having, every one of them, harps, and golden phials* full of incense, which are the pray ship him who liveth to the ages of ages, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Thou art worthy, Oers of the saints. 9 And they Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power: for thou hast created all things, and by thy will they were in being, and were created." sang a new song, saying, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for thou wast slain, and hast bought [us] to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation; 10 and thou hast made them kings and priests to our God; and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels who encircled the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders; (and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands;) 12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the lamb that was slain, to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom, and might, and honour, and glory, and blessing." 13 And every creature that [is] in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are on the sea, and all things that are in them, I heard, say CH. V. 1 AND I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a book, written within and without, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who [is] worthy to open the book, and to loose its seals? S And no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, and to look therein. 4 And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the book, and to look therein. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not: behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed so as to open the book, and its seven seals." 6 And I beheld, in the midst, between the throne and the four living crea-ing, "Blessing, and honour, tures, and in the midst, between the elders, a lamb standing, as if it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes; which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took [the book] out of the right hand CH. VI. 1 AND I saw when of him who sat upon the throne. the lamb opened one of the se8 And when he had taken ven seals; and I heard the first the book, the four living crea- of the four living creatures, tures, and the twenty-four eld-as with the sound of thunder, ers, fell down before the lamb, saying, "Come [and see]." 2 and glory, and dominion, be to him who sitteth upon the throne, and to the lamb, to the ages of ages." 14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshipped. * Gr. bowls. [And I looked,] and, béhold, a white horse and he who sat thereon had a bow; and a crown was given to him: and he went forth conquering, and to con quer. 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." 4 And another horse, that was red, went forth; and a command was given to him who sat thereon to take peace [from] the earth, [so] that men should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come [and see]." [And I looked,] and, behold, a black horse: and he who sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, "A small measure of wheat for a denarius, and three small measures of barley for a denarius but hurt thou not the oil and the wine." 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, "Come [and see]." 8 [And I looked,] and, behold, a pale horse; and the name given to him who sat thereon was Death, and Hades* followed him. And power was given him over the fourth part of the earth, to kill by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth. 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they had borne. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O sovereign Lord, holy and true, wilt thou not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" 11 And a white robe was given to every one of them: and they were told to rest yet for a time, till the number of their fellow-servants also and of their brethren, who were about to be killed as they were, should be filled up. 12 And I looked when he had opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; 13 and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig-tree casteth its untimely figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed, as a parchment when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the commanders, and the rich, and the strong, and every slave, and [every] freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 and said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sitteth on the throne, and from * See ch. i. 18, note: and so in all places where the word occurs. t 'sand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. the anger of the lamb: 17 for the great day of his anger is come; and who is able to stand? 9 After these things I looked, CH. VII. 1 AND after these and, behold, a great multitude, things, I saw four messengers which no one could number, of standing on the four parts of all nations, and tribes, and peothe earth, restraining the four ple, and languages, standing winds of the earth, that the before the throne and before wind should not blow on the the lamb, clothed with white earth, nor on the sea, nor on robes, and with palm-branches any tree. 2 And I saw another in their hands: 10 and they messenger coming up from the cry with a loud voice, saying, east, having the seal of the" Our salvation be ascribed to living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four messengers to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 saying, "Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of Our God on their foreheads." our God who sitteth upon the throne, and to the lamb." 11 And all the messengers stood round about the throne, and about the elders, and about the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne, and worshipped God, 12 saying, "Amen: blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be to our God to the ages of ages. Amen. 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty-four thousand, of all the tribes of the sons of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Judah were seal- 13 And one of the elders ed twelve thousand. Of the spake, saying to me, "Who tribe of Reuben [were sealed] are these that are clothed in twelve thousand. Of the tribe white robes, and whence came of Gad [were sealed] twelve they?" 14 And I said to him, thousand. 6 Of the tribe of "O my lord, thou knowest." Asher [were sealed] twelve Then he said to me, "These thousand. Of the tribe of Naphali [were sealed] twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh [were sealed] twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon [were sealed] twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi [were sealed] twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar [were sealed] twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zebulon [were sealed] twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph [were sealed] twelve thou are they who have come out of great affliction, and have washed their robes, and made them bright, in the blood of the lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sitteth on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They will hunger no more, nor will they thirst any more; nor will the sun strike on them, nor any heat. 17 For the lamb which is towards the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and will lead them to living springs of waters: and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” CH. VIII. 1 AND when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven messengers who stand before God: and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another messenger came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer: aud to him was given much incense, that he might offer it, with the prayers of all those who are holy, upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense went up before God from the hand of the angel, together with the prayers of those who are holy. 5 And the messenger took the censer, and filled it with the fire from the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there were sounds, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. sounded his trumpet; and, as it were a great mountain, burning [with fire,] was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 and the third part of the creatures [which were] in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the third messenger sounded his trumpet, and a great star, burning like a lamp, fell from heaven; and it fell upon the third part of the ri vers, and upon the springs of 5 waters 11 and the name of the star was called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth messenger sounded his trumpet, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night in like manner. 13 And I looked, and heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, 6 And the seven messengers and saying with a loud voice, who had the seven trumpets," Woe, woe, woe, to the inhaprepared themselves to sound. bitants of the earth, because of the other blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound." And the first sounded his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and every green herb was burnt up. 8 And the second messenger | CH. IX. 1 And the fifth messenger sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth; and to him was given the key of the entrance of the abyss.* 2 [And he * Gr. abvroos, literally, the deep. Like ns, it may be used for the common receptacle of the dead. See Rom. x. 7. comp. Mat. xii. 46. Eph. iv. 9. This word in the LXX. commonly answers to the Heb. Dan, which generally denotes an abyss of waters. See Parkhurst. L opened the entrance of the byss], and a smoke arose out f the entrance, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the un and the air were darkened ■y the smoke of the entrance. 3 And out of the smoke locusts ame upon the earth; and to hem was given power, as the corpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commandd them that they should not urt the herb of the earth, nor ny green thing, nor any tree; ut only those men who had ot the seal [of God] on [their] oreheads. 5 And a command was given to the locusts that hey should not kill them, but hat they should be tormented ve months and their torment was as the torment from a scorion, when it stingeth a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death, and will not ind it; and will desire to die, and death will flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for var; and on their heads were s golden crowns, and their aces were as the faces of men. 3 And they had hair as the air of women: and their teeth vere as the teeth of lions. 9 And hey had breast-plates as iron breast-plates; and the sound of heir wings was as the sound of chariots with many horses rushng to battle. 10 And they had ails like scorpions, and stings were in their tails: and their uthority was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, the messenger of the abyss; whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue he hath the name Apollyon.* 12 One woe is past; behold two woes more follow. 13 And the sixth messenger sounded his trumpet; and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which was before God, 14 saying to the sixth messenger who had the trumpet, "Loose the four messengers who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15: And the four messengers were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to kill the third part of men. 16 And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads: for I heard the number of them. 17 And afterward I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breast-plates of fire, and of jacinth, and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out from their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three scourges the third part of men was killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out from their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses was in their mouths, and in their tails: for their tails were like serpents, and had heads, and with them they * i. e. the Destroyer. |