Revelation 7
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 7
An Immense Crowd before God’s Throne.[a] 1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel rising from the east, bearing the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given the power to ravage the land and the sea, 3 “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we have set the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
4 Then I heard how many had been marked with the seal—one hundred and forty-four thousand from all the tribes of Israel:
5 From the tribe of Judah,[b] twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand.
9 After this, in my vision, I witnessed a vast throng that no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and language. They were standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels who were standing around the throne, and around the elders and the four living creatures, prostrated themselves before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen. Praise and glory,
wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor and power and might,
be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders spoke to me and inquired, “Who are these people, all dressed in white robes, and where have they come from?” 14 I replied, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “That is why they stand before the throne of God
and worship him day and night in his temple,
and the one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will never again experience hunger or thirst,
nor will the sun or any scorching heat cause them discomfort.
17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd.
He will guide them to springs of living water,[c]
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 7:1 In 587 B.C., on the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem, the survivors were, so to speak, marked to be preserved from the catastrophe (see Ezek 9). The great fear is not for the community of the persecuted. The calamities that will overtake the world will not touch them. Thus, God gathers together his Elect. They may go through the trial of the years A.D. 66 to 70 and finally the history of the world, which is that of the sufferings of the Church. But they will not fall prey to condemnation. This people that is gathered together is first of all the Remnant of Israel. From each of the twelve tribes there will be twelve thousand survivors: this is a symbolic number meaning fullness and perfection. Then the vision is enlarged: the Remnant becomes a multitude without number, gathered together from amid all the nations of the earth. From all sides come forth the martyrs and all those who endured trials: the whole Church. This is a grandiose celebration of happiness and triumph. In a striking foreshortening, the author sketches a tableau of the Church in the grip of tribulations and persecutions, assisted by Christ, her Shepherd, and led toward her heavenly victory, which anticipates the splendid final vision of the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:1—22:5).
- Revelation 7:5 Judah is placed first because of Christ, who is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5). Manasseh: one of the two halves of the tribe of Joseph that are both cited (the other being Ephraim but called “Joseph” in v. 8)—doubtless in order to make up twelve tribes. Daniel is omitted probably because of a late tradition that the Antichrist was to arise from that tribe.
- Revelation 7:17 Springs of living water: i.e., the grace of God, which flows from Christ (see Rev 21:6; 22:1, 17; Jn 4:10, 14).
Apocalipsa 7
Cornilescu 1924 - Revised 2010, 2014
7 După aceea am văzut patru îngeri care stăteau în picioare în cele patru colţuri ale pământului. Ei ţineau(A) cele patru vânturi ale pământului, ca(B) să nu sufle vânt pe pământ, nici pe mare, nici peste vreun copac. 2 Şi am văzut un alt înger care se suia dinspre răsăritul soarelui şi care avea pecetea Dumnezeului celui viu. El a strigat cu glas tare la cei patru îngeri cărora le fusese dat să vatăme pământul şi marea, 3 zicând: „Nu(C) vătămaţi pământul, nici marea, nici copacii până nu vom pune pecetea(D) pe fruntea(E) slujitorilor Dumnezeului nostru!” 4 Şi(F) am auzit numărul celor ce fuseseră pecetluiţi: o(G) sută patruzeci şi patru de mii din toate seminţiile fiilor lui Israel. 5 Din seminţia lui Iuda, douăsprezece mii erau pecetluiţi; din seminţia lui Ruben, douăsprezece mii; din seminţia lui Gad, douăsprezece mii; 6 din seminţia lui Aşer, douăsprezece mii; din seminţia lui Neftali, douăsprezece mii; din seminţia lui Manase, douăsprezece mii; 7 din seminţia lui Simeon, douăsprezece mii; din seminţia lui Levi, douăsprezece mii; din seminţia lui Isahar, douăsprezece mii; 8 din seminţia lui Zabulon, douăsprezece mii; din seminţia lui Iosif, douăsprezece mii; din seminţia lui Beniamin, douăsprezece mii au fost pecetluiţi. 9 După aceea m-am uitat şi iată că era o mare(H) gloată pe care nu putea s-o numere nimeni, din(I) orice neam, din orice seminţie, din orice norod şi de orice limbă, care stătea în picioare înaintea scaunului de domnie şi înaintea Mielului, îmbrăcaţi(J) în haine albe, cu ramuri de finic în mâini 10 şi strigau cu glas tare şi ziceau: „Mântuirea(K) este a Dumnezeului nostru, care(L) şade pe scaunul de domnie, şi a Mielului!” 11 Şi(M) toţi îngerii stăteau împrejurul scaunului de domnie, împrejurul bătrânilor şi împrejurul celor patru făpturi vii. Şi s-au aruncat cu feţele la pământ în faţa scaunului de domnie şi s-au închinat lui Dumnezeu 12 şi au zis(N): „Amin. Ale Dumnezeului nostru să fie lauda, slava, înţelepciunea, mulţumirile, cinstea, puterea şi tăria în vecii vecilor! Amin.” 13 Şi unul din bătrâni a luat cuvântul şi mi-a zis: „Aceştia, care sunt îmbrăcaţi în haine(O) albe, cine sunt oare? Şi de unde au venit?” 14 „Doamne”, i-am răspuns eu, „Tu ştii”. Şi el mi-a zis: „Aceştia(P) vin din necazul cel mare; ei şi-au spălat(Q) hainele şi le-au albit în sângele Mielului. 15 Pentru aceasta stau ei înaintea scaunului de domnie al lui Dumnezeu şi-I slujesc zi şi noapte în Templul Lui. Cel ce şade pe scaunul de domnie îşi va întinde(R) peste ei cortul Lui. 16 Nu(S) le va mai fi foame, nu le va mai fi sete; nu-i va mai dogori nici(T) soarele, nici vreo altă arşiţă. 17 Căci Mielul, care stă în mijlocul scaunului de domnie, va fi Păstorul lor(U), îi va duce la izvoarele apelor vieţii şi(V) Dumnezeu va şterge orice lacrimă din ochii lor.”
Revelation 7
King James Version
7 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Copyright of the Cornilescu Bible © 1924 belongs to British and Foreign Bible Society. Copyright © 2010, 2014 of the revised edition in Romanian language belongs to the Interconfessional Bible Society of Romania, with the approval of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
