Revelation 9

1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss.

1Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.

2And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

2When he opened the bottomless pit, smoke rose out of it like the smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the sky were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

3And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

3Then locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and they were given power like the power of earthly scorpions.

4And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads.

4They were told not to harm the grass, any green plant, or any tree. They were only allowed to harm the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

5And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it striketh a man.

5The locusts were not allowed to kill these people, but only to torture them for five months. The pain they caused was like the sting of a scorpion.

6And in those days men shall seek death, and shall in no wise find it; and they shall desire to die, and death fleeth from them.

6During those days, people will look for death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will run away from them.

7And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as it were crowns like unto gold, and their faces were as men’s faces.

7The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces looked like human faces.

8And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

8Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.

9And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war.

9They wore breastplates that looked like iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.

10And they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men five months.

10They had tails with stingers like scorpions, and they had the power to hurt people for five months with their tails.

11They have over them as king the angel of the abyss: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek tongue he hath the name Apollyon.

11They had a king over them, who is the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek his name is Apollyon.

12The first Woe is past: behold, there come yet two Woes hereafter.

12The first woe has passed; behold, two more woes are still coming.

13And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God,

13Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the golden altar that stands before God.

14one saying to the sixth angel that had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates.

14The voice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are tied up at the great Euphrates River.'

15And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men.

15So the four angels were released. They had been kept ready for this exact hour, day, month, and year to kill a third of all humanity.

16And the number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them.

16I heard the number of the mounted troops: it was two hundred million.

17And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone.

17In my vision, this is how the horses and their riders looked: They had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow like sulfur. The heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths.

18By these three plagues was the third part of men killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, which proceeded out of their mouths.

18A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues—by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths.

19For the power of the horses is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails are like unto serpents, and have heads; and with them they hurt.

19The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes with heads that they used to inflict injuries.

20And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk:

20The rest of the people who were not killed by these plagues still did not turn away from the things they had made. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that cannot see, hear, or walk.

21and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

21Nor did they repent of their murders, their witchcraft, their sexual immorality, or their stealing.