The Seven Seals

1 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of ^ethe seven seals, and I heard ^fone of the four living creatures say ^gwith a voice like thunder, ^h“Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, ⁱa white horse! And ^jits rider had a bow, and ^ka crown was given to him, and he came out ^lconquering, and to conquer.

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard ^mthe second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, ⁿbright red. Its rider was permitted ^oto take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the ^mthird living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, ^pa black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ^q“A quart¹ of wheat for a denarius,² and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and ^rdo not harm the oil and wine!”

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of ^mthe fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, ^sa pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill ^twith sword and with famine and with pestilence and ^uby wild beasts of the earth.

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^vthe altar ^wthe souls of those who had been slain ^xfor the word of God and for ^ythe witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, ^zholy and true, ^ahow long ^bbefore you will judge and ^cavenge our blood on ^dthose who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given ^ea white robe and ^ftold to rest a little longer, ^guntil the number of their fellow servants and their brothers^{3 h}should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, ⁱthere was a great earthquake, and ^jthe sun became black as ^ksackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and ^lthe stars of the sky fell to the earth ^mas the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 ⁿThe sky vanished ^mlike a scroll that is being rolled up, and ^oevery mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave⁴ and free, ^phid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 ^qcalling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of ^rhim who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for ^sthe great day of their wrath has come, and ^twho can stand?”

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with ^lstringed instruments. Of David.