Revelation 11
Contemporary English Version
The Two Witnesses
11 (A) An angel gave me a measuring stick and said:
Measure around God's temple. Be sure to include the altar and everyone worshiping there. 2 (B) But don't measure the courtyard outside the temple building. Leave it out. It has been given to those people who don't know God, and they will trample all over the holy city for 42 months. 3 My two witnesses will wear sackcloth,[a] while I let them preach for 1,260 days.
4 (C) These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth. 5 Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths. 6 (D) They have the power to lock up the sky and to keep rain from falling while they are prophesying. And whenever they want to, they can turn water to blood and cause all kinds of terrible troubles on earth.
7 (E) After the two witnesses have finished preaching God's message, the beast that lives in the deep pit will come up and fight against them. It will win the battle and kill them. 8 (F) Their bodies will be left lying in the streets of the same great city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. And this city is spiritually like the city of Sodom or the country of Egypt.
9 For three and a half days the people of every nation, tribe, language, and race will stare at the bodies of these two witnesses and refuse to let them be buried. 10 Everyone on earth will celebrate and be happy. They will give gifts to each other, because of what happened to the two prophets who caused them so much trouble. 11 (G) But three and a half days later, God will breathe life into their bodies. They will stand up, and everyone who sees them will be terrified.
12 (H) The witnesses then heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, “Come up here.” And while their enemies were watching, they were taken up to heaven in a cloud. 13 (I) At that same moment there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were frightened and praised the God who rules in heaven.
14 The second horrible thing has now happened! And the third one will be here soon.
The Seventh Trumpet
15 (J) At the sound of the seventh trumpet, loud voices were heard in heaven. They said,
“Now the kingdom
of this world
belongs to our Lord
and to his Chosen One!
And he will rule
forever and ever!”
16 Then the 24 elders, who were seated on thrones in God's presence, knelt down and worshiped him. 17 They said,
“Lord God All-Powerful,
you are and you were,
and we thank you.
You used your great power
and started ruling.
18 (K) When the nations got angry,
you became angry too!
Now the time has come
for the dead
to be judged.
It is time for you to reward
your servants the prophets
and all your people
who honor your name,
no matter who they are.
It is time to destroy everyone
who has destroyed
the earth.”
19 (L) The door to God's temple in heaven was then opened, and the sacred chest[b] could be seen inside the temple. I saw lightning and heard roars of thunder. The earth trembled and huge hailstones fell to the ground.
Revelation 11
New King James Version
The Two Witnesses
11 Then I was given (A)a reed like a measuring rod. [a]And the angel stood, saying, (B)“Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out (C)the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, (D)for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will (E)tread the holy city underfoot for (F)forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two (G)witnesses, (H)and they will prophesy (I)one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the (J)two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the [b]God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, (K)fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. (L)And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These (M)have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
The Witnesses Killed
7 When they (N)finish their testimony, (O)the beast that ascends (P)out of the bottomless pit (Q)will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of (R)the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, (S)where also [c]our Lord was crucified. 9 (T)Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations [d]will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, (U)and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 (V)And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, (W)and send gifts to one another, (X)because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
The Witnesses Resurrected
11 (Y)Now after the three-and-a-half days (Z)the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And [e]they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” (AA)And they ascended to heaven (AB)in a cloud, (AC)and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour (AD)there was a great earthquake, (AE)and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid (AF)and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 (AG)The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed
15 Then (AH)the seventh angel sounded: (AI)And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, (AJ)“The [f]kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, (AK)and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And (AL)the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and (AM)worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One (AN)who is and who was [g]and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power (AO)and reigned.
18 The nations were (AP)angry, and Your [h]wrath has come,
And the time of the (AQ)dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then (AR)the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of [i]His covenant was seen in His temple. And (AS)there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, (AT)and great hail.
Footnotes
- Revelation 11:1 NU, M omit And the angel stood
- Revelation 11:4 NU, M Lord
- Revelation 11:8 NU, M their
- Revelation 11:9 NU, M see . . . and will not allow
- Revelation 11:12 M I
- Revelation 11:15 NU, M kingdom . . . has become the kingdom
- Revelation 11:17 NU, M omit and who is to come
- Revelation 11:18 anger
- Revelation 11:19 M the covenant of the Lord
啟示錄 11
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
兩位見證人
11 有一根杆子賜給我當量尺，同時有聲音吩咐我說：「起來，量一量上帝的殿和祭壇，並數點在殿裡敬拜的人。 2 你不用量聖殿的外院，因為這部分已經給了外族人，他們要踐踏聖城四十二個月。 3 我要賜權柄給我的兩個見證人，他們將身穿麻衣，傳道一千二百六十天。」
4 這兩位見證人就是豎立在世界之主面前的那兩棵橄欖樹和兩座燈臺。 5 若有人要傷害他們，他們便從口中噴出火焰，燒滅敵人；若有人企圖加害他們，必定會這樣被殺。 6 他們擁有權能，在傳道期間可以關閉天空使雨不降在地上，又有權使水變成血，並隨時用各樣的災禍擊打世界。
7 當他們做完見證以後，從無底坑上來的獸要和他們交戰，並戰勝他們，把他們殺掉。 8 他們便陳屍在大城的街上，這大城按寓意名叫所多瑪，又名埃及，是他們的主被釘在十字架上的地方。 9 三天半之久，他們的屍體不得埋葬，各民族、各部落、各語言族群、各國家的人都觀看他們的屍體。 10 地上萬民便興高采烈，互相送禮道賀，因為這兩位先知曾使地上的人受苦。
11 三天半過後，上帝的生命之氣進入二人裡面，他們便站立起來。看見的人都害怕極了！ 12 接著天上有大聲音呼喚他們說：「上這裡來！」他們就在敵人的注視下駕雲升上天去。 13 就在那一刻，發生了強烈的地震，那座城的十分之一倒塌了，因地震死亡的共七千人，生還者都在恐懼中將榮耀歸給天上的上帝。
14 第二樣災難過去了，第三樣災難又接踵而來！
第七位天使吹號
15 第七位天使吹響號角的時候，天上有大聲音說：「世上的國度現在已經屬於我們的主和祂所立的基督了。祂要作王，直到永永遠遠。」 16 在上帝面前，坐在自己座位上的二十四位長老都一同俯伏敬拜上帝，說：
17 「主啊！昔在、今在的全能上帝啊！
我們感謝你，
因你已施展大能作王了。
18 世上的列國曾向你發怒，
現在是你向他們發烈怒的日子了。
時候已到，你要審判死人，
你要賞賜你的奴僕、先知、聖徒
和一切不論尊卑敬畏你名的人，
你要毀滅那些毀壞世界的人。」
19 那時，天上上帝的聖殿敞開了，殿內的約櫃清晰可見，又有閃電、巨響、雷鳴、地震和大冰雹。
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
