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Revelation 15-16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 15

The Seven Last Plagues. 1 [a]Then I saw in heaven another sign,[b] great and awe-inspiring: seven angels with the seven last plagues, for through them God’s fury is accomplished.

2 Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire.[c] On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and the number that signified its name. They were holding God’s harps,(A) 3 and they sang the song of Moses,[d] the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

“Great and wonderful are your works,
    Lord God almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    O king of the nations.(B)
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
    or glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
    All the nations will come
    and worship before you,
    for your righteous acts have been revealed.”(C)

5 [e]After this I had another vision. The temple that is the heavenly tent of testimony[f] opened, 6 and the seven angels with the seven plagues came out of the temple. They were dressed in clean white linen, with a gold sash around their chests.(D) 7 One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls filled with the fury of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 Then the temple became so filled with the smoke from God’s glory and might that no one could enter it until the seven plagues of the seven angels had been accomplished.(E)

Chapter 16

The Seven Bowls.[g] 1 I heard a loud voice speaking from the temple to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s fury upon the earth.”

2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Festering and ugly sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast or worshiped its image.[h]

3 [i]The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. The sea turned to blood like that from a corpse; every creature living in the sea died.

4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water. These also turned to blood.(F) 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just, O Holy One,
    who are and who were,
    in passing this sentence.(G)
6 For they have shed the blood of the holy ones and the prophets,
    and you [have] given them blood to drink;
    it is what they deserve.”(H)

7 Then I heard the altar cry out,

“Yes, Lord God almighty,
    your judgments are true and just.”(I)

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. It was given the power to burn people with fire. 9 People were burned by the scorching heat and blasphemed the name of God who had power over these plagues, but they did not repent or give him glory.(J)

10 (K)The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast.[j] Its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and people bit their tongues in pain 11 and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their works.(L)

12 The sixth angel emptied his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.[k] 13 I saw three unclean spirits like frogs[l] come from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.(M) 14 These were demonic spirits who performed signs. They went out to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God the almighty.(N) 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief.”[m] Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his clothes ready, so that he may not go naked and people see him exposed.)(O) 16 They then assembled the kings in the place that is named Armageddon[n] in Hebrew.

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”(P) 18 Then there were lightning flashes, rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake. It was such a violent earthquake that there has never been one like it since the human race began on earth.(Q) 19 The great city[o] was split into three parts, and the gentile cities fell. But God remembered great Babylon, giving it the cup filled with the wine of his fury and wrath. 20 [p]Every island fled, and mountains disappeared. 21 Large hailstones like huge weights came down from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because this plague was so severe.(R)

Footnotes

  1. 15:1–16:21 The seven bowls, the third and last group of seven after the seven seals and the seven trumpets, foreshadow the final cataclysm. Again, the series is introduced by a heavenly prelude, in which the victors over the beast sing the canticle of Moses (Rev 15:2–4).
  2. 15:1–4 A vision of the victorious martyrs precedes the vision of woe in Rev 15:5–16:21; cf. Rev 7:9–12.
  3. 15:2 Mingled with fire: fire symbolizes the sanctity involved in facing God, reflected in the trials that have prepared the victorious Christians or in God’s wrath.
  4. 15:3 The song of Moses: the song that Moses and the Israelites sang after their escape from the oppression of Egypt (Ex 15:1–18). The martyrs have escaped from the oppression of the Devil. Nations: many other Greek manuscripts and versions read “ages.”
  5. 15:5–8 Seven angels receive the bowls of God’s wrath.
  6. 15:5 Tent of testimony: the name of the meeting tent in the Greek text of Ex 40. Cf. 2 Mc 2:4–7.
  7. 16:1–21 These seven bowls, like the seven seals (Rev 6:1–17; 8:1) and the seven trumpets (Rev 8:2–9:21; 11:15–19), bring on a succession of disasters modeled in part on the plagues of Egypt (Ex 7–12). See note on Rev 6:12–14.
  8. 16:2 Like the sixth Egyptian plague (Ex 9:8–11).
  9. 16:3–4 Like the first Egyptian plague (Ex 7:20–21). The same woe followed the blowing of the second trumpet (Rev 8:8–9).
  10. 16:10 The throne of the beast: symbol of the forces of evil. Darkness: like the ninth Egyptian plague (Ex 10:21–23); cf. Rev 9:2.
  11. 16:12 The kings of the East: Parthians; see notes on Rev 6:2 and Rev 17:12–13. East: literally, “rising of the sun,” as in Rev 7:2.
  12. 16:13 Frogs: possibly an allusion to the second Egyptian plague (Ex 7:26–8:11). The false prophet: identified with the two-horned second beast (Rev 13:11–18 and the note there).
  13. 16:15 Like a thief: as in Rev 3:3 (cf. Mt 24:42–44; 1 Thes 5:2). Blessed: see note on Rev 1:3.
  14. 16:16 Armageddon: in Hebrew, this means “Mountain of Megiddo.” Since Megiddo was the scene of many decisive battles in antiquity (Jgs 5:19–20; 2 Kgs 9:27; 2 Chr 35:20–24), the town became the symbol of the final disastrous rout of the forces of evil.
  15. 16:19 The great city: Rome and the empire.
  16. 16:20–21 See note on Rev 6:12–14. Hailstones: as in the seventh Egyptian plague (Ex 9:23–24); cf. Rev 8:7. Like huge weights: literally, “weighing a talent,” about one hundred pounds.
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Revelation 14
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.