1 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one ofech. 5:1, 5-7 the seven seals, and I heardfch. 4:7 one of the four living creatures saygch. 14:2; 19:6 with a voice like thunder,hch. 22:20 “Come! ” 2 And I looked, and behold,iZech. 6:3; [ch. 19:11, 19, 21] a white horse! Andj[Ps. 45:4, 5; Hab. 3:8, 9; Zech. 9:13, 14] its rider had a bow, andkch. 14:14; [Zech. 6:11] a crown was given to him, and he came outlSee ch. 3:21 conquering, and to conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heardmch. 4:7 the second living creature say, “Come! ” 4 And out came another horse,nZech. 1:8; 6:2 bright red. Its rider was permittedo[Matt. 10:34; 24:6, 7] to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard them[See ver. 3 above] third living creature say, “Come! ” And I looked, and behold,pZech. 6:2 a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying,q[Ezek. 4:10, 11; 5:10, 16] “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, andrch. 7:3; 9:4 do not harm the oil and wine! ”
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice ofm[See ver. 3 above] the fourth living creature say, “Come! ” 8 And I looked, and behold,s[Zech. 6:3] a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to killtEzek. 14:21 with sword and with famine and with pestilence anduLev. 26:22; Deut. 32:24 by wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw undervch. 14:18; 16:7 the altarwch. 20:4 the souls of those who had been slainxch. 1:9 for the word of God and forySee ch. 1:2 the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord,zch. 3:7 holy and true,a[Ps. 94:3; Zech. 1:12] how longbch. 11:18; 19:2 before you will judge andcPs. 79:10; 119:84; Luke 18:7, 8 avenge our blood ondSee ch. 3:10 those who dwell on the earth? ” 11 Then they were each givenech. 3:4; 7:9 a white robe andfch. 14:13 told to rest a little longer,g[Heb. 11:40] until the number of their fellow servants and their brothersh[Gen. 15:16] should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold,ich. 11:13; 16:18; [Heb. 12:26] there was a great earthquake, andjSee Matt. 24:29 the sun became black askIsa. 50:3 sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 andl[ch. 8:10; 9:1] the stars of the sky fell to the earthmIsa. 34:4 as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 n[ch. 20:11; 21:1] The sky vanishedm[See ver. 13 above] like a scroll that is being rolled up, andoch. 16:20; [Isa. 54:10; Jer. 4:24; Ezek. 38:20; Nah. 1:5] every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free,pIsa. 2:19, 21 hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 qHos. 10:8; Luke 23:30 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face ofrch. 4:2 him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 forsJer. 30:7; Joel 2:11, 31 the great day of their wrath has come, andtEzra 9:15; Ps. 76:7; Mal. 3:2; Luke 21:36 who can stand? ”