When the Lamb opened each of the first four seals of the scroll, each of the four living creatures called forth a mounted horseman who brought judgment to people on the earth.
6Verse 1I saw that Jesus, the one who is like a lamb, opened the first of the seven seals of the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice as loud as [SIM] thunder, “Come!”Verse 2Then I saw a white horse come out. The one who sat on it had a bow and arrows. God gave him a crown to show that he was the king. Then the one who conquers people went out to continue to conquer people.Verse 3When the one who was like a lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”Verse 4Then a red horse came out. The one sitting on it was allowed {God allowed the one sitting on it} to cause people to no longer live peacefully, but instead to be killing each other. For this purpose he was given {God’s agent gave to him} a large sword.Verse 5When the one who is like a lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” This time, I saw a black horse come out. The one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.Verse 6I heard a voice that sounded like it was coming from among the four living creatures. It was saying ◄to the horseman/to the man who was sitting on the black horse►, “A quart of wheat will cost so much that a man must work a whole day to earn enough money to buy it, and three quarts of barley will sell for the same price. But do not cut off the supply of olive oil or the wine [MTY]!”Verse 7When the one who is like a lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature say, “Come!”Verse 8This time I saw a pale horse come out. The one who sat on it is named ‘The one who causes death [PRS]’, and the one that is named ‘The place where dead people go’ accompanied him. God gave them authority over one quarter of the people on earth to incite them to kill each other with weapons [SYN], and also authority to kill them ◄by causing them to starve, by their causing them to become sick from epidemics, and by their causing them to be attacked by wild animals.
When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, the souls of dead believers appealed to God to judge those who killed them, but God told them to rest a bit longer.
Verse 9When the one who is like a lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under (OR, at the base of) the altar in heaven the souls of God’s servants who had been killed {whom people had killed} because of their believing God’s message, and because they told others the message about Jesus.Verse 10They spoke loudly to God saying, “Sovereign/Almighty Lord, you are holy and faithful. How long will it be before you judge and punish the people on earth who murdered us(exc)?”Verse 11God gave to each of them a long white robe, and he told them to rest a little longer until people killed all the believers who served the Lord with them. They were believers whom God wanted to die in just the same way that these others had been killed.
When the Lamb opened the sixth seal of the scroll, the upheaval in the sky and on the earth caused all the rebellious people on earth to hide because they knew God’s time to judge people had come.
Verse 12I saw that when the one who is like a lamb opened the sixth seal, the earth shook violently. The sun became as black as cloth made ◄of black wool/of pitch►. The whole moon became red [SIM] like blood.Verse 13The stars fell to the earth in great numbers, just [SIM] like immature figs fall when a fig tree is shaken by a strong wind {when a strong wind shakes a fig tree}.Verse 14The sky split open and rolled up on either side just [SIM] like an old scroll rolls up when it is split in two. Every mountain and island moved out of its place.Verse 15As a result, all the rebellious people of the earth, including kings, high-ranking people, generals, the rich people, the powerful people, along with everyone else, both slave and free, hid themselves in caves and between the mountain rocks.Verse 16They shouted to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us (exc) and hide us (exc) in order that the one who sits upon the throne will not be able to see us (exc) [MTY], and in order that the one who is like a lamb will not be able to punish [MTY] us (exc).Verse 17This is the terrible day on which they will punish [MTY] us (exc), and when that happens, no one will be able to survive! [RHQ]”