1After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the land, on the sea or on any tree.
2I saw another angel coming up from the east with a seal from the living God, and he shouted to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea,
3"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!"
4I heard how many were sealed - 144,000 from every tribe of the people of Isra'el:
5From the tribe of Y'hudah 12,000 were sealed from the tribe of Re'uven 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000
6from the tribe of Asher 12,000 from the tribe of Naftali 12,000 from the tribe of M'nasheh 12,000
7from the tribe of Shim'on 12,000 from the tribe of Levi 12,000 from the tribe of Yissakhar 12,000
8from the tribe of Z'vulun 12,000 from the tribe of Yosef 12,000 from the tribe of Binyamin 12,000
9After this, I looked; and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands;
10and they shouted, "Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
11All the angels stood around the throne, the elders and the four living beings; they fell face down before the throne and worshipped God, saying,
12"Amen! "Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks, honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! "Amen!"
13One of the elders asked me, "These people dressed in white robes - who are they, and where are they from?"
14"Sir," I answered, "you know." Then he told me, "These are the people who have come out of the Great Persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.
15That is why they are before God's throne. "Day and night they serve him in his Temple; and the One who sits on the throne will put his Sh'khinah upon them.
16"They will never again be hungry, they will never again be thirsty, the sun will not beat down on them, nor will any burning heat.
17"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them, will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."