³ Then locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke [^Csimilar to the eighth Egyptian plague; Ex. 10:1–20; see also Joel 1:2—2:10], and they were given the power ·to sting like [^Llike the power of] scorpions [^Lof the earth]. ⁴ They were told not to ·harm [damage] the grass on the earth or any ·plant [greenery] or tree. They could ·harm [damage] only the people who did not have the ·sign [seal] of God on their foreheads [7:3]. ⁵ These locusts were not ·given the power [permitted] to kill anyone, but to ·cause pain to [torture; torment] the people for five months [^Cperhaps referring to the limited life span of a locust]. And ·the pain they felt was like the pain a scorpion gives [^Ltheir torture/torment was like the torture/torment of a scorpion] when it stings someone.