After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.

I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God.

He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Don’t harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!”

I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed,

of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,

of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week,

Mary Magdalene ◆ and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

Behold, there was a great earthquake,

for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky and came and rolled away the stone from the door and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men. The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid,

for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said.