REV 9:13-21

The Sixth Trumpet

13And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,

14saying to the sixth angel holding the trumpet: 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.'

15And the four angels were released — those who had been prepared for the hour and the day and the month and the year — to kill a third of humanity.

16And the number of the cavalry armies was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

17And this is how I saw the horses in the vision and those seated on them: they had breastplates of fire-red and hyacinth-blue and sulfur-yellow. And the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulfur.

18From these three plagues a third of humanity was killed — from the fire and the smoke and the sulfur coming out of their mouths.

19For the authority of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents, having heads, and with them they harm.

20And the rest of humanity, those not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands — so as not to worship the malevolent spirits and the idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.

21And they did not repent of their murders or of their drug sorceries or of their sexual immorality or of their thefts.

In the world it was spoken into

In the first century, the Euphrates River was a significant boundary between the Roman Empire and the Parthian Empire, often seen as a source of threat and invasion. The release of the four angels bound at the Euphrates would evoke immediate associations with impending military conflict and divine judgment. The mention of a cavalry army numbering twice ten thousand ten thousands (200 million) would have been understood as an overwhelming, apocalyptic force, far beyond any earthly army. The imagery of hyacinthine (dark blue or purple) armor aligns with the Roman military's use of such colors for elite units, suggesting a formidable and terrifying host. The list of sins—idolatry, murders, sorceries , sexual immorality , and thefts—reflects common societal vices, with encompassing both magical practices and poisonings, and covering a wide range of sexual misconduct. The refusal to repent despite these plagues underscores the hardness of human hearts, a theme resonant with Jewish and Greco-Roman moral teachings.

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How other translations render this

REV 9:13

KJV: And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
BSB: Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God
Koinōnos: And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,

REV 9:14

KJV: Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
BSB: saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
Koinōnos: saying to the sixth angel holding the trumpet: 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.

REV 9:15

KJV: And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
BSB: So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.
Koinōnos: And the four angels were released — those who had been prepared for the hour and the day and the month and the year — to kill a third of humanity.

REV 9:16

KJV: And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
BSB: And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.
Koinōnos: And the number of the cavalry armies was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

REV 9:17

KJV: And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
BSB: Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur.
Koinōnos: And this is how I saw the horses in the vision and those seated on them: they had breastplates of fire-red and hyacinth-blue and sulfur-yellow. And the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulfur.

REV 9:18

KJV: By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
BSB: A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths.
Koinōnos: From these three plagues a third of humanity was killed — from the fire and the smoke and the sulfur coming out of their mouths.

REV 9:19

KJV: For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
BSB: For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.
Koinōnos: For the authority of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents, having heads, and with them they harm.

REV 9:20

KJV: And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
BSB: Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.
Koinōnos: And the rest of humanity, those not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands — so as not to worship the malevolent spirits and the idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.

REV 9:21

KJV: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
BSB: Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.
Koinōnos: And they did not repent of their murders or of their drug sorceries or of their sexual immorality or of their thefts.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

REV 9:17

hyacinthine:The word translated 'hyacinthine' refers to a dark, purplish-blue color, similar to the flower, and was used to describe things like armor or fabric.

REV 9:20

demons:The term used here for 'demons' originally referred to a divine power or an inferior divine being, not necessarily evil, but later came to denote malevolent spirits.

REV 9:21

sorceries:The word translated 'sorceries' originally referred to the use of drugs, medicines, or potions, which could include both healing remedies and harmful concoctions, often associated with magical practices.
sexual immorality:The word translated 'sexual immorality' was a broad term encompassing various illicit sexual acts, including prostitution and fornication, and could also be used metaphorically for idolatry.