Translation
They were not granted the power to kill anyone, but only to torment them for five months.
Go to footnote numberThe torment they caused was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
Paraphrase
They were not granted the power to kill anyone, but only to torment them for a limited period of time involving legal pressure from ruling powers. And the pain they could inflict was the most intense pain known to man from an outside source.
Footnotes
1
Five is half of ten, and ten is a symbol of completeness regarding ruling powers and legal pressure.