The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When he opened the seventh seal,^(A) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

² And I saw the seven angels^(B) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.^(C)

³ Another angel,^(D) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,^(E) on the golden altar^(F) in front of the throne. ⁴ The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God^(G) from the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,^(H) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,^(I) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.^(J)

¹⁹ Then God’s temple^(A) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.^(B) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,^(C) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.^(D)

¹⁸ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder^(A) and a severe earthquake.^(B) No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth,^(C) so tremendous was the quake. ¹⁹ The great city^(D) split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered^(E) Babylon the Great^(F) and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.^{(G) 20} Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.^{(H) 21} From the sky huge hailstones,^(I) each weighing about a hundred pounds,^[a] fell on people. And they cursed God^(J) on account of the plague of hail,^(K) because the plague was so terrible.