Revelation 9

1 Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss. (Abyssos g12)

The fifth angel blew his trumpet. Then I saw [an evil angel. He was like] a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. He was given {[Someone] gave him} the key to the shaft [that descended] ([to] the underworld/[to] the deep dark pit). (Abyssos g12)

2 The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. (Abyssos g12)

When he opened that shaft, smoke arose from it like smoke from a huge burning furnace. The smoke prevented [anyone from seeing] the sky and the light of the sun. (Abyssos g12)

3 And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.

Locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth. [They were given] {[God] gave them} power [to sting people], like scorpions [sting people].

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

[God] told the locusts that they should not harm grass, nor any plants, nor any tree. [God said that they should harm only] those people who did not have a mark on the forehead [to show that they belonged to God].

5 The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion.

[God] did not allow the locusts to kill those people. Instead, [he] allowed them to continue torturing people for five months. When they tortured people, the pain those people felt was like the pain a scorpion causes when it stings someone.

6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.

During the time [when the locusts torture rebellious people, the pain will be so bad that] people will want to find a way to die, but they will not be able to [PRS].

7 And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men.

The locusts looked like horses that are ready for battle. They had on their heads what looked like golden crowns. Their faces were like the faces of people.

8 They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions.

They had [long] hair like the [long] hair of women. Their teeth were [strong], like lions’ teeth.

9 They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.

They wore metal breastplates. [When they were flying], their wings made a noise like the roar when many horses [pull chariots as they are] rushing into battle.

10 They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months.

They had tails like scorpions have. With their tails they stung [people] for five months.

11 They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon. (Abyssos g12)

The king who ruled over them was the angel of the underworld. His name in the Hebrew language is Abaddon. In the Greek language it is Apollyon. [Both of] those names [mean ‘Destroyer’]. (Abyssos g12)

12 The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow.

That was the end of the first terrible event. [Be aware that] two tragic events are still to come.

13 Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God

The sixth angel blew his trumpet. Then I heard a voice from the four corners of the golden altar that is in God’s presence.

14 saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

It was saying to the sixth angel, the one who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels whom [I] have bound at the great river Euphrates!”

15 So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

The four angels were released, those who had been {[He] released the four angels, whom [God] had} kept ready for that [exact] hour of that day, of that month, of that year. They were released {[He] released them} in order that they might enable [their soldiers to] kill a third of the [rebellious] people.

16 And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.

The number of the soldiers riding on horses who did that was 200 million. I heard [someone say] how many there were.

17 Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur.

In the vision I saw what the horses and the [beings] that rode them looked like. They [wore] breastplates that were [red] like fire, [dusky blue] like smoke, and [yellow] like sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions. From their mouths came fire, smoke, and [fumes of burning] sulfur.

18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths.

Those three things—the fire, the smoke, and the [burning] sulfur from [the horses’] mouths—killed a third of the [rebellious] people.

19 For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.

The horses had power with their mouths and with their tails. Their tails have heads like snakes by which they harm people.

20 Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

The rest of the [rebellious] people, those who were not killed by these plagues of [fire and smoke and burning sulfur], did not turn from their sinful behavior. [They did not stop worshipping] the idols that they had made with their own hands. They did not stop worshipping demons and idols [that were made] of gold, of silver, of bronze, of stone, and of wood, [even though they are idols] that can neither see nor hear nor walk.

21 Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.

They did not stop murdering people, or practicing sorcery, or acting in sexually immoral ways, or stealing [things].