9:1 Then¹ the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from the sky² to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss.³ 9:2 He⁴ opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it⁵ like smoke from a giant furnace. The⁶ sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. 9:3 Then⁷ out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power⁸ like that of the scorpions of the earth. 9:4 They⁹ were told¹⁰ not to damage¹¹ the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people¹² who did not have the seal of God on their¹³ forehead. 9:5 The locusts¹⁴ were not given permission¹⁵ to kill¹⁶ them, but only to torture¹⁷ them¹⁸ for five months, and their torture was like that¹⁹ of a scorpion when it stings a person.²⁰ 9:6 In²¹ those days people²² will seek death, but²³ will not be able to²⁴ find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.

9:7 Now²⁵ the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On²⁶ their heads were something like crowns similar to gold,²⁷ and their faces looked like men’s²⁸ faces. 9:8 They²⁹ had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9:9 They had breastplates³⁰ like iron breastplates and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. 9:10 They have³¹ tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability³² to injure people for five months is in their tails. 9:11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.³³

9:12 The first woe has passed, but³⁴ two woes are still coming after these things!

9:13 Then³⁵ the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a single voice coming from the four³⁶ horns on the golden altar that is before God, 9:14 saying to the sixth angel, the one holding³⁷ the trumpet, “Set free³⁸ the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!” 9:15 Then³⁹ the four angels who had been prepared for this⁴⁰ hour, day,⁴¹ month and year were set free to kill⁴² a third of humanity. 9:16 The⁴³ number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million;⁴⁴ I heard their number. 9:17 Now⁴⁵ this is what the horses and their riders⁴⁶ looked like in my⁴⁷ vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue,⁴⁸ and yellow like sulfur⁴⁹ in color.⁵⁰ The⁵¹ heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur⁵² came out of their mouths. 9:18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is,⁵³ by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. 9:19 For the power⁵⁴ of the horses resides⁵⁵ in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails are like snakes and have heads; with them they injure people.⁵⁶ 9:20 The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands so as to stop worshiping⁵⁷ demons and idols made⁵⁸ of gold, silver,⁵⁹ bronze, stone, and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk about. 9:21 Furthermore,⁶⁰ they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells,⁶¹ of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.