The Sealed of Israel

After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, (A)holding the four winds of the earth, (B)that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, (C)“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God (D)on their foreheads.” (E)And I heard the number of those who were sealed. (F)One hundred and forty-four thousand (G)of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were [a]sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

After these things I looked, and behold, (H)a great multitude which no one could number, (I)of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, (J)clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, (K)“Salvation belongs to our God (L)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 (M)All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and (N)worshiped God, 12 (O)saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in (P)white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, [b]“Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, (Q)“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and (R)washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will (S)dwell among them. 16 (T)They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; (U)the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne (V)will shepherd them and lead them to [c]living fountains of waters. (W)And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

When(X) He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Y)And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, (Z)and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with (AA)the prayers of all the saints upon (AB)the golden altar which was before the throne. And (AC)the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And (AD)there were noises, thunderings, (AE)lightnings, (AF)and an earthquake.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 7:5 NU, M omit sealed in vv. 5b–8b.
  2. Revelation 7:14 NU, M My lord
  3. Revelation 7:17 NU, M fountains of the waters of life

The Lord Tests Hearts

17 Better is (A)a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of [a]feasting with strife.

A wise servant will rule over (B)a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
(C)But the Lord tests the hearts.

An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a [b]spiteful tongue.

(D)He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
(E)He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

(F)Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.

Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.

A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

(G)He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But (H)he who repeats a matter separates friends.

10 (I)Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 Let a man meet (J)a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

13 Whoever (K)rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore (L)stop contention before a quarrel starts.

15 (M)He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?

17 (N)A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

18 (O)A man devoid of [c]understanding [d]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes [e]surety for his friend.

19 He who loves transgression loves strife,
And (P)he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

20 He who has a [f]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has (Q)a perverse tongue falls into evil.

21 He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A (R)merry heart [g]does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

23 A wicked man accepts a bribe [h]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.

24 (S)Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A (T)foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.

26 Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

27 (U)He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
28 (V)Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower

18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all [i]wise judgment.

A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his (W)own heart.

When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.

(X)The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
(Y)The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in (Z)judgment.

A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
(AA)A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his (AB)soul.
(AC)The words of a [j]talebearer are like [k]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the [l]inmost body.

He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

10 The name of the Lord is a strong (AD)tower;
The righteous run to it and are [m]safe.
11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.

12 (AE)Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.

13 He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?

15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

16 (AF)A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.

17 The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.

18 Casting (AG)lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.

19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

20 (AH)A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

21 (AI)Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

22 (AJ)He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.

23 The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers (AK)roughly.

24 A man who has friends [n]must himself be friendly,
(AL)But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:1 Or sacrificial meals
  2. Proverbs 17:4 Lit. destructive
  3. Proverbs 17:18 Lit. heart
  4. Proverbs 17:18 Lit. strikes the hands
  5. Proverbs 17:18 guaranty or collateral
  6. Proverbs 17:20 crooked
  7. Proverbs 17:22 Or makes medicine even better
  8. Proverbs 17:23 Under cover, lit. from the bosom
  9. Proverbs 18:1 sound wisdom
  10. Proverbs 18:8 gossip or slanderer
  11. Proverbs 18:8 A Jewish tradition wounds
  12. Proverbs 18:8 Lit. rooms of the belly
  13. Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high
  14. Proverbs 18:24 So with Gr. mss., Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT may come to ruin

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