|
Revelation 1 1 Then I saw a beast come out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads; on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads blasphemous name (s). 我看见从海里上来一只兽，它有十只角和七个头，角上有十个王冠，头上有亵圣的名号。 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear's, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. 2 To it the dragon gave its own power and throne, along with great authority. 我所看见的那兽，相似豹子，它的脚像熊脚，它的口象狮子口；那龙遂把自己的能力、宝座和大权交给了它。 3 I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed. 3 Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast. 我看见那兽的头中，有一个似乎受了致死的伤，但它那致死的伤却治好了；故此全地的人都惊奇，而跟随了那兽。 4 They worshiped the dragon because it gave its authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast 4 and said, ＂Who can compare with the beast or who can fight against it?＂ 世人遂都朝拜那龙，因为它把权柄赐给了那兽；世人朝拜那兽说：＂谁可与这兽相比？谁能和它交战？＂ 5 5 6 The beast was given a mouth uttering proud boasts and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for forty-two months. 又赐给了那兽一张说大话和亵圣的口，并且赐给了它可妄为四十二个月的权柄； 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling and those who dwell in heaven. 它便张开自己的口，向天主说亵渎的话，亵渎他的圣名、他的帐幕和那些居住在天上的人。 7 It was also allowed to wage war against the holy ones and conquer them, and it was granted authority over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation. 又允许它可与圣徒们交战，且战胜他们；又赐给它制服各支派、各民族、各异语和各邦国的权柄。 8 All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all whose names were not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb who was slain. 地上的居民，凡名字从创造之初没有记录在被宰杀的羔羊生命册中的人，都要朝拜它。 9 Whoever has ears ought to hear these words. 谁若有耳朵，就听罢！ 10 Anyone destined for captivity goes into captivity. Anyone destined to be slain by the sword shall be slain by the sword. Such is the faithful endurance of the holy ones. 谁若该被俘掳，就去受俘掳；谁若该受刀杀，就去受刀杀：圣徒们的坚忍和忠信即在于此。 11 7 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb's but spoke like a dragon. 以后我看见另一只兽由地中上来，它有两只相似羔羊的角，说话却相似龙。 12 It wielded all the authority of the first beast in its sight and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 它在那前一只兽面前，施行前一只兽所有的一切权柄，使大地和居住在地上的人，朝拜前一只兽，就是那只受过致死的伤而被治好的兽。 13 It performed great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of everyone. 它又行大奇迹，甚至在众人面前使火从天降到地上。 14 It deceived the inhabitants of the earth with the signs it was allowed to perform in the sight of the first beast, telling them to make an image for the beast who had been wounded by the sword and revived. 它因着在那兽面前所行的那些奇迹，迷惑了地上的居民，便劝告地上的居民，给那受过刀伤而还活着的兽，立一个像。 15 It was then permitted to breathe life into the beast's image, so that the beast's image could speak and (could) have anyone who did not worship it put to death. 它又得了能力，把生气赋给那兽像，甚至叫那兽像说话，并使那些凡不朝拜兽像的人死亡。 16 It forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image on their right hands or their foreheads, 它给所有的人，无论大小贫富，自主的和为奴的，都在他们的右手上，或在他们的额上，打了一个印号； 17 so that no one could buy or sell except one who had the stamped image of the beast's name or the number that stood for its name. 如此，除非有这印号的，就是有那兽的名字或它名字的数字的，谁也不能买，谁也不能卖。 18 8 Wisdom is needed here; one who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six. 在这里应有智慧：凡有明悟的，就让他计算一下那兽的数字，因为是人的数字，它的数字是六百六十六。 Footnotes(注解) 1 [1-10] This wild beast, combining features of the four beasts in Daniel 7:2-28, symbolizes the 2 [2] Satan (Rev 12:9), the prince of this world (John 12:31), commissioned the beast to persecute the church (Rev 13:5-7). 3 [3] This may be a reference to the popular legend that Nero would come back to life and rule again after his death (which occurred in A.D. 68 from a self-inflicted stab wound in the throat); cf Rev 13:14; Rev 17:8. Domitian (A.D. 81-96) embodied all the cruelty and impiety of Nero. Cf Introduction. 4 [4] Worshiped the beast: allusion to emperor worship, which Domitian insisted upon and ruthlessly enforced. Who can compare with the beast: perhaps a deliberate parody of the name Michael; see the note on Rev 12:7. 5 [5-6] Domitian, like Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Daniel 7:8, 11, 25), demanded that he be called by divine titles such as ＂our lord and god＂ and ＂Jupiter.＂ See the note on Rev 11:2. 6 [5] Forty-two months: this is the same duration as the profanation of the holy city (Rev 11:2), the prophetic mission of the two witnesses (Rev 11:3), and the retreat of the woman into the desert (Rev 12:6, 14). 7 [11-18] The second beast is described in terms of the false prophets (cf Rev 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) who accompany the false messiahs (the first beast); cf Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; 2 Thes 2:9; cf also Deut 13:2-4. Christians had either to worship the emperor and his image or to suffer martyrdom. 8 [18] Each of the letters of the alphabet in Hebrew as well as in Greek has a numerical value. Many possible combinations of letters will add up to 666, and many candidates have been nominated for this infamous number. The most likely is the emperor Caesar Nero (see the note on Rev 13:3), the Greek form of whose name in Hebrew letters gives the required sum. (The Latin form of this name equals 616, which is the reading of a few manuscripts.) Nero personifies the emperors who viciously persecuted the church. It has also been observed that ＂6＂ represents imperfection, falling short of the perfect number ＂7,＂ and is represented here in a triple or superlative form. |
|
||||||
    |
||||||
