Then he broke open the seventh seal; and, for about half an hour, there was silence in heaven.

And now I saw seven trumpets given to the seven angels who stand in God’s presence.

There was another angel that came and took his stand at the altar, with a censer of gold; and incense was given him in plenty, so that he could make an offering on the golden altar before the throne, out of the prayers said by all the saints.✻

So, from the angel’s hand, the smoke of the incense went up in God’s presence, kindled by the saints’ prayer.✻

Then the angel took his censer, filled it up with fire-brands from the altar, and threw it down on to the earth; thunder followed, and mutterings, and lightning, and a great earthquake.

And now the seven angels with the seven trumpets made ready to sound them.

When the first sounded, there was a storm of hail and fire, mingled with blood, that fell on the earth, burning up a third part of earth, burning up a third of the trees, burning up all the green grass on it.

And when the second angel sounded, it was as if a great mountain, all in flames, fell into the sea, turning a third part of the sea into blood,

and killing a third of all the creatures that live in the sea, and wrecking a third of the ships.

And when the third angel sounded, a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, fell upon a third part of the rivers, and on the springs of water.

The name of this star is Wormwood; and it changed a third of the water into wormwood, till many died of drinking the water, so bitter had it become.

And when the fourth angel sounded, a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were smitten with darkness, so that the day must go without light for a third of its length, and the night too.

And I heard, in my vision, words spoken by an eagle that flew across the middle part of heaven, crying aloud, Woe, woe, woe to all that dwell on earth, when those other calls are sounded by the three angels whose trumpets have yet to sound.