They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only those people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads.
‘Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,’ the Lord said to him, ‘and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.’
Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, ‘A litre of wheat for a denarius, and three litres of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and the wine.’
Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the children and older women, but do not come near anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.’ So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.
When the Lord passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, he will pass over the door and not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike you.
Haven’t you placed a hedge round him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.