Revelation 9

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I witnessed a star plummet from the heavens to earth. This star was entrusted with the key to the infinite abyss.

And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

He unlocked the endless abyss, releasing a thick, suffocating smoke, like that from a massive furnace. The once bright sun and clear air were now shrouded in darkness due to the overwhelming smoke.

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

From the smoke emerged locusts, descending upon the earth, and they were granted a strength akin to the mighty scorpions.

And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

They were instructed not to harm nature - not a blade of grass, not a single tree, nor anything green. Their only target was those people who did not carry God's mark on their foreheads.

And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

The locusts were not allowed to kill these people, only to torment them for five months, with agony like the searing pain of a scorpion's sting.

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

In those times, people will yearn for death's release, but it will elude them; they will long for the end, but it will evade their grasp.

And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

The locusts appeared as battle-ready horses, with what looked like golden crowns on their heads. Their faces, eerily human, stirred a sense of dread.

And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

Their hair flowed like that of women, while their teeth were fierce as a lion's.

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

They wore armor, strong as iron, their wings roared like a cavalry charging into battle.

And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

Their tails resembled scorpions, carrying venomous stings. They held the terrifying ability to inflict pain on men for five long months.

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

They were ruled by a king, an angel from the endless abyss. His name was Abaddon in Hebrew, but in Greek, he was known as Apollyon.

One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

The first woe has passed, yet brace yourself: two more woes are yet to come.

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

As the sixth angel blew his trumpet, I heard a voice, rich and resonant, coming from the four horns of the golden altar in God's presence.

Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

The voice said to the sixth angel with the trumpet, "Free the four angels chained at the mighty Euphrates River."

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.

The four angels, held back for just the right moment - an hour, a day, a month, a year - were finally set free. Their daunting task? To eliminate a third of mankind.

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

The sheer magnitude of the cavalry was overwhelming, a staggering two hundred million strong. I heard how many there were.

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.

In my vision, I saw horses and their riders, armored in fiery red, deep blue, and sulfur yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and from their mouths spewed fire, smoke, and sulfur.

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.

A third of humanity was wiped out by three things: fire, smoke, and sulfur, all spewing from their mouths.

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.

Their power lies in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like snakes, with heads that they use to cause harm.

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:

Despite surviving the plagues, the remaining people still didn't turn away from what their hands had made. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. These idols were lifeless, unable to see, hear, or move.

Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Despite their actions, they felt no remorse for their killings, magic practices, sexual immorality, or thefts.