< Daniel 7 >
1 [Previously, ] during the first year that Belshazzar was the king of Babylonia, I had a dream and a vision one night as I lay on my bed. [The next morning] I wrote down what I had dreamed. This is what I wrote:
巴比倫王貝爾沙匝元年,達尼爾睡在床上,作了一夢,在腦海裏見了一些異象;他遂寫下那夢,記述了這事的始末。
2 I, Daniel, had a vision last night. In the vision I saw that strong winds were blowing from all four directions, stirring up [the water in] the ocean.
達尼爾說道:我夜間見了一個異象:看見天上忽然起了四股巨風,震盪了大海,
3 Then [I saw] four beasts coming out of the ocean. All four of them were different.
遂有四種巨獸從海中出來,各有不同的形狀:
4 The first one resembled a lion, but it had wings like an eagle has. But as I watched, something tore off its wings {its wings were pulled off}. The beast was left there, standing on its two hind/rear legs, like a human being stands. And it was given a mind like humans have.
第一個相似獅子,具有鷹的翅膀;我觀看,直至看見牠的翅膀被拔去,由地上被舉起來,兩腳直立像一個人,且給了牠一顆人心。
5 The second beast resembled a bear. It was crouching, and it held between its teeth three ribs [from another animal that it had killed and eaten]. Someone said to it {It was told}, “Stand up and eat as much meat [as you want]!”
又看見另一個獸,就是第二個,相似熊,半身側立,口內牙齒間銜著三根肋骨;有人吩咐牠說:「起來,大量吞食肉罷! 」
6 Then I saw in front of me the third of those beasts. It resembled a leopard, but it had four wings protruding from its back. The wings were like a bird’s wings. It had four heads. It was given the power/authority to rule [people].
後來我又觀看,看見另有一獸,相似豹子,有四個頭,背上有四隻鳥的翅膀,且賜給了牠統治權。
7 In the vision I saw a fourth beast. It was stronger than the other beasts, and it was more terrifying. It crushed other creatures with its huge iron teeth and ate their flesh. The parts of animals that it did not grind with its teeth, it trampled [on the ground]. It was different from the other three beasts: It had ten horns [on its head].
此後,我在夜間的神視中觀看,看見第四個獸,非常可怕,極其兇猛,有巨大的鐵牙,吞噬咬碎,又把剩餘的用腳踐踏;牠與以前各獸不同,尚有十隻角。
8 While I was looking at those horns, I saw a little horn appear [on the head of that beast]. It tore out three of the other horns. This little horn had eyes like humans have, and it had a mouth [with which it spoke] very boastfully.
我定睛注視這些角時,看見在那些角中又生出另一隻小角,在這小角前面,以前的角中有三隻角竟被連根拔除;看,小角上還有眼睛,相似人的眼睛,有一個誇大的口。
9 [Then] while I watched, thrones were put in the places [where they belonged], and [God], the one who had been living forever, sat on one of the thrones. His clothes were as white as snow, and his hair was as white as pure/clean wool. His throne had wheels that were blazing with fire, and his throne was [also] blazing.
我觀望直到安置了寶座,上面坐著一位萬古常存者,他的衣服潔白如雪,他的頭髮潔白如羊毛,他的寶座好似火燄,寶座的輪子如同烈火。
10 A fire was rushing out of in front of him like a stream. Many thousands [of people] (OR, [angels]) [were there] serving him, and millions [of other people] (OR, [angels]) were standing in front of him. They started (the court session/judging people), and they opened the books [in which they had written the record of all the good and bad things that people had done].
一道火河湧出,從他面前流下,有千萬服事他的,有億兆侍立在他面前的,審判者已坐堂,案卷已展開。
11 While I was watching, I could hear the little horn speaking very boastfully. As I [continued to] watch, the [fourth] beast was killed. Its corpse was thrown into a fire and completely burned.
那時,我因那隻角說出大話而注意觀望,一直觀望到那獸被殺,牠的屍體被撕毀,被投入火內。
12 The power/authority of the other [three] beasts was taken away from them, but they were allowed to continue to live for a while.
至於其餘的獸,他們的統治權被剝奪;至於牠們的壽命,也被注定直到某一個時候和期限。
13 While I [continued to] see the vision that night, I saw someone who resembled a human being. He was coming [closer to me], surrounded by clouds. Then he was taken to [God], the one who had been living forever.
我仍在夜間的神視中觀望;看見一位相似人子者,乘著天上的雲彩而來,走向萬古常存者,遂即被引到他面前。
14 He was honored and given great authority to rule over all the nations in the world, in order that people from every people-group and every nation, people from all language groups, would worship/serve him. He will rule forever; he will never stop ruling. The kingdom that he rules will never be destroyed.
他便賜給似人子者統治權、尊榮和國度,各民族、各邦國及各異語人民都要侍奉他;他的王權是永遠的王權,永存不替,他的國度永不滅亡。
15 As for me, Daniel, I was very terrified by what I had seen in that vision, and I did not know what to think about it.
我達尼爾,因此心中憂愁,我所見的異象使我煩亂,
16 I went to one of those who were standing in front of the throne of God, and I asked him to tell me what it meant. So he told me the meaning of it.
我遂走近一位侍者,問他關於這一切事的實情;他便告訴了我,使我知道這些事的意義說:「
17 [He said], “The four huge beasts represent four kingdoms/empires that will exist on the earth.
這四個巨獸就是將在世界上興起的四個君王;
18 But the Supreme God will give power/authority to his people [to rule], and they shall rule forever.”
但至高者的聖民要承受王國,永遠佔有,直至萬世萬代。」
19 Then I wanted to know what the fourth beast signified—[the beast] that was different from the other three, the beast that crushed [those that it attacked] with its bronze claws, and [then] ate [their flesh] with its iron teeth, and trampled on the parts of their bodies [that it did not eat].
當時我又想知道有關那第四個獸的實情,因為牠與眾不同,非常可怕,牠的牙是鐵的,爪是銅的,吞噬咬碎,又把剩餘的用腳踐踏。
20 [I also wanted to know about] the ten horns on its head, and about the horn that appeared later, which got rid of three of the other horns. [I wanted to know what it meant that] it had eyes and a mouth with which it spoke very boastfully. [The beast that was represented by] that horn was more terrifying than the other beasts.
我又願意知道牠頭上的那十隻角及生於其中的那另一隻角,即那隻使三隻角墮於牠前的角,這角還有眼睛,有誇大的口,並且它的形狀比其餘的角都大。
21 While I was having the vision, I saw that this horn attacked God’s people and was defeating them.
我觀看,看見這隻角正在與聖民交戰,竟戰勝了他們,
22 But then the Supreme God, the one who had been living forever, came and judged in favor of the people who belonged to him. And [I knew that] it was time for God’s people to receive authority [to rule].
直到萬古常存者降來,為至高者的聖民伸冤,於是期限到了,而眾聖民取得了國權。
23 [Then] the man who was standing there said [to me], “The fourth beast represents an empire that will exist on the earth; that [empire] will be different from all [other] empires. [The army of] that empire will crush/kill [people all over] the world and trample [on their bodies].
侍者告訴我說:「這第四個獸就是將在世界上興起的地四個國,她與其他各國不同,她要併吞、蹂躪且粉碎天下。
24 As for its ten horns, they represent ten kings who will rule that empire, [one after the other]. Then another [king] will appear. He will be different from the previous kings. He will defeat the three kings [that were represented by the three horns that were pulled out].
至於那十隻角,即指將由此國而興起的十個君王;他們以後,將興起另一位君王,他與以前者不同,他要制勝三個君王,
25 He will revile the Supreme God, and he will oppress God’s people. He will try to change the [sacred] festivals and their [religious] laws/regulations. He will control them for three and a half years.
他要說褻瀆至高者的話,企圖消滅至高者的聖民,擅自改變節慶和法律;聖民將被交在他手中,直到一段時期,另兩段時期和半段時期;
26 But there will be a session/meeting of the court/judges in heaven, and that king’s authority/power will be taken away, and he will be completely destroyed.
然後審判者要坐堂,奪去他的統治權,將他永遠消滅,
27 Then all the power and the greatness of all the kingdoms on the earth will be given to the people who belong to the Supreme God. The kingdom that he rules (OR, they rule) will endure forever. And the rulers of all the nations on the earth will serve and obey him (OR, them).”
將王國的統治權和天下萬邦的尊威,賜給至高者的聖民:他的國是永遠的國,一切邦國都要服事他,順從他。
28 That is [what I saw in] my vision/dream. I, Daniel, was terrified, with the result that my face became pale. But I did not tell anyone about the vision [that I had seen].
此事敘述至此結束,我達尼爾心中十分煩亂,面色都改變了,但我仍將此事存在心中。