⁸ I looked, and ·there before me was [^Llook; ^Tbehold] a ·pale [or pale green] horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades [^Cthe realm of the dead, also known as Sheol] was following close behind him. They were given ·power [authority] over a fourth of the earth to kill people by ·war [^Lthe sword], by ·starvation [famine], by ·disease [pestilence; plague], and by the wild animals of the earth.

⁹ When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar [^Cprobably the bronze altar where sacrifices were offered] the souls of those who had been ·killed [slaughtered; slain] because ·they were faithful to [^Lof] the word of God and to the ·message [witness; testimony] they had ·received [or given; or maintained]. ¹⁰ These souls ·shouted [cried out] in a loud voice, “Holy and true ·Lord [Master], how long until you judge the people of the earth and ·punish them for killing us [^Lavenge our blood]?”