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Lunedi, 29 aprile 2024 - Santa Caterina da Siena ( Letture di oggi)

Revelation 9


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NEW JERUSALEMDOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fal en from heaven onto the earth, andthe angel was given the key to the shaft leading down to the Abyss.1 And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth, and there was given to him the key of the bottomless pit.
2 When he unlocked the shaft of the Abyss, smoke rose out of the Abyss like the smoke from a hugefurnace so that the sun and the sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss,2 And he opened the bottomless pit: and the smoke of the pit arose, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke of the pit.
3 and out of the smoke dropped locusts onto the earth: they were given the powers that scorpions haveon the earth:3 And from the smoke of the pit there came out locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power:
4 they were forbidden to harm any fields or crops or trees and told to attack only those people who werewithout God's seal on their foreheads.4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree: but only the men who have not the sign of God on their foreheads.
5 They were not to kil them, but to give them anguish for five months, and the anguish was to be theanguish of a scorpion's sting.5 And it was given unto them that they should not kill them; but that they should torment them five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man.
6 When this happens, people wil long for death and not find it anywhere; they wil want to die and deathwil evade them.6 And in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it: and they shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them.
7 These locusts looked like horses armoured for battle; they had what looked like gold crowns on theirheads, and their faces looked human,7 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.
8 and their hair was like women's hair, and teeth like lion's teeth.8 And they had hair as the hair of women; and their teeth were as lions:
9 They had body-armour like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings sounded like the racket ofchariots with many horses charging.9 And they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots and many horses running to battle.
10 Their tails were like scorpions' tails, with stings, and with their tails they were able to torture people forfive months.10 And they had tails like to scorpions, and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had over them
11 As their leader they had their emperor, the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon,and in Greek Apol yon.11 A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans,
12 That was the first of the disasters; there are stil two more to come.12 One woe is past, and behold there come yet two woes more hereafter.
13 The sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a single voice issuing from the four horns of the goldenaltar in God's presence.13 And the sixth angel sounded the trumpet: and I heard a voice from the four horns of the great altar, which is before the eyes of God,
14 It spoke to the sixth angel with the trumpet, and said, 'Release the four angels that are chained up atthe great river Euphrates.'14 Saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet: Loose the four angels, who are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15 These four angels had been ready for this hour of this day of this month of this year, and ready todestroy a third of the human race.15 And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year: for to kill the third part of men.
16 I learnt how many there were in their army: twice ten thousand times ten thousand mounted men.16 And the number of the army of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them.
17 In my vision I saw the horses, and the riders with their breastplates of flame colour, hyacinth-blue andsulphur-yel ow; the horses had lions' heads, and fire, smoke and sulphur were coming from their mouths.17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: and they that sat on them, had breastplates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone, and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions: and from their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone.
18 It was by these three plagues, the fire, the smoke and the sulphur coming from their mouths, that theone third of the human race was killed.18 And by these three plagues was slain the third part of men, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19 Al the horses' power was in their mouths and their tails: their tails were like snakes, and had headswhich inflicted wounds.19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. For, their tails are like to serpents, and have heads: and with them they hurt.
20 But the rest of the human race, who escaped death by these plagues, refused either to abandon theirown handiwork or to stop worshipping devils, the idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood that canneither see nor hear nor move.20 And the rest of the men, who were not slain by these plagues, did not do penance from the works of their hands, that they should not adore devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Nor did they give up their murdering, or witchcraft, or fornication or stealing.21 Neither did they penance from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from their fornication, nor from their thefts.