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Revelation 8

1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

3Another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden incense burner. Much incense was given to him to offer with the prayers of all the holy ones on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the holy ones, rose from the angel's hand before God. 5The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. There were peals of thunder and rumblings and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

6The seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 7The first sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood came, and it was thrown to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees was burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11The star's name is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they had become bitter.

12The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them was darkened. The day did not shine for a third of its length, and likewise the night.

13I looked and heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining trumpet blasts of the three angels who are about to sound their trumpets!”

Translation notes 3

8:3–5 — Incense and prayers. “With” construes the prayers as accompanying the incense. The Greek can also be understood as incense given to the prayers. The heavenly offering is followed by judgment from the same altar; the translation leaves the relationship in the imagery.

8:7–12 — Partial destruction. The repeated thirds are retained, as is “all” the green grass. “Something like” a mountain describes the vision without declaring that it is a literal earthly mountain. Wormwood is a bitter plant used here as a name and an image of poisoned water.

8:13 — Eagle. The Greek base reads “eagle,” where the KJV has “angel” from a different Greek reading. The Greek bird term can also denote a vulture. “Midheaven” is the sky overhead, where the cry reaches the earth's inhabitants.