¹After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. ²And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ³"Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God."

⁴And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel...

⁹After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

¹¹And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

¹³Then one of the elders addressed me: "These in white robes," he asked, "who are they, and where have they come from?" ¹⁴"Sir," I answered, "you know." So he replied, "These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.

¹⁶Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."