Revelation 9

1 And the fifth angel sounded; and I saw a star having fallen from the heaven to the earth; and the key of the pit of the abyss was given to him. (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 And he opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke came out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of 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 locusts came out of the smoke into the earth: and power was given unto them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

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

4 And it was said to them that they shall not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree; only the men who have not the seal of God upon 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 And it was given to 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 he may strike a man.

[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 And in those days men will seek death, and will not find it; and they will desire to die, and death flies from 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 shapes of the locusts are like horses having been made ready for war; and upon their heads as it were crowns like gold, and their faces are 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 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

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

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

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 And they have tails like scorpions, and stings: and their power is in their tails, to hurt men five months:

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

11 and they have over them a king, the angel of the bottomless pit, to him the name is Abaddon in Hebrew, and in Greek he has the name 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 One Woe is past; behold two Woes come yet after these things.

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

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is 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 the one having the trumpet, Loose the four angels which have been 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 And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, that they should slay the third part of the men.

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 the armies of the cavalry was two myriads of myriads: I heard the number of them.

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

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those sitting on them, having breastplates as of fire, and of hyacinth, and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as of the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeds fire and smoke and brimstone.

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 And from these three plagues the third of the men were slain, from the fire, and from the smoke, and from the brimstone, coming out of their mouth.

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 is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails are like serpents, having heads, and with them they do hurt.

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

20 And the rest of the men who were not slain by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood; which are neither able to see, nor to hear, nor to 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 and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

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