1 The fifth angel blew his trumpet. Then I saw a star fall from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the deep hole that leads down to the bottomless pit.
2 Then the star opened the hole leading to the pit. Smoke came up from the hole like smoke from a big furnace. The sun and sky became dark because of the smoke from the hole.
3 Then locusts came out of the smoke and went down to the earth. They were given the power to sting like scorpions.
4 They were told not to damage the fields of grass or any plant or tree. They were to hurt only those who did not have God’s mark on their foreheads.
5 They were not given the power to kill them but only to cause them pain for five months—pain like a person feels when stung by a scorpion.
6 During those days people will look for a way to die, but they will not find it. They will want to die, but death will hide from them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something that looked like a gold crown. Their faces looked like human faces.