1. After this, there were four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds to prevent their blowing against the earth, the sea and the trees.

2. I saw another angel ascending from the sunrise, carrying the seal of the living God, and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels empowered to harm the earth and the sea,

3. "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."

4. Then I heard the number of those marked with the seal: a hundred and forty-four thousand from all the tribes of the people of Israel:

5. from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed; from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand;

6. from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand;

7. from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand;

8. from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand.

9. After this I saw a great crowd, impossible to count, from every nation, race, people and tongue, standing before the throne and the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands,

10. and they cried out with a loud voice, "Who saves but our God who sits on the throne and the Lamb?"

11. All the angels were around the throne, the elders and the four living creatures; they then bowed before the throne with their faces to the ground to worship God.

12. They said, Amen. Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen!

13. At that moment, one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these people clothed in white, and where did they come from?"

14. I answered, "Sir, it is you who know this." The elder replied, "They are those who have come out of the great persecution; they have washed and made their clothes white in the blood of the Lamb.

15. This is why they stand before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his sanctuary. He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

16. Never again will they suffer hunger or thirst or be burned by the sun or any scorching wind.

17. For the Lamb near the throne will be their Shepherd, and he will bring them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away their tears."





“Meu Deus, perdoa-me. Nunca Te ofereci nada na minha vida e, agora, por este pouco que estou sofrendo, em comparação a tudo o que Tu sofreste na Cruz, eu reclamo injustamente!” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina