1 A nd after these things I saw four messengers, standing upon the four corners of the land, holding the four winds of the land, that the wind may not blow upon the land, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree;

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

2 a nd I saw another messenger going up from the rising of the sun, having a seal of the living God, and he did cry with a great voice to the four messengers, to whom it was given to injure the land and the sea, saying,

I saw another angel coming from the east. He was carrying the mark of the living God. He called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to hurt the earth and sea.

3 ` Do not injure the land, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we may seal the servants of our God upon their foreheads.'

The angel from the east said, “Do not hurt the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put the mark of God on the foreheads of the servants He owns.”

4 A nd I heard the number of those sealed, (144 thousands were sealed out of all the tribes of the sons of Israel):

I heard how many there were who received the mark of God. There were 144, 000 people of the twelve family groups of Israel.

5 o f the tribe of Judah 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad 12 thousand were sealed;

These received the mark of God: 12, 000 from the family group of Judah, 12, 000 from the family group of Reuben, 12, 000 from the family group of Gad,

6 o f the tribe of Asher 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh 12 thousand were sealed;

12, 000 from the family group of Asher, 12, 000 from the family group of Naphtali, 12, 000 from the family group of Manasseh,

7 o f the tribe of Simeon 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar 12 thousand were sealed;

12, 000 from the family group of Simeon, 12, 000 from the family group of Levi, 12, 000 from the family group of Issachar,

8 o f the tribe of Zebulun 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin 12 thousand were sealed.

12, 000 from the family group of Zebulun, 12, 000 from the family group of Joseph, and 12, 000 from the family group of Benjamin. The Many People Who Belonged to God

9 A fter these things I saw, and lo, a great multitude, which to number no one was able, out of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands,

After this I saw many people. No one could tell how many there were. They were from every nation and from every family and from every kind of people and from every language. They were standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white clothes and they held branches in their hands.

10 a nd crying with a great voice, saying, `The salvation to Him who is sitting upon the throne -- to our God, and to the Lamb!'

And they were crying out with a loud voice, “We are saved from the punishment of sin by our God Who sits on the throne and by the Lamb!”

11 A nd all the messengers stood around the throne, and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell upon their face, and bowed before God,

Then all of the angels standing around the throne and around the leaders and the four living beings got down on their faces before God and worshiped Him.

12 s aying, `Amen! the blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honour, and the power, and the strength, to our God -- to the ages of the ages! Amen!'

They said, “Let it be so! May our God have worship and shining-greatness and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength forever. Let it be so!”

13 A nd answer did one of the elders, saying to me, `These, who have been arrayed with the white robes -- who are they, and whence came they?'

Then one of the twenty-four leaders asked me, “Who are these people dressed in white clothes? Where did they come from?”

14 a nd I have said to him, `Sir, thou hast known;' and he said to me, `These are those who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they did wash their robes, and they made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb;

I answered him, “Sir, you know.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who came out of the time of much trouble. They have washed their clothes and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 b ecause of this are they before the throne of God, and they do service to Him day and night in His sanctuary, and He who is sitting upon the throne shall tabernacle over them;

For this reason they are before the throne of God. They help Him day and night in the house of God. And He Who sits on the throne will care for them as He is among them.

16 t hey shall not hunger any more, nor may the sun fall upon them, nor any heat,

They will never be hungry or thirsty again. The sun or any burning heat will not shine down on them.

17 b ecause the Lamb that in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and wipe away shall God every tear from their eyes.'

For the Lamb Who is in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to wells of the water of life. God will take away all tears from their eyes.”