Hebrew Names Version HNV
The Message Bible MSG
1 The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from the sky fallen to the eretz. The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him.
1
The fifth Angel trumpeted. I saw a Star plummet from Heaven to earth. The Star was handed a key to the Well of the Abyss.
2 He opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke from a great furnace. The sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke from the pit.
2
He unlocked the Well of the Abyss - smoke poured out of the Well, billows and billows of smoke, sun and air in blackout from smoke pouring out of the Well.
3 Then out of the smoke came forth locusts on the eretz, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the eretz have power.
3
Then out of the smoke crawled locusts with the venom of scorpions.
4 They were told that they should not hurt the grass of the eretz, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men who don't have God's seal on their foreheads.
4
They were given their orders: "Don't hurt the grass, don't hurt anything green, don't hurt a single tree - only men and women, and then only those who lack the seal of God on their foreheads."
5 They were given power not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a man.
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They were ordered to torture but not kill, torture them for five months, the pain like a scorpion sting.
6 In those days men will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
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When this happens, people are going to prefer death to torture, look for ways to kill themselves. But they won't find a way - death will have gone into hiding.
7 The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like gold crowns, and their faces were like men's faces.
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The locusts looked like horses ready for war. They had gold crowns, human faces,
8 They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like those of lions.
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women's hair, the teeth of lions,
9 They had breastplates, like breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, or of many horses rushing to war.
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and iron breastplates. The sound of their wings was the sound of horse-drawn chariots charging into battle.
10 They have tails like those of scorpions, and stings. In their tails is their power to harm men for five months.
10
Their tails were equipped with stings, like scorpion tails. With those tails they were ordered to torture the human race for five months.
11 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is "Avaddon," but in Yevanit, he has the name "Apollyon."
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They had a king over them, the Angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, in Greek, Apollyon - "Destroyer."
12 The first woe is past. Behold, there are still two woes coming after this.
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The first doom is past. Two dooms yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded. I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God,
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The sixth Angel trumpeted. I heard a voice speaking to the sixth Angel from the horns of the Golden Altar before God:
14 saying to the sixth angel who had one shofar, "Free the four angels who are bound at the great river Perat."
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"Let the Four Angels loose, the Angels confined at the great River Euphrates."
15 The four angels were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they would kill one third of mankind.
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The Four Angels were untied and let loose, Four Angels all prepared for the exact year, month, day, and even hour when they were to kill a third of the human race.
16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number of them.
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The number of the army of horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard the count
17 Thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of lions. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur.
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and saw both horses and riders in my vision: fiery breastplates on the riders, lion heads on the horses breathing out fire and smoke and brimstone.
18 By these three plagues were one third of mankind killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, which proceeded out of their mouths.
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With these three weapons - fire and smoke and brimstone - they killed a third of the human race.
19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. For their tails are like serpents, and have heads, and with them they harm.
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The horses killed with their mouths and tails; their serpentlike tails also had heads that wreaked havoc.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn't repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn't worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk.
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The remaining men and women who weren't killed by these weapons went on their merry way - didn't change their way of life, didn't quit worshiping demons, didn't quit centering their lives around lumps of gold and silver and brass, hunks of stone and wood that couldn't see or hear or move.
21 They didn't repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.
21
There wasn't a sign of a change of heart. They plunged right on in their murderous, occult, promiscuous, and thieving ways.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.