Add parallel Print Page Options

七印封严的书卷

我看见坐宝座的右手中有书卷,里外都写着字,用七印封严了。 我又看见一位大力的天使大声宣传说:“有谁配展开那书卷,揭开那七印呢?” 在天上、地上、地底下,没有能展开、能观看那书卷的。 因为没有配展开、配观看那书卷的,我就大哭。 长老中有一位对我说:“不要哭。看哪,犹大支派中的狮子,大卫的根,他已得胜,能以展开那书卷、揭开那七印!”

唯有羔羊配开

我又看见宝座与四活物并长老之中有羔羊站立,像是被杀过的,有七角七眼,就是神的七灵,奉差遣往普天下去的。 这羔羊前来,从坐宝座的右手里拿了书卷。 他既拿了书卷,四活物和二十四位长老就俯伏在羔羊面前,各拿着琴和盛满了香的金炉。这香就是众圣徒的祈祷。 他们唱新歌,说:“你配拿书卷,配揭开七印,因为你曾被杀,用自己的血从各族、各方、各民、各国中买了人来,叫他们归于神, 10 又叫他们成为国民做祭司,归于神,在地上执掌王权。”

称赞神和羔羊

11 我又看见且听见宝座与活物并长老的周围有许多天使的声音,他们的数目有千千万万, 12 大声说:“曾被杀的羔羊是配得权柄、丰富、智慧、能力、尊贵、荣耀、颂赞的!” 13 我又听见在天上、地上、地底下、沧海里和天地间一切所有被造之物都说:“但愿颂赞、尊贵、荣耀、权势都归给坐宝座的和羔羊,直到永永远远!” 14 四活物就说:“阿门!”众长老也俯伏敬拜。

The Lion Is a Lamb

1-2 I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One Seated on the Throne. It was written on both sides, fastened with seven seals. I also saw a powerful Angel, calling out in a voice like thunder, “Is there anyone who can open the scroll, who can break its seals?”

There was no one—no one in Heaven, no one on earth, no one from the underworld—able to break open the scroll and read it.

4-5 I wept and wept and wept that no one was found able to open the scroll, able to read it. One of the Elders said, “Don’t weep. Look—the Lion from Tribe Judah, the Root of David’s Tree, has conquered. He can open the scroll, can rip through the seven seals.”

6-10 So I looked, and there, surrounded by Throne, Animals, and Elders, was a Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall. Seven horns he had, and seven eyes, the Seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth. He came to the One Seated on the Throne and took the scroll from his right hand. The moment he took the scroll, the Four Animals and Twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb. Each had a harp and each had a bowl, a gold bowl filled with incense, the prayers of God’s holy people. And they sang a new song:

Worthy! Take the scroll, open its seals.
Slain! Paying in blood, you bought men and women,
Bought them back from all over the earth,
Bought them back for God.
Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God,
Priest-kings to rule over the earth.

11-14 I looked again. I heard a company of Angels around the Throne, the Animals, and the Elders—ten thousand times ten thousand their number, thousand after thousand after thousand in full song:

The slain Lamb is worthy!
Take the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength!
Take the honor, the glory, the blessing!

Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:

To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!
The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,
For age after age after age.

The Four Animals called out, “Oh, Yes!” The Elders fell to their knees and worshiped.

The Scroll with Seven Seals and the Lamb

And I saw in the right hand of the one who is seated on the throne a scroll, written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as though slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth. And he came and took the scroll[a] from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one of whom had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they were singing a new song, saying,

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slaughtered,
    and bought people for God by your blood
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they will reign on the earth.”

11 And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and of the living creatures and of the elders, and their number was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands times thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered
    to receive power and riches
    and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

13 And I heard every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and everything in them saying,

“To the one who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise and honor and glory and power[b]
    forever and ever[c].”

14 And the four living creatures were saying, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 5:7 A very few less important manuscripts supply the words “the scroll” here; in Greek the direct object (“the scroll”) is frequently understood anyway and must be supplied in the English translation
  2. Revelation 5:13 Or “sovereignty”
  3. Revelation 5:13 Literally “for the ages of the ages”