¹After this , I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth , holding the four winds of the earth , so that no wind would blow on the earth , or on the sea , or on any tree .

²I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God . He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea ,

³saying , “Don’t harm the earth , the sea , or the trees , until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads !”

⁴I heard the number of those who were sealed , one hundred and forty-four thousand , sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel :

⁵of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed ,

of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand ,

of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand ,

⁶of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand ,

of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand ,

of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand ,

⁷of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand ,

of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand ,

of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand ,

⁸of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand ,

of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand , and

of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed .

⁹After these things I looked , and behold , a great multitude which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes , peoples , and languages , standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes , with palm branches in their hands .

¹⁰They cried with a loud voice , saying , “Salvation be to our God , who sits on the throne , and to the Lamb !”

¹¹All the angels were standing around the throne , the elders , and the four living creatures ; and they fell on their faces before his throne , and worshipped God ,

¹²saying , “Amen! Blessing , glory , wisdom , thanksgiving , honour , power , and might , be to our God forever and ever ! Amen.”

¹³One of the elders answered , saying to me , “These who are arrayed in the white robes , who are they , and where did they come from ?”

¹⁴I told him , “My lord , you know .”

He said to me , “These are those who came out of the great suffering . They washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb ’s blood.

¹⁵Therefore they are before the throne of God , and they serve him day and night in his temple . He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them .

¹⁶They will never be hungry or thirsty any more . The sun won’t beat on them , nor any heat ;

¹⁷for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them and leads them to springs of life-giving waters . And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes .”