The Revelation

When he broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Go!” I looked, and there in front of me was a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales.

Then I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living beings say, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages! Six pounds of barley for the same price! But don’t damage the oil or the wine!”

When he broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living being say, “Go!”

I looked, and there in front of me was a pallid, sickly-looking horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Sh’ol followed behind him. They were given authority to kill one-quarter of the world by war, by famine, by plagues and with the wild animals of the earth.

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been put to death for proclaiming the Word of God, that is, for bearing witness.

They cried out in a loud voice, “Sovereign Ruler, HaKadosh, the True One, how long will it be before you judge the people living on earth and avenge our blood?”

Each of them was given a white robe; and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow-servants should be reached, of their brothers who would be killed, just as they had been.

Then I watched as he broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, the sun turned black as sackcloth worn in mourning, and the full moon became blood-red.

The stars fell from heaven to earth just as a fig tree drops its figs when shaken by a strong wind.

The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Then the earth’s kings, the rulers, the generals, the rich and the mighty — indeed, everyone, slave and free — hid himself in caves and among the rocks in the mountains,

and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the One sitting on the throne and from the fury of the Lamb!

For the Great Day of their fury has come, and who can stand?”

After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the land, on the sea or on any tree.

I saw another angel coming up from the east with a seal from the living God, and he shouted to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea,

“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!”

I heard how many were sealed — 144,000 from every tribe of the people of Isra’el:

From the tribe of Y’hudah 12,000 were sealed from the tribe of Re’uven 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000

from the tribe of Asher 12,000 from the tribe of Naftali 12,000 from the tribe of M’nasheh 12,000

from the tribe of Shim‘on 12,000 from the tribe of Levi 12,000 from the tribe of Yissakhar 12,000

from the tribe of Z’vulun 12,000 from the tribe of Yosef 12,000 from the tribe of Binyamin 12,000

After this, I looked; and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands;

and they shouted, “Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

All the angels stood around the throne, the elders and the four living beings; they fell face down before the throne and worshipped God, saying,

“Amen! “Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks, honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! “Amen!”