a kingdom and priests, and we shall horse that was red; and to him that reign on the earth. sat thereon, it was given that he 11 And 1 beheld, and I heard should take peace from the earth the voice of many angels round and that they should kill one anoabout the throne, and the living|ther, and a great sword was given creatures and the ancients: and to him. the number of them was thousands of thousands. 12 Saying, with a loud voice: The Lamb, that was slain, is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction, 13 And every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them I heard all saying: To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, benediction and honour and glory and power for ever and ever. 14 And the four living creatures said: Amen. And the four and twenty ancients fell down on their faces and adored him that liveth for ever and ever. CHAP. VI. What followed upon the opening six of the seals AND. I saw that the Lamb had opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures, as it were the voice of thunder, saying: Come, and see. 2 And I saw and behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a a bow, and there was a crown given him, and he went forth conquering that he might conquer. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature, saying: Come, and see. And behold a black horse, and he that sat on him, had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying: Two pounds of wheat for a penny, and thrice two pounds of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the wine and the oil. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature, saying: Come, and see. 8 And behold a pale horse and he that sat upon him, his name was death, and hell followed him. And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth, to kill with sword, with famine, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord, (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 3 And when he had opened the 11 And white robes were given to second seal, I heard the second li- every one of them one: and it was ving creature, saying: Come, and said to them, that they should rest for a little time, till their fellow see. 4 And there went out another servants, and their brethren who Ver. 2. White horse. He that sitteth on the white horse is Christ, going forth to subdue the world by his gospel. The other horses that follow represent the judgments and punishments that were to fall on the enemies of Christ and his church: the red horse signifles wars: the black horse famine; and the pale horse (which has death for its rider) plagues or pestilence. Ver. 9. Under the altar. Christ, as man, is this altar, under which the souls of the martyrs live in heaven: as their bodies are here deposited under our altars. Ver. 10. Revenge our blood. They ask not this out of hatred to their enemies, but out of zeal for the glory of God: and desire that the Lord would accelerate the general judg ment, and the complete beatitude of all his elect. be filled up. are to be slain, even as they, should | four thousand were signed, of every tribe of the children of Israel. 12 And I saw, when he had 5.Of the tribe of Juda, were opened the sixth seal, and behold, twelve thousand signed. Of the there was a great earthquake, and tribe of Ruben, twelve thousand the sun became black as sackcloth signed. "Of the tribe of Gad, twelve of hair: and the whole moon became thousand signed. as blood: 6 Of the tribe of Aser, twelve 13 And the stars from heaven fell thousand signed. Of the tribe of upon the earth, as the fig-tree Nepthali, twelve thousand signed. casteth its green figs when it is Of the tribe of Manasses, twelve shaken by a great wind : thousand signed. 14 And the heaven departed as a book folded up and every mountain, and the islands were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and tribunes and the rich, and the strong, and, every bond-man, and every free-man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of mountains. 16 And they say to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb : 17 For the great day of their wrath is come and who shall be able to stand? CHAP. VII. 7 of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousond signed. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand signed. 9 After this I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues: standing before the throne, and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, The number of them that were mark-and to the Lamb. ed with the seal of the living God, 11 And all the Angels stood round AF FTER these things I saw four Angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that they should not blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another Angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four Angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads. about the throne, and the ancients, and the four living creatures: and they fell down before the throne upon their faces, and adored God, 12 Saying: Amen. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen. 13 And one of the ancients answered, and said to me: These that are clothed in white robes, who are they? and whence came they? 14 And I said to him: My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me: These are they who are come out of 4 And I heard the number of them great tribulation, and have washed hat were signed, an hundred forty-their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb. | burnt up, and all green grass was 15 Therefore they are before the burnt up. throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he, that sitteth on the throne, shall dwell over them. 16 They shall no more hunger nor thirst, neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall rule them, and shall lead them to the fountains of the waters of life, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 8 And the second angel sounded the trumpet: 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 those creatures died, which had life in the sea, and the third part of the ships was destroyed. 10 And the third angel sounded the trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, burning as it were a torch, and it fell on the third part of of waters: the rivers, and upon the fountains 11 And the name of the star is called wormwood. And the third bitter. became in heaven, as it were for half an hour. wood: and many men died of the 2 And I saw seven angels stand-waters, because they were made ing in the presence of God: and there were given to them seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer: and there was given to him much incense,that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. 4 And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God, from the hand of the angel, 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it on the earth, and there were thunders and voices and lightnings, and a great earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had 12 And the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day did not shine for a third part of it, and the night in like manner. 13 And I beheld, and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Wo, wo, wo to the inhabitants of the earth: by reason of the rest of the voices of the three angels who are yet to sound the trumpet. CHAP. IX. Locusts come forth from the bottomless pit. the seven trumpets, prepared them-A selves to sound the trumpet. ND the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star fall 7 And the first angel sounded the from heaven upon the earth, and trumpet, and there followed hail there was given to him the key of and fire, mingled with blood, and it the bottomless pit. was cast on the earth, and the third 2 And he opened the bottomless part of the earth was burnt up, and pit: and the smoke of the pit arose, the third part of the trees was as the smoke of a great furnace : Ver. 1. A star fall. Some arch-heretic and the sun and the air were dark-Apollyon: in Latin Exterminans, ened with the smoke of the pit. 3 And from the smoke of the pit there came but locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power: (that is Destroyer.) 12 One wo is past, and behold there come yet two woes more hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded thetrumpet: and I heard a voice from 4 And it was commanded them the four horns of the golden altar, that they should not hurt the grass which is before the eyes of God, of the earth, nor any green thing, 14 Saying to the sixth angel, nor any tree: but only the men who who had the trumpet: Loose the have not the sign of God on their four angels, who are bound in the foreheads. great river Euphrates. 5 And it was given unto them that they should not kill them; but that they should torment them five months and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it: and they shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto 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 lions. 9 And they had breast-plates as breast-plates of iron, and the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like to scorpions, and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had over them 11 A king, the angel of the bottomless pit: whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek 15 And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month and a year, for to kill the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision and they, that sat on them, had breast-plates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone, and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions and from their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone. 18 And by these three plagues was slain the third part of men, by the fire and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. For, their tails are like to serpents, and have heads and with them they hurt. 20 And the rest of the men, who were not slain by these plagues, did not do penance from the works of their hands, that they should not adore devils and idols of gold and Ver. 3. Locusts. It is commonly understood of heretics. They are not able to hurt the green trees; that is, such as have a lively faith, working by charity; but only the reprobate: they are represented as prepared to battles as being ever ready to contend: they wear counterfeit gold on their heads for all is but pretence and fiction: in shape they are 128 men, in smoothness of speech, as women; in fury and rage, against all that oppose them, as lions; their breasts and hearts are as hard as iron; they are full of noise and shuf. tling; the sting of their pestiferous doctrine is worse than that of scorpions ; but their reign generally but for a short time. silver and brass and stone and who standeth upon the sea and wood, which neither can see, nor upon the earth... hear, nor walk. 21 Neither did they penance from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from their fornication, nor from their thefts. 2 9 And I went to the angel, saying unto him, that he should give me the book. And he said to me: Take the book, and eat it up: and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey. CHAP. X. Caps. The cry of a mighty angel. AND I saw another mighty an- 10 And I took the book from the gel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow ·was on 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 open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth. 3 And he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth. And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write and I heard a voice from heaven saying to me. Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken; and write them not. hand of the angel, and eat it up: and it was in my mouth, sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it,my belly was bitter. 11 And he said to me: Thou must prophesy again to many nations, and people, and tongues, and kings. CHAP. XI. # He is ordered to measure the temple. like unto a rod: and it was said to me: Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that adore therein. 2 But the court, which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not: because it is given unto the gentiles, and the holy city they shall tread under foot two and forty months: 1 4. These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks that stand before the Lord of the earth. $5 And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea, and upon the 3 And I will give unto my two earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, witnesses, and they shall prophesy 196 And he swore by him that li-a thousand two hundred sixty veth for ever and ever, who created days, clothed in sackcloth. heaven, and the things which are therein; and the earth, and the things which are in it; and the sea, and the things which are therein : That, time shall be no longer: ". 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared by his servants the prophets. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire shall come out of their mouths, and shall devour. their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, in this manner must he be slain. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy and they have 8 And I heard a voice from hea-power over waters to turn them ven again speaking to me, and say- into blood, and to strike the earth ing: Go, and take the book, that is with all plagues as often as they open, from the hand of the angel will. maile Chap. 11. Ver. 3. My two witnesses. It is commonly understood of Henoch and Elias. |