And pray that it will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath day when you will have to flee [from the city]. [Note: Jewish Sabbath day restrictions on travel (only three-fifths of a mile) and city gate closures would make leaving the city nearly impossible].

And when the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for [believing and preaching] God's message, and for the testimony [about Jesus] which they had maintained.

[When] the fifth angel sounded its trumpet, I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. And the key to the shaft leading to the deep pit [Note: This is thought to be the place where the devil and his demons live] was given to him.

Then another angel [i.e., the fifth] came out of the Temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.

Then another angel [i.e., the sixth] came out of the Altar. He had authority over [its] fire and he called out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle [i.e., the fifth angel] saying, "Use your sharp sickle to gather the clusters from the vines of the earth, for its grapes are ripe."

And the fifth [angel] poured out his bowl on the throne of the [first] beast [See 13:2], and darkness fell over his kingdom. And they [See verse 2] chewed their tongues in agony,

the fifth was sardonyx [i.e., an orange-colored stone similar to chalcedony]; the sixth was sardius [i.e., a reddish-colored stone also called carnelian]; the seventh was chrysolite [i.e., a yellowish- or greenish-colored stone]; the eighth was beryl [i.e., a stone of bluish-green color]; the ninth was topaz [i.e., a yellow or bluish-yellow stone]; the tenth was chrysoprase [i.e., a stone of greenish-gold color]; the eleventh was jacinth [i.e., a stone of purple or reddish-blue color]; the twelfth was amethyst [i.e., a purple- or violet-colored stone].

Now it was the Day of Preparation [Note: This was the day before the Passover Festival began, and fell on a Friday that year], and the Jews did not permit bodies to remain on a cross over the Sabbath day. (Besides, that Sabbath day was a special day [i.e., since it was both the Passover and the regular weekly Sabbath, as well]). So, they asked Pilate to have Jesus' and the criminals' legs broken [i.e., to speed up their deaths] and then have their bodies taken away.

So, they placed Jesus' body there, for it was the Day of Preparation and that was the closest grave site. [Note: Since this was the day before the Passover Festival, and the next day was also the regular weekly Sabbath, they had to bury the body before sundown to comply with Jewish restrictions against working on a Sabbath day].

But the official of the synagogue became angry because Jesus had healed [someone] on the Sabbath day. [Note: This was viewed as a violation of proper Sabbath day observance by certain Jews who interpreted the law of Moses with narrow legalism]. So, the official said to the crowd, "There are six days [in the week] for people to work. Therefore, you should come to be healed on one of them, and not on the Sabbath day."

And I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living beings, saying, "A quart [measure] of wheat sells for a day's pay [Note: This amount would be $60-$84 in 1994, based on one day of a farm laborer's wages. See Matt. 20:2]; three quart measures of barley sell for a day's pay; but do not damage the [olive] oil and wine [i.e., the orchards and vineyards].

When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation [for the Passover Festival], being the day before the [special] Sabbath Day,

Give us day by day our bread for each day.

And after leaving there, the next day we sailed past Chios [i.e., another small island on the way], and the next day past Samos [i.e., another small island], until [finally] on the following day we arrived at Miletus [i.e., another seaport town near Ephesus].