Revelation 9-17

New Catholic Bible

Chapter 9

The Fifth Trumpet: the First Woe.^{[a] 1} Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. He was given the key to the shaft leading down to the abyss. ² When he unlocked the shaft of the abyss, smoke rose up from the abyss like smoke from a huge furnace, so that the sun and the sky were darkened by the smoke from the abyss. ³ And out of the smoke locusts dropped down onto the earth, and they were given the same powers that scorpions have on the earth. ⁴ They were commanded not to damage the grass or the earth or any plant or tree, and they were told to attack only those people who did not have God’s seal on their foreheads.

⁵ They were given permission to torture these people for five months, but they were not allowed to kill them, and the torment they were to inflict was to be like that of a scorpion when it stings someone. ⁶ During that time, these people will seek death but 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 they wore what appeared to be gold crowns. Their faces were like human faces, ⁸ and their hair was like women’s hair. Their teeth were like lions’ teeth, ⁹ and their chests were like iron breastplates. The sound of their wings was like the rumble of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.

¹⁰ These locusts had tails and stings like those of scorpions, and in their tails they had the power to torment people for five months. ¹¹ They had as their king the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.

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

¹³ The Sixth Trumpet: the Second Woe.^[b] Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice^[c] emanating from the horns of the gold altar that stood in the presence of God. ¹⁴ It said to the sixth angel who was holding the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

¹⁵ And so the four angels, who had been held in readiness for this very hour, day, month, and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.^{[d] 16} The number of their cavalry troops was two hundred million. This was the number I heard.

¹⁷ This is how I saw the horses and their riders in my vision. The riders wore breastplates in shades of red, blue, and yellow. The heads of the horses were like heads of lions, and issuing forth from their mouths were fire, smoke, and sulfur. ¹⁸ By these three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that poured forth from their mouths, a third of mankind was killed. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. Their tails were like serpents, with heads that inflicted harm.

²⁰ However, the rest of mankind who survived these plagues did not repent of the work of their hands or cease their worship of demons^[e] and of idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. ²¹ Nor did they repent of their murders, their sorcery, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

Chapter 10

A Small Scroll: Sweet and Bitter.^{[f] 1} Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire, ² and his hand held a small scroll that had been opened.

Placing his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ the angel gave forth a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders spoke. ⁴ After the seven thunders had spoken, I was preparing to write when I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have spoken, but do not write it down.”

⁵ Then the angel whom I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by him who lives forever and ever and who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them: “There will be no further delay. ⁷ When the time comes for the seventh angel to sound his trumpet, the mysterious purpose of God^[g] will be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the Prophets.”

⁸ Then I again heard the voice that had spoken to me from heaven, and it said, “Go and take that open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ Therefore, I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. He replied, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.”

¹⁰ I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth it did taste as sweet as honey, but when I had eaten it my stomach turned sour. ¹¹ Then I was told, “You must prophesy once again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

Chapter 11

The Two Witnesses and the Fate of Jerusalem.^{[h] 1} I was next given a staff to use as a measuring rod, and I was told, “Go forth and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the people who are worshiping there. ² However, exclude the outer court of the temple from your measurements, because it has been handed over to the Gentiles and they will trample on the holy city for forty-two months.^{[i] 3} I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for those twelve hundred and sixty days, wearing sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord of the earth. ⁵ If anyone tries to harm them, fire pours forth from their mouths and consumes their enemies. Anyone who attempts to harm them will surely be killed in this manner. ⁶ They have the power to shut up the sky so that it does not rain during the time they are prophesying. They also have the power to turn water into blood and to afflict the earth with every type of plague as often as they desire.

⁷ When they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will wage war against them and overpower and kill them. ⁸ Their corpses will lie in the street of the great city, known by the symbolic names of Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

⁹ People of every race, tribe, nation, and language will gaze at their corpses for three and a half days and refuse to allow them to be buried. ¹⁰ The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them as they celebrate and exchange gifts, because these two prophets had been a source of torment to them.

¹¹ However, after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and when they rose to their feet, great terror filled those who saw them. ¹² Then I heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, “Come up here,” and while their enemies were watching, they went up to heaven in a cloud.

¹³ At that very hour there was a violent earthquake, and a tenth of the city was destroyed. Seven thousand people were killed during the earthquake. Those who survived were overcome with fear and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe has passed, but the third will come quickly.

¹⁵ The Seventh Trumpet: the Third Woe.^[j] The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and voices in heaven were heard crying loudly:

¹⁶ Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones in the presence of God prostrated themselves and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant^[k] was seen within his temple. There followed flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm.

Chapter 12

The Great Confrontation: Pagan Rome and the Church^[l]

Two Signs in Heaven: the Woman and the Dragon.^[m] A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was with child and about to give birth, crying aloud in the anguish of her labor.

³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems crowning his heads. ⁴ His tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them to the earth.

The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child as soon as it was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child who is destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was taken up directly to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman herself fled into the wilderness where she would be looked after for twelve hundred and sixty days^[n] in a place prepared for her by God.

⁷ Next, war broke out in heaven, with Michael^[o] and his angels in combat against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸ but they were defeated, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon—the ancient serpent who is called the devil, or Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—was hurled down to earth, and his angels were cast down with him.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

¹³ When the dragon realized that he had been hurled down to earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she could fly away from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she was to be looked after for a year, two years, and a half year.^[q]

¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent spewed out water like a river after the woman to sweep her away with the flood. ¹⁶ However, the earth came to the rescue of the woman: it opened its mouth and swallowed the river spewed from the dragon’s mouth.

¹⁷ Then the dragon became enraged at the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.

¹⁸ A Beast Rises from the Sea.^[r] Meanwhile, I took my position^[s] on the seashore.

Chapter 13

¹ Then I saw a beast rising out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. ² The beast that I saw resembled a leopard, but it had feet like those of a bear, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. The dragon conferred on the beast his own power and his throne, as well as great authority.

³ One of his heads appeared to me to have been mortally wounded, but its mortal wound had been healed. The whole world then became fascinated with the beast, ⁴ and they worshiped the dragon because he had conferred authority on the beast. They also worshiped the beast, saying, “Who can compare with the beast? Who can fight against it?”

⁵ It was allowed to mouth its haughty and blasphemous words, and it was granted permission to exercise its authority for forty-two months.^{[t] 6} It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, as well as against his name and his dwelling and all those who live in heaven.

⁷ The beast was also allowed to wage war on the saints and conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. ⁸ All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all those whose names have not been written from the creation of the world^[u] in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

⁹ Whoever has ears should listen to these words:

This demands patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

¹¹ A Beast Rises from the Earth.^[v] Then I saw another beast, this one rising up out of the earth. It had two horns like those of a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It wielded all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it forced the earth and all its inhabitants to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. ¹³ It performed great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all.

¹⁴ By the signs it was allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth, persuading them to erect an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ It was permitted to give life to the beast’s image so that it could even speak and cause all those to be put to death who would not worship the image of the beast.

¹⁶ It also forced all the people, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be branded on the right hand or on the forehead. ¹⁷ No one could buy or sell anything except one who has been branded with the name of the beast or with the number of its name.

¹⁸ There is wisdom here. Let anyone who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. The number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Chapter 14

The Song of the Martyrs.^{[w] 1} Next in my vision, I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand^[x] people who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ² I heard a sound from heaven like that of a mighty torrent or a loud peal of thunder. It was like the sound of harpists playing their harps.

³ They were singing a new song^[y] before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn this song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women.^[z] They are virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed as the firstfruits of mankind for God and for the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found on their lips. They are irreproachable.

The Nearness of the Judgment.^{[aa] 6} Then I saw another angel flying in midair, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to all those who live on the earth, to every nation, race, language, and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the time has come for his judgment. Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸ A second angel followed him, saying:

⁹ A third angel followed them, crying out in a loud voice, “Anyone who worships the beast or its image and receives its mark on his forehead or hand ¹⁰ will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured undiluted into the cup of his wrath.^[ab] Such people will be tormented in burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. There will be no respite day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or for those who receive the mark of its name.”

¹² This demands patient endurance on the part of the saints who keep the commandments of God and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed^[ac] are those who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will find rest from their labors, for their deeds go with them.”

¹⁴ One Like a Son of Man.^[ad] Now in my vision, I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man,”^[ae] with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Another angel then came out of the temple and called out in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” ¹⁶ So the one who was seated on the cloud swept over the earth with his sickle, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he, too, had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Then from the altar came forth still another angel who was in charge of the fire, and he cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vines of the earth, for her grapes are ripe.”

¹⁹ So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered in its vintage, which he then cast into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ²⁰ The winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress to the height of a horse’s bridle for a distance of two hundred miles.

Chapter 15

The Seven Angels and the Seven Plagues.^{[af] 1} Then I saw in heaven another great and wondrous sign: seven angels with the seven plagues, the last plagues of all, for through them the wrath of God is completed.

The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.^{[ag] 2} I saw something that looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. Standing beside the sea of glass and holding the harps that God had given them were those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They were holding harps given them by God ³ and singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

The Justice and Triumph of God^[ah]

Vision of the Temple. ⁵ After this, in my vision, the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony,^[ai] was opened in heaven, ⁶ and from the temple emerged the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were robed in clean, shining linen, and breastplates of gold were fastened around their chests.

⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven gold bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. ⁸ The temple was filled with the smoke from the glory of God and from his power, so that no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Chapter 16

The Seven Bowls of the Wrath of God.^{[aj] 1} Then I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, “Go forth and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

² The first angel went forth and poured out his bowl on the earth. Immediately, foul and malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.^[ak]

^3 [al]The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. It turned to blood, like the blood of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.

⁴ The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned to blood. ⁵ Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

⁷ And I heard the altar respond:

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to burn people with its flames. ⁹ They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had the power to inflict those plagues, but they refused to repent and pay him homage.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.^[am] People gnawed their tongues in agony ¹¹ and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, instead of repenting for what they had done.

¹² The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. ¹³ I saw three unclean spirits like frogs^[an] come forth from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.

¹⁴ These are demonic spirits with the power to work miracles. They were sent to the kings of the entire world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

^15 [ao]“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes close by so that he will not have to go naked and be exposed to shame.” ¹⁶ These spirits then assembled the kings at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.^[ap]

¹⁷ The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done!” ¹⁸ Then there followed flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake—so violent that there has never been one like it since the human race has inhabited the earth.

¹⁹ The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed in ruin. Babylon the Great was also remembered by God, as he made her drink the cup filled with the wine of his fury and wrath. ²⁰ Every island vanished, and no mountains were to be found. ²¹ Huge hailstones, each weighing about one hundred pounds, fell from the sky on the people, and they cursed God on account of the plague of hail that turned out to be so terrible.

Chapter 17

Babylon the Great, the Infamous Harlot.^{[aq] 1} One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls approached me and said, “Come here and I will show you the judgment on the great harlot who is enthroned over many waters. ² The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk on the wine of her harlotry.”

³ Then he carried me away in the spirit^[ar] into the wilderness, and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns and was covered with blasphemous names. ⁴ The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup filled with accursed things and the impurities of her harlotry.

⁵ On her forehead was written a mysterious name: “Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of every abomination on the earth.” ⁶ And I noticed that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who had borne witness to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was utterly astounded. ⁷ But the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and the ten horns that carries her. ⁸ The beast that you saw was once alive but is now alive no longer. It is about to ascend from the abyss and go to its destruction. All the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it was once alive but is now alive no longer, and yet it is still to come.

⁹ “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads represent seven hills upon which the woman is seated. They also represent seven kings. ¹⁰ Five have already fallen, one is still living, and the other has not yet come. When he does come, he must remain only for a short while. ¹¹ As for the beast that was alive but is now alive no longer, it is at the same time the eighth and one of the seven, and it is headed for destruction.

¹² “The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet begun to reign. They will have royal authority for only a single hour together with the beast. ¹³ They are all of the same mind and will confer their power and authority on the beast. ¹⁴ They will wage war against the Lamb, but because the Lamb is Lord of lords and King of kings,^[as] he will overcome them—he and those who are with him, the called, the chosen, and the faithful.”

¹⁵ The angel continued, “The waters that you saw, where the harlot sits, represent peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. ¹⁶ The ten horns that you saw and the beast will hate the harlot. They will render her desolate and naked; after they devour her flesh, they will burn her up with fire.

¹⁷ “For God has influenced their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to confer their royal powers upon the beast until the words of God will be fulfilled. ¹⁸ The woman you saw is the great city that has authority over the kings of the earth.”