8:9a

a third of the living creatures in the sea died: The phrase living creatures refers to fish and any other animals that live in the seas. One out of every three creatures died because the water had turned to blood. Other ways to translate this clause are:

one third of the creatures that were living in the sea died (God’s Word)
-or-
one of every three beings/creatures that lived in the ocean died

8:9b

a third of the ships were destroyed: This clause indicates that one out of every three ships were destroyed. They were either sunk or so badly ruined that they were unable to sail. This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

⌊this event/disaster⌋ destroyed a third of the ships

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