 It worked great miracles, even making fire come down from heaven to earth before men's eyes. 14 By the miracles it was allowed to perform in the presence of the beast it deluded the inhabitants of the earth, and made them erect an image in honour of the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 It was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that it could speak, I and could cause all who would not worship the image to be put to death. 16 Moreover, it caused everyone, great and small, rich and poor, slave and free, to be branded with a mark on his right hand or forehead, 17 and no one was allowed to buy or sell unless he bore this beast's mark, either name or number. 18 (Here is the is key; and anyone who has intelligence may work out the number of the beast. The number represents a man's name, and the numerical value of its letters is six hundred and sixty-six.)
141 THEN I LOOKED, and on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him were a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. 2 I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of rushing water and the deep roar of thunder; it was the sound of harpers playing on their harps. 3 There before the throne, and the four living creatures and the elders, they were singing a new song. That song no one could learn except the hundred and forty-four thousand, who alone from the whole world had been ransomed. 4 These are men who did not defile themselves with women, for they have kept themselves chaste, and they follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed as the firstfruits of humanity for God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their lips; they are faultless.
6 Then I saw an angel flying in mid-heaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those on earth, to every nation and tribe, language and people. 7 He cried in a loud voice, 'Fear God and pay him homage; for the hour of his judgement has come! Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the water-springs!'
8 Then another angel, a second, followed, and he cried, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all nations drink the fierce wine of her fornication!'
9 Yet a third angel followed, crying out loud, 'Whoever worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on his forehead or hand, 10 he shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured undiluted into the cup of his vengeance. He shall be tormented in sulphurous flames before the holy angels and before the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever, and there will be no respite day or night for those who worship the beast and its image or receive the mark of its name.' 12 Here the fortitude of God's people has its place - in keeping God's commands and remaining loyal to Jesus.
13 Moreover, I heard a voice from heaven, saying, 'Write this: "Happy are the dead who die in the faith of Christ! Henceforth", says the Spirit, "they may rest from their labours; for they take with them the record of their deeds."'
14 Then as I looked there appeared a white cloud, and on the cloud sat one like a son of man. He had on his head a crown of gold and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud: 'Stretch out your sickle and reap; for harvest-time has come, and earth's crop is over-ripe.' 16 So he who sat on the cloud put his sickle to the earth and its harvest was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the heavenly is temple, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then from the altar came yet another, the angel who has authority over fire, and he shouted to the one with the sharp sickle: 'Stretch out your sickle, and gather in earth's grape-harvest, for its clusters are ripe.' 19 So the angel put his sickle to the earth and gathered in its grapes, and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20 The winepress was trodden outside the city, and for two hundred miles around blood flowed from the press to the height of the horses' bridles.
151 Then I saw another great and astonishing portent in heaven: seven angels with seven plagues, the last plagues of all, for with them the wrath of God is consummated.
2 I saw what seemed a sea of glass shot with fire, and beside the sea of glass, holding the harps which God had given them, were those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and the number of its name.
3 They were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, as they chanted:
161 Then from the sanctuary I heard a loud voice, and it said to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth.'
2 So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth; and foul malignant sores appeared on those men that wore the mark of the beast and worshipped its image.
3 The second angel poured his bowl on the sea, and it turned to blood like the blood from a corpse; and every living thing in the sea died.
4 The third angel poured his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they turned to blood.
5 Then I heard the angel of the waters say, 'Just art thou in these thy judgements, thou Holy One who art and wast; 6 for they shed the blood of thy people and of thy prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. They have their deserts!' 7 And I heard the altar cry, 'Yes, Lord God, sovereign over all, true and just are thy judgements!'
8 The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun; and it was allowed to bum men with its flames. 9 They were fearfully burned; but they only cursed the name of God who had the power to inflict such plagues, and they refused to repent or do him homage.
10 The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast; and its kingdom was plunged in darkness. 11 Men gnawed their tongues in agony, but they only cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores, and would not repent of what they had done.
12 The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates; and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
13 Then I saw coming from the mouth of the dragon, the mouth of the beast, and the mouth of the false prophet, three foul spirits like frogs. 14 These spirits were devils, with power to work miracles. They were sent out to muster all the kings of the world for the great day of battle of God the sovereign Lord. 15 ('That is the day when I come like a thief! Happy the man who stays awake and keeps on his clothes, so that he will not have to go naked and ashamed for all to see!') 16 So they assembled the kings at the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.
17 Then the seventh angel poured his bowl on the air; and out of the sanctuary came a loud voice from the throne, which said, 'It is over!' 18 And there followed is flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake, like none before it in human history, so violent it was. 19 The great city was split in three; the cities of the world fell in ruin; and God did not forget Babylon the great, but made her drink the cup which was filled with the fierce wine of his vengeance. 20 Every island vanished; there was not a mountain to be seen. 21 Huge hailstones, weighing perhaps a talent, fell on men from the sky; and they cursed God for the plague of hail, because that plague was so severe.