但以理书 7
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
但以理夢中見異象
7 巴比倫王伯沙撒第一年，但以理躺在床上時，他作了一個夢，腦海中出現了異象；他就把那夢記錄下來，把事情的重點述說出來。 2 但以理說：“在夜間的異象中，我看見天的四風，攪動大海。
四巨獸
3 “有四隻巨獸從海中上來，形狀各不相同。 4 第一隻獸像獅子，卻有鷹的翅膀。我一直在觀看，看見牠的翅膀被拔去，牠從地上被舉起來，兩腳像人一樣直立在地上；又有人的心給了牠。 5 我又看見另一隻獸，就是第二隻獸；牠和熊相似，挺起一邊的身軀，口中的牙齒銜著三根肋骨。有人這樣對牠說：‘起來，吃多量的肉吧！’ 6 此後，我繼續觀看，看見另一隻獸像豹，背上有鳥的四個翅膀；這獸有四個頭，又有權柄給了牠。 7 後來，我在夜間的異象中繼續觀看，看見有第四隻獸，非常恐怖，十分可怕，極其強壯。牠有大鐵牙；牠吞吃咬碎，又把剩餘的用腳踐踏；這獸和前面的各獸都不相同；牠有十個角。 8 我正在究察這些角的時候，看見角的中間長出另一個小角來。在這小角前面，有三個先前的角連根被拔起來。這小角有眼，像人的眼，又有一張說誇大話的嘴。
9 “我一直在觀看，
看見有些寶座安放好了，
萬古常存者就坐上去；
他的衣服潔白如雪，
他的頭髮純淨像羊毛。
他的寶座是火燄，
寶座的輪子是烈火。
10 有火像河湧出，
烈火從他面前冒出；
事奉他的有千千，
侍立在他面前的有萬萬。
審判已經開始，
案卷都展開了。
11 “那時，因那小角說誇大話的聲音，我繼續觀看，看見那獸被殺，屍體被毀，扔在烈火中。 12 至於其餘的三獸，牠們的權柄都被奪去，牠們的生命卻得著延長，直到所定的時候和日期。
13 “我在夜間的異象中繼續觀看，
看見有一位像人子的，
駕著天雲而來，
到萬古常存者那裡，
被引領到他面前，
14 得了權柄、尊榮和國度；
各國、各族和說各種語言的人都事奉他。
他的權柄是永遠的權柄，是不能廢去的；
他的國度是永不毀滅的。
解釋異象的意義
15 “至於我但以理，我的靈在我裡面憂傷，我腦海中出現的異象使我驚惶。 16 於是我走近其中一位侍立者，問他有關這一切事的實情；他就告訴我，使我知道這些事的意思，他說： 17 ‘這四隻巨獸就是將要在世上興起的四個王。 18 但至高者的聖民必要得國，擁有這國，直到永永遠遠。’ 19 那時我想知道有關第四隻獸的實情，牠和其他三獸不相同，十分恐怖，有鐵牙銅爪；牠吞吃咬碎，又把剩餘的用腳踐踏。 20 我又想知道有關牠頭上的十角，和那另長出來的小角，以及那三個在這小角前面倒下的角的實情。這小角有眼，有說誇大話的嘴；牠的形狀比牠的同類更威猛。 21 我繼續觀看，看見這小角和聖民爭戰，戰勝了他們， 22 直到萬古常存者來到，為至高者的聖民伸張正義；聖民擁有國度的時候就到了。
23 “那位侍立者這樣說：‘那第四隻獸就是世上必有的第四國，和其他各國都不相同；牠必吞吃全地，踐踏咬碎全地。 24 至於那十角，就是從這國中將要興起的十個王，在他們以後，必有另一個王興起，和先前的王都不相同；他必制伏三個王。 25 他必說話，敵擋至高者；他必折磨至高者的聖民，又想改變節期和律法；聖民必交在他的手中，一載、二載、半載（“一載、二載、半載”或譯：“一個時期、多個時期、半個時期”）。 26 但審判要開始，他的權柄必被奪去，他必被毀壞滅絕，直到永遠。 27 那時，國度、權柄，和普天之下萬國的大權，都必賜給至高者的聖民。他的國是永遠的國；所有掌權的都必事奉他，順從他。’ 28 這事到此完畢。我但以理心中十分驚惶，臉色也變了，但我把這事存放在心裡。”
Daniel 7
New English Translation
Daniel has a Vision of Four Animals Coming up from the Sea
7 In the first[a] year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had[b] a dream filled with visions[c] while he was lying on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream in summary fashion.[d] 2 Daniel explained:[e] “I was watching in my vision during the night as[f] the four winds of the sky[g] were stirring up the great sea.[h] 3 Then four large beasts came up from the sea; they were different from one another.
4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind[i] was given to it.[j]
5 “Then[k] a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs[l] in its mouth between its teeth.[m] It was told,[n] ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’
6 “After these things,[o] as I was watching, another beast[p] like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back.[q] This beast had four heads,[r] and ruling authority was given to it.
7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions[s] a fourth beast appeared—one dreadful, terrible, and very strong.[t] It had two large rows[u] of iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and anything that was left it trampled with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns.
8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn—a small one—came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it.[v] This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant[w] things.
9 “While I was watching,
thrones were set up,
and the Ancient of Days[x] took his seat.
His attire was white like snow;
the hair of his head was like lamb’s[y] wool.
His throne was ablaze with fire
and its wheels were all aflame.[z]
10 A river of fire was streaming forth
and proceeding from his presence.
Many thousands were ministering to him;
many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him.[aa]
The court convened[ab]
and the books were opened.
11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching[ac] until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into[ad] the flaming fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their ruling authority had already been removed, though they were permitted to go on living[ae] for a time and a season.
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And with[af] the clouds of the sky[ag]
one like a son of man[ah] was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted[ai] before him.
14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.
All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving[aj] him.
His authority is eternal and will not pass away.[ak]
His kingdom will not be destroyed.[al]
An Angel Interprets Daniel’s Vision
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed,[am] and the visions of my mind[an] were alarming me. 16 I approached one of those standing nearby and asked him about the meaning[ao] of all this. So he spoke with me and revealed[ap] to me the interpretation of the vision:[aq] 17 ‘These large beasts, which are four in number, represent four kings who will arise from the earth. 18 The holy ones[ar] of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will take possession of the kingdom forever and ever.’
19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning[as] of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others. It was very dreadful, with two rows of iron teeth and bronze claws, and it devoured, crushed, and trampled anything that was left with its feet. 20 I also wanted to know[at] the meaning of the ten horns on its head, and of that other horn that came up and before which three others fell. This was the horn that had eyes[au] and a mouth speaking arrogant things, whose appearance was more formidable than the others.[av] 21 While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and was defeating[aw] them, 22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and judgment was rendered[ax] in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. Then the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom.
23 “This is what he told me:[ay]
‘The fourth beast means that there will be a fourth kingdom on earth
that will differ from all the other kingdoms.
It will devour all the earth
and will trample and crush it.
24 The ten horns mean that ten kings
will arise from that kingdom.
Another king will arise after them,
but he will be different from the earlier ones.
He will humiliate[az] three kings.
25 He will speak words against the Most High.
He will harass[ba] the holy ones of the Most High continually.
His intention will be[bb] to change times established by law.[bc]
The holy ones will be delivered into his hand
for a time, times,[bd] and half a time.
26 But the court will convene,[be] and his ruling authority will be removed—
destroyed and abolished forever!
27 Then the kingdom, authority,
and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
will be delivered to the people of the holy ones[bf] of the Most High.
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
all authorities will serve him and obey him.’
28 “This is the conclusion of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and the color drained from my face.[bg] But I kept the matter to myself.”[bh]
Footnotes
- Daniel 7:1 sn The first year of Belshazzar’s reign would have been ca. 553 b.c. Daniel would have been approximately 67 years old at the time of this vision.
- Daniel 7:1 tn Aram “saw.”
- Daniel 7:1 tn Aram “and visions of his head.” The Aramaic is difficult here. Some scholars add a verb thought to be missing (e.g., “the visions of his head [were alarming him]”), but there is no external evidence to support such a decision, and the awkwardness of the text at this point may be original.
- Daniel 7:1 tn Aram “head of words.” The phrase is absent in Theodotion. Cf. NIV’s “the substance of his dream.”
- Daniel 7:2 tn Aram “answered and said.”
- Daniel 7:2 tn Aram “and behold.”
- Daniel 7:2 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
- Daniel 7:2 sn The referent of the great sea is unclear. The common view that the expression refers to the Mediterranean Sea is conjectural.
- Daniel 7:4 tn Aram “heart of a man.”
- Daniel 7:4 sn The identity of the first animal, derived from v. 17 and the parallels in chap. 2, is Babylon. The reference to the plucking of its wings is probably a reference to the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity (cf. chap. 4). The latter part of v. 4 then describes the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar. The other animals have traditionally been understood to represent respectively Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, although most of modern scholarship identifies them as Media, Persia, and Greece. For a biblical parallel to the mention of lion, bear, and leopard together, see Hos 13:7-8.
- Daniel 7:5 tn Aram “and behold.”
- Daniel 7:5 sn The three ribs held securely in the mouth of the bear, perhaps representing Media-Persia, apparently symbolize military conquest, but the exact identity of the “ribs” is not clear. Possibly it is a reference to the Persian conquest of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylonia.
- Daniel 7:5 tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”
- Daniel 7:5 tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”
- Daniel 7:6 tn Aram “this,” as also in v. 7.
- Daniel 7:6 tn Aram “and behold, another one.”
- Daniel 7:6 tn Or “sides.”
- Daniel 7:6 sn If the third animal is Greece, the most likely identification of these four heads is the fourfold division of the empire of Alexander the Great following his death (see note on Dan 8:8).
- Daniel 7:7 tn The Aramaic text has also “and behold,” as also in vv. 8, 13.
- Daniel 7:7 sn The fourth animal differs from the others in that it is nondescript. Apparently it was so fearsome that Daniel could find nothing with which to compare it. Attempts to identify this animal as an elephant or other known creature are conjectural.
- Daniel 7:7 tn The Aramaic word for “teeth” is dual rather than plural, suggesting two rows of teeth.
- Daniel 7:8 tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”
- Daniel 7:8 tn Aram “great,” as also in vv. 11, 20.
- Daniel 7:9 tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers (cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God”).
- Daniel 7:9 tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (neqeʾ) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqyaʾ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word, see further, M. Sokoloff, “ʾamar neqeʾ, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.
- Daniel 7:9 tn Aram “a flaming fire.”
- Daniel 7:10 tn Aram “were standing before him.”
- Daniel 7:10 tn Aram “judgment sat.”
- Daniel 7:11 tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “I was watching” here. It is possible that these words in the MT are a dittography from the first part of the verse.
- Daniel 7:11 tn Aram “and given over to” (so NRSV).
- Daniel 7:12 tn Aram “a prolonging of life was granted to them.”
- Daniel 7:13 tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).
- Daniel 7:13 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
- Daniel 7:13 sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.
- Daniel 7:13 tn Aram “they brought him near.”
- Daniel 7:14 tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”
- Daniel 7:14 tn Aram “is an eternal authority that will not pass away.”
- Daniel 7:14 tn Aram “is one that will not be destroyed.”
- Daniel 7:15 tn The Aramaic text includes the phrase “in its sheath,” apparently viewing the body as a container or receptacle for the spirit somewhat like a sheath or scabbard is for a knife or a sword (cf. NAB “within its sheath of flesh”). For this phrase the LXX and Vulgate have “in these things.”
- Daniel 7:15 tn Aram “head.”
- Daniel 7:16 tn Aram “what is certain.”
- Daniel 7:16 tn Aram “and made known.”
- Daniel 7:16 tn Aram “matter,” but the matter at hand is of course the vision.
- Daniel 7:18 sn The expression holy ones is either a reference to angels, to human beings devoted to God, or to both. The context is an earthly kingdom the holy ones will possess, and man was appointed to rule the earth (Gen 1:28). The holy ones are defeated and harassed by an earthly ruler in 7:21, 25, and human rulers cannot defeat and harass angels. So the holy ones are almost certainly human beings devoted to God.
- Daniel 7:19 tn Aram “to make certain.”
- Daniel 7:20 tn The words “I also wanted to know” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Daniel 7:20 tc The conjunction in the MT before “eyes” is odd. The ancient versions do not seem to presuppose it.
- Daniel 7:20 tn Aram “greater than its companions.”
- Daniel 7:21 tn Aram “prevailing against” (KJV, ASV both similar); NASB “overpowering them”; TEV “conquered them.”
- Daniel 7:22 tc In the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate the verb is active, understanding “judgment” to be the object rather than the subject of the verb (i.e., “the Ancient of Days rendered judgment”). This presupposes a different vocalization of the verb ( יְהַב [yehav] rather than the MT יְהִב [yehiv]).
- Daniel 7:23 tn Aram “thus he said.”
- Daniel 7:24 tn Or “subjugate”; KJV, NASB, NIV “subdue”; ASV, NRSV “put down.”
- Daniel 7:25 tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”
- Daniel 7:25 tn Aram “he will think.”
- Daniel 7:25 tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.
- Daniel 7:25 sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”
- Daniel 7:26 tn Aram “judgment will sit” (KJV similar).
- Daniel 7:27 tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.
- Daniel 7:28 tn Aram “my brightness was changing on me.”
- Daniel 7:28 tn Aram “in my heart.”
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