The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Part 60

(4)And I heard the number of the sealed. A hundred and forty-four thousand were sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel. (5)out of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand; (6)out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Mana.s.seh, twelve thousand; (7)out of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand; (8)out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand, were sealed.

(9)After these things I saw, and behold a great mult.i.tude, which no one could number, out of every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands. (10)And they cry with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our G.o.d, who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb. (11)And all the angels were standing round the throne and the elders and the four animals, and fell before the throne on their faces, and wors.h.i.+ped G.o.d, (12)saying: Amen; the blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honor, and the power, and the might, be to our G.o.d forever and ever. Amen.

(13)And one of the elders answered, saying to me: These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they?

(14)And I said to him: Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me: These are they who come out of the great affliction, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15)Therefore are they before the throne of G.o.d, and they serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them[7:15]. (16)They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun fall upon them, nor any heat; (17)because the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and will lead them to the fountains of the waters of life; and G.o.d will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

VIII.

AND when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about half an hour.

(2)And I saw the seven angels who stand before G.o.d, and there were given to them seven trumpets. (3)And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should give it to the prayers of all the saints, upon the golden altar which is before the throne. (4)And there went up the smoke of the incense to the prayers of the saints, out of the hand of the angel, before G.o.d.

(5)And the angel has taken the censer; and he filled it out of the fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth. And there followed thunders, and lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake.

(6)And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves, that they might sound.

(7)The first sounded; and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast into the earth, and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green gra.s.s was burnt up.

(8)And the second angel sounded; 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 that are in the sea, that have life, died; and the third part of the s.h.i.+ps were destroyed.

(10)And the third angel sounded; and there fell out of heaven a great star, burning as a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters. (11)And the name of the star is 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 angel sounded; and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, that the third part of them might be darkened, and the day not s.h.i.+ne for a third part of it, and the night in like manner.

(13)And I saw, and heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell upon the earth, by reason of the remaining voices of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!

IX.

AND the fifth angel sounded; and I saw a star fallen out of heaven to the earth, and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss.

(2)And 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. (3)And out of the smoke went forth locusts into the earth; and there was given to them power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (4)And it was said to them, that they should not hurt the gra.s.s of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who have not the seal of G.o.d upon their foreheads. (5)And it was given to them, that they should not kill them, but that they shall be tormented five months. And their torment is as the torment of a scorpion, when it has smitten a man.

(6)And in those days men will seek death, and shall not find it; and they will desire to die, and death flees from them.

(7)And the shapes of the locusts were like to horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. (8)And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. (9)And they had breastplates, as breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running into battle.

(10)And they have tails like to scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men, five months. (11)They have over them a king, the angel of the abyss. His name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon; but in the Greek tongue he has for a name, Apollyon.

(12)The first woe is past; behold, there come yet two woes, after these things.

(13)And the sixth angel sounded; and I heard a voice out of the four horns of the golden altar which is before G.o.d, (14)saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet: Loose the four angels who are bound, by the great river Euphrates. (15)And the four angels were loosed, who had been prepared for the hour, and day, and month, and year, that they may slay the third part of men. (16)And the number of the armies of the hors.e.m.e.n was two hundred thousand thousand. I heard the number of them.

(17)And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of hyacinth, and like brimstone; and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths issue fire, and smoke, and brimstone. (18)By these three plagues was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and the smoke, and the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. (19)For the power of the horses is in their mouth, and in their tails; for their tails are like to serpents, having heads, and with them they do hurt. (20)And the rest of men, who were not killed in these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not wors.h.i.+p demons, and idols of gold, and of silver, and of bra.s.s, and of stone, and of wood, which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk; (21)and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

X.

AND I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. (2)And he had in his hand a little book opened. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the land; (3)and he cried with a loud voice, as a lion roars; and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices.

(4)And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; and I heard a voice out of heaven saying to me: Seal up the things which the seven thunders spoke, and write them not. (5)And the angel, whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the land, lifted up his right hand to heaven, (6)and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things therein, and the earth and the things therein, and the sea and the things therein, that there shall be time[10:6] no longer; (7)but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is the mystery of G.o.d finished, as he gave the joyful message to his servants the prophets.

(8)And the voice which I heard out of heaven [I heard] again speaking to me, and saying: Go, take the little book which lies opened in the hand of the angel, who stands upon the sea and upon the land. (9)And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me: Take, and eat it up; and it will make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it will be sweet as honey.

(10)And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth as honey, sweet; and when I had eaten it, my belly became bitter. (11)And they say to me: Thou must again prophesy of many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

XI.

AND there was given me a reed, like to a staff, saying: Rise, and measure the temple of G.o.d, and the altar, and those who wors.h.i.+p therein. (2)And the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; because it was given to the Gentiles, and they will tread down the holy city forty-two months. (3)And I will give [power]

to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

(4)These are the two olive-trees, and the two lamp-stands, which stand before the Lord of the earth. (5)And if any one desires to hurt them, fire goes forth out of their mouth, and devours their enemies; and if any one desires to hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

(6)These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over the waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they will.

(7)And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and will overcome them, and will kill them. (8)And their remains are on the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord also was crucified. (9)And some out of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, look on their remains three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be put into a tomb.

(10)And they who dwell on the earth rejoice ever them, and are glad; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

(11)And after three days and a half, the spirit of life from G.o.d entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon those who beheld them. (12)And they heard a loud voice out of heaven, saying to them: Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them.

(13)And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand names; and the rest became afraid, and gave glory to the G.o.d of heaven.

(14)The second woe is past; behold, the third woe comes quickly.

(15)And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed loud voices in heaven, saying: The kingdom of the world is become our Lord's, and his Christ's; and he will reign forever and ever. (16)And the twenty-four elders, who sit before G.o.d on their thrones, fell upon their faces, and wors.h.i.+ped G.o.d, (17)saying: We give thanks to thee, O Lord G.o.d the Almighty, who art, and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign. (18)And the nations were enraged, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to those who fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth.

(19)And the temple of G.o.d was opened in heaven, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and a great hail.

XII.

AND a great sign was seen in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.

(2)And being with child she cries out, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

(3)And another sign was seen in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

(4)And his tail drags the third part of the stars of heaven; and it cast them to the earth.

And the dragon stands before the woman who was about to bring forth, that when she has brought forth, he may devour her child. (5)And she brought forth a man-child, who will rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to G.o.d, and to his throne. (6)And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by G.o.d, that they may nourish her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days.

(7)And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting with the dragon. And the dragon fought, and his angels, (8)and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

(9)And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who leads astray the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.

(10)And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come the salvation, and the strength, and the kingdom of our G.o.d, and the authority of his Christ; because the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before our G.o.d day and night. (11)And they overcame him, because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life, unto the death. (12)For this cause rejoice, ye heavens, and they who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea! For the Devil is come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.