1Quando lʼAgnello ruppe il settimo sigillo, in cielo si fece silenzio per circa mezzʼora. 2E vidi i sette angeli che stanno alla presenza di Dio: a loro furono consegnate sette trombe.
3Poi un altro angelo avanzò e si fermò davanti allʼaltare con un incensiere dʼoro; e gli furono dati molti profumi da offrire, insieme con le preghiere del popolo di Dio, sullʼaltare dʼoro davanti al trono. 4E il profumo dellʼincenso, insieme con le preghiere dei santi, salì dalla mano dellʼangelo fino alla presenza di Dio.
5Allora lʼAngelo prese lʼincensiere, lo riempì coi carboni accesi dellʼaltare e lo scagliò sulla terra. Ecco che ci furono tuoni, grida, lampi, e un terremoto!
6Allora i sette angeli, che avevano le sette trombe, si prepararono a suonarle.
7Il primo suonò. Grandine e fuoco, misti a sangue, si riversarono sulla terra; un terzo della terra fu bruciato, come pure un terzo degli alberi e tutta lʼerba verde.
8-9Il secondo angelo suonò. E una massa ardente, simile a una grande montagna infuocata, fu gettata nel mare, distruggendo un terzo di tutte le navi; la terza parte del mare diventò sangue e un terzo dei pesci morì.
10Quando il terzo angelo suonò, una grande stella ardente come una fiaccola, cadde dal cielo sulla terra e colpì parte dei fiumi e delle sorgenti. 11La stella si chiamava «Assenzio», perché avvelenò un terzo di tutte le acque della terra, che diventò amaro come lʼassenzio; e molte persone morirono.
12Il quarto angelo suonò, e fu colpito un terzo del sole, della luna e delle stelle: la loro luce si oscurò, e il giorno e la notte perdettero un terzo della loro luminosità. 13Allora guardai e vidi unʼaquila solitaria, che volava in mezzo al cielo, gridando a gran voce: «Guai, guai, alla gente della terra, perché capiteranno cose terribili, quando gli altri tre angeli suoneranno le loro trombe!»
1And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
