1 A nd the fifth messenger did sound, and I saw a star out of the heaven having fallen to the earth, and there was given to it the key of the pit of the abyss,

The fifth angel blew his horn. I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to earth. The key to the hole without a bottom was given to the angel.

2 a nd he did open the pit of the abyss, and there came up a smoke out of the pit as smoke of a great furnace, and darkened was the sun and the air, from the smoke of the pit.

He opened the hole and smoke came out like the smoke from a place where there is much fire. The sun and the air became dark because of the smoke from the hole.

3 A nd out of the smoke came forth locusts to the earth, and there was given to them authority, as scorpions of the earth have authority,

Locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke. They were given power to hurt like small animals that sting.

4 a nd it was said to them that they may not injure the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but -- the men only who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads,

They were told not to hurt the grass or any green plant or any tree. They were to hurt only the men who did not have the mark of God on their foreheads.

5 a nd it was given to them that they may not kill them, but that they may be tormented five months, and their torment as the torment of a scorpion, when it may strike a man;

The locusts were not allowed to kill these men. They were to give them much pain for five months like the pain that comes from a small animal that stings.

6 a nd in those days shall men seek the death, and they shall not find it, and they shall desire to die, and the death shall flee from them.

Men will look for ways to die during those days, but they will not find any way. They will want to die, but death will be kept from them.

7 A nd the likenesses of the locusts like to horses made ready to battle, and upon their heads as crowns like gold, and their faces as faces of men,

The locusts looked like horses ready for war. They had on their heads what looked like crowns of gold. Their faces were like men’s faces.

8 a nd they had hair as hair of women, and their teeth were as of lions,

Their hair was like the hair of women. Their teeth were like the teeth of lions.

9 a nd they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings as the noise of chariots of many horses running to battle;

Their chests were covered with what looked like pieces of iron. The sound their wings made was like the sound of many wagons rushing to war.

10 a nd they have tails like to scorpions, and stings were in their tails; and their authority to injure men five months;

They had tails like a small animal that stings. The sting came from their tails. They were given power to hurt men for five months.

11 a nd they have over them a king -- the messenger of the abyss -- a name to him in Hebrew, Abaddon, and in the Greek he hath a name, Apollyon.

These locusts have a king over them. He is the head angel of the hole that has no bottom. His name in the Hebrew language is Abbadon. In the Greek language it is Apollyon. (It means the one who destroys.)

12 T he first wo did go forth, lo, there come yet two woes after these things.

The first time of trouble is past. But see, there are two more times of trouble coming after this. The Sixth Horn—the Angels That Kill

13 A nd the sixth messenger did sound, and I heard a voice out of the four horns of the altar of gold that is before God,

The sixth angel blew his horn. I heard a voice coming from the four corners of the altar made of gold that is before God.

14 s aying to the sixth messenger who had the trumpet, `Loose the four messengers who are bound at the great river Euphrates;'

The voice said to the sixth angel who had the horn, “Let the four angels loose that have been chained at the big river Euphrates.”

15 a nd loosed were the four messengers, who have been made ready for the hour, and day, and month, and year, that they may kill the third of men;

They had been kept ready for that hour and day and month and year. They were let loose so they could kill one-third part of all men that were living.

16 a nd the number of the forces of the horsemen two myriads of myriads, and I heard the number of them.

The army had 200 million soldiers on horses. I heard them say how many there were.

17 A nd thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those sitting upon them, having breastplates of fire, and jacinth, and brimstone; and the heads of the horses as heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceedeth fire, and smoke, and brimstone;

I saw, as God wanted to show me, the horses and the men on them. The men had pieces of iron over their chests. These were red like fire and blue like the sky and yellow like sulphur. The heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions. Fire and smoke and sulphur came out of their mouths.

18 b y these three were the third of men killed, from the fire, and from the smoke, and from the brimstone, that is proceeding out of their mouth,

One-third part of all men was killed by the fire and smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths.

19 f or their authorities are in their mouth, and in their tails, for their tails like serpents, having heads, and with them they do injure;

The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. Their tails were like the heads of snakes and with them they could bite and kill.

20 a nd the rest of men, who were not killed in these plagues, neither did reform from the works of their hands, that they may not bow before the demons, and idols, those of gold, and those of silver, and those of brass, and those of stone, and those of wood, that are neither able to see, nor to hear, nor to walk,

The men that were still living after these troubles were past would not turn away from worshiping demons. They would not turn away from false gods made from gold and silver and brass and stone and wood. None of these false gods can see or hear or walk.

21 y ea they did not reform from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from their whoredoms, nor from their thefts.

These men were not sorry for their sins and would not turn away from all their killing and their witchcraft. They would not stop their sex sins and their stealing.