但以理书 7

Chinese New Version (Simplified)

但以理梦中见异象

7 巴比伦王伯沙撒第一年，但以理躺在床上时，他作了一个梦，脑海中出现了异象；他就把那梦记录下来，把事情的重点述说出来。 ²但以理说：“在夜间的异象中，我看见天的四风，搅动大海。

四巨兽

³“有四只巨兽从海中上来，形状各不相同。 ⁴第一只兽像狮子，却有鹰的翅膀。我一直在观看，看见牠的翅膀被拔去，牠从地上被举起来，两脚像人一样直立在地上；又有人的心给了牠。 ⁵我又看见另一只兽，就是第二只兽；牠和熊相似，挺起一边的身躯，口中的牙齿衔着三根肋骨。有人这样对牠说：‘起来，吃多量的肉吧！’ ⁶此后，我继续观看，看见另一只兽像豹，背上有鸟的四个翅膀；这兽有四个头，又有权柄给了牠。 ⁷后来，我在夜间的异象中继续观看，看见有第四只兽，非常恐怖，十分可怕，极其强壮。牠有大铁牙；牠吞吃咬碎，又把剩余的用脚践踏；这兽和前面的各兽都不相同；牠有十个角。 ⁸我正在究察这些角的时候，看见角的中间长出另一个小角来。在这小角前面，有三个先前的角连根被拔起来。这小角有眼，像人的眼，又有一张说夸大话的嘴。

⁹“我一直在观看，

看见有些宝座安放好了，

万古常存者就坐上去；

他的衣服洁白如雪，

他的头发纯净像羊毛。

他的宝座是火焰，

宝座的轮子是烈火。

¹⁰有火像河涌出，

烈火从他面前冒出；

事奉他的有千千，

侍立在他面前的有万万。

审判已经开始，

案卷都展开了。

¹¹“那时，因那小角说夸大话的声音，我继续观看，看见那兽被杀，尸体被毁，扔在烈火中。 ¹²至于其余的三兽，牠们的权柄都被夺去，牠们的生命却得着延长，直到所定的时候和日期。

¹³“我在夜间的异象中继续观看，

看见有一位像人子的，

驾着天云而来，

到万古常存者那里，

被引领到他面前，

¹⁴得了权柄、尊荣和国度；

各国、各族和说各种语言的人都事奉他。

他的权柄是永远的权柄，是不能废去的；

他的国度是永不毁灭的。

解释异象的意义

¹⁵“至于我但以理，我的灵在我里面忧伤，我脑海中出现的异象使我惊惶。 ¹⁶于是我走近其中一位侍立者，问他有关这一切事的实情；他就告诉我，使我知道这些事的意思，他说： ¹⁷‘这四只巨兽就是将要在世上兴起的四个王。 ¹⁸但至高者的圣民必要得国，拥有这国，直到永永远远。’ ¹⁹那时我想知道有关第四只兽的实情，牠和其他三兽不相同，十分恐怖，有铁牙铜爪；牠吞吃咬碎，又把剩余的用脚践踏。 ²⁰我又想知道有关牠头上的十角，和那另长出来的小角，以及那三个在这小角前面倒下的角的实情。这小角有眼，有说夸大话的嘴；牠的形状比牠的同类更威猛。 ²¹我继续观看，看见这小角和圣民争战，战胜了他们， ²²直到万古常存者来到，为至高者的圣民伸张正义；圣民拥有国度的时候就到了。

²³“那位侍立者这样说：‘那第四只兽就是世上必有的第四国，和其他各国都不相同；牠必吞吃全地，践踏咬碎全地。 ²⁴至于那十角，就是从这国中将要兴起的十个王，在他们以后，必有另一个王兴起，和先前的王都不相同；他必制伏三个王。 ²⁵他必说话，敌挡至高者；他必折磨至高者的圣民，又想改变节期和律法；圣民必交在他的手中，一载、二载、半载（“一载、二载、半载”或译：“一个时期、多个时期、半个时期”）。 ²⁶但审判要开始，他的权柄必被夺去，他必被毁坏灭绝，直到永远。 ²⁷那时，国度、权柄，和普天之下万国的大权，都必赐给至高者的圣民。他的国是永远的国；所有掌权的都必事奉他，顺从他。’ ²⁸这事到此完毕。我但以理心中十分惊惶，脸色也变了，但我把这事存放在心里。”

Daniel 7

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

II. Daniel’s Visions

Chapter 7

The Beasts and the Judgment.^[a] ¹In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, as Daniel lay in bed he had a dream, visions in his head. Then he wrote down the dream; the account began: ²In the vision I saw during the night, suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea,^[b] ³from which emerged four immense beasts,^(A) each different from the others. ⁴The first was like a lion, but with eagle’s wings.^[c] While I watched, the wings were plucked; it was raised from the ground to stand on two feet like a human being, and given a human mind. ⁵The second beast was like a bear;^[d] it was raised up on one side, and among the teeth in its mouth were three tusks. It was given the order, “Arise, devour much flesh.” ⁶After this I looked and saw another beast, like a leopard;^[e] on its back were four wings like those of a bird, and it had four heads. To this beast dominion was given. ⁷^[f]After this, in the visions of the night I saw a fourth beast, terrifying, horrible, and of extraordinary strength; it had great iron teeth with which it devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet what was left. It differed from the beasts that preceded it. It had ten horns. ⁸I was considering the ten horns it had, when suddenly another, a little horn, sprang out of their midst, and three of the previous horns were torn away to make room for it. This horn had eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly. ⁹^[g]As I watched,

Thrones were set up
    and the Ancient of Days took his throne.
His clothing was white as snow,
    the hair on his head like pure wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
    with wheels of burning fire.
¹⁰A river of fire surged forth,
    flowing from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
    and myriads upon myriads stood before him.^(B)

The court was convened, and the books were opened. ¹¹I watched, then, from the first of the arrogant words which the horn spoke, until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the burning fire. ¹²As for the other beasts, their dominion was taken away, but they were granted a prolongation of life for a time and a season. ¹³As the visions during the night continued, I saw coming with the clouds of heaven^(C)

One like a son of man.^[h]
When he reached the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him,
¹⁴He received dominion, splendor, and kingship;
    all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
    that shall not pass away,
    his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed.^(D)

¹⁵Because of this, my spirit was anguished and I, Daniel, was terrified by my visions. ¹⁶I approached one of those present and asked him the truth of all this; in answer, he made known to me its meaning: ¹⁷“These four great beasts stand for four kings which shall arise on the earth. ¹⁸But the holy ones^[i] of the Most High shall receive the kingship, to possess it forever and ever.”

¹⁹Then I wished to make certain about the fourth beast, so very terrible and different from the others, devouring and crushing with its iron teeth and bronze claws, and trampling with its feet what was left; ²⁰and about the ten horns on its head, and the other one that sprang up, before which three horns fell; and about the horn with the eyes and the mouth that spoke arrogantly, which appeared greater than its fellows. ²¹For, as I watched, that horn made war against the holy ones and was victorious ²²until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was pronounced in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived for the holy ones to possess the kingship. ²³He answered me thus:

“The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
    different from all the others;
The whole earth it shall devour,
    trample down and crush.
²⁴The ten horns shall be ten kings
    rising out of that kingdom;
    another shall rise up after them,
Different from those before him,
    who shall lay low three kings.
²⁵He shall speak against the Most High
    and wear down the holy ones of the Most High,
    intending to change the feast days and the law.^[j]
They shall be handed over to him
    for a time, two times, and half a time.
²⁶But when the court is convened,
    and his dominion is taken away
    to be abolished and completely destroyed,
²⁷Then the kingship and dominion and majesty
    of all the kingdoms under the heavens
    shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High,
Whose kingship shall be an everlasting kingship,
    whom all dominions shall serve and obey.”

²⁸This is the end of the report. I, Daniel, was greatly terrified by my thoughts, and my face became pale, but I kept the matter to myself.^[k]

Footnotes

7:1–27 This vision continues the motif of the four kingdoms from chap. 2; see note on 2:36–45. To the four succeeding world kingdoms, Babylonian, Median, Persian, and Greek, is opposed the heavenly kingdom of God and the kingdom of God’s people on earth. The beast imagery of this chapter has been used extensively in the Book of Revelation, where it is applied to the Roman empire, the persecutor of the Church.
7:2 The great sea: the primordial ocean beneath the earth, according to ancient Near Eastern cosmology (Gn 7:11; 49:25). It was thought to contain various monsters (Is 27:1; Jb 7:12), and in particular mythological monsters symbolizing the chaos which God had vanquished in primordial times (Jb 9:13; 26:12; Is 51:9–10; etc.).
7:4 In ancient times the Babylonian empire was commonly represented as a winged lion, in the rampant position (raised up on one side). The two wings that were plucked may represent Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. On two feet like a human being…a human mind: contrasts with what is said in 4:13, 30.
7:5 A bear: represents the Median empire, its three tusks symbolizing its destructive nature; hence, the command: “Arise, devour much flesh.”
7:6 A leopard: used to symbolize the swiftness with which Cyrus the Persian established his kingdom. Four heads: corresponding to the four Persian kings of 11:2.
7:7–8 Alexander’s empire was different from all the others in that it was Western rather than Eastern in inspiration, and far exceeded the others in power. The ten horns represent the kings of the Seleucid dynasty, the only part of the Hellenistic empire that concerned the author. The little horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 B.C.), who usurped the throne and persecuted the Jews.
7:9–10 A vision of the heavenly throne of God (the Ancient of Days), who sits in judgment over the nations. Some of the details of the vision, depicting the divine majesty and omnipotence, are to be found in Ezekiel 1. Others are paralleled in 1 Enoch, a contemporary Jewish apocalypse.
7:13–14 One like a son of man: In contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which are represented as grotesque beasts, the coming Kingdom of God is represented by a human figure. Scholars disagree as to whether this figure should be taken as a collective symbol for the people of God (cf. 7:27) or identified as a particular individual, e.g., the archangel Michael (cf. 12:1) or the messiah. The phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels, especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming (Mk 13 and parallels).
7:18 “Holy ones” in Hebrew and Aramaic literature are nearly always members of the heavenly court or angels (cf. 4:10, 14, 20; 8:13), though here the term is commonly taken to refer to Israel.
7:25 The reference is to the persecution of Antiochus IV and specifically to the disruption of the Temple cult (1 Mc 1:41–64). A time, two times, and half a time: an indefinite, evil period of time. Probably here, three and a half years, which becomes the standard period of tribulation in apocalyptic literature (Rev 11:2; 13:5 [in months]; 11:3 [in days]; and cf. 12:14). As seven is the Jewish “perfect” number, half of it signifies great imperfection. Actually, the Temple was desecrated for three years (1 Mc 4:52–54). The duration of the persecution was a little longer, since it was already under way before the Temple was desecrated.
7:28 This verse ends the Aramaic part of the Book of Daniel.

Chinese New Version (Simplified) (CNVS)

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

但以理书 7 Chinese New Version (Simplified)