The Lamb Breaks the Seals of the Scroll

¹I watched as the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, “Come!”

²I looked, and there in front of me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow in his hands. He was given a crown, and he rode off to conquer.

³When the Lamb broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

⁴Another horse came out that was red like fire. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. He was given a large sword.

⁵When the Lamb broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there in front of me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

⁶Then I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living creatures. It said, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s pay, and six pounds of barley for a day’s pay, but don’t damage the olive oil or the wine!”

⁷When the Lamb broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

⁸I looked, and there in front of me was a pale horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a quarter of the world, to kill people with swords, hunger, sickness, and wild animals.

⁹When the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, under the altar I saw the souls of people who had been killed because of God’s word and their faithful witness.

¹⁰They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Lord and King, holy and true, will you wait to judge those who live on the earth? How long will it be until you pay them back for killing us?”

¹¹Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to wait a little longer, because there were still more of their believing brothers and sisters who had to be killed just as they had been.

¹²I watched as the Lamb broke open the sixth seal. There was a powerful earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made out of goat’s hair. The whole moon turned blood red,

¹³and the stars in the sky fell to earth the way figs fall from a tree that’s shaken by a strong wind.

¹⁴The sky rolled back like a scroll, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

¹⁵Everyone hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. Then the kings of the earth, the princes and the generals, the rich and powerful people, and everyone else, both slave and free,

¹⁶called out to the mountains and rocks. They cried, “Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb!

¹⁷The great day of their anger has come, and who can live through it?”