Guds tjenere på jorden blandt jøderne
1Derefter så jeg fire engle stå ved de fire verdenshjørner. De holdt jordens fire vinde tilbage, så de ikke kunne blæse over land og hav eller mod noget træ. 2En femte engel trådte frem i den østlige horisont, og han havde den levende Guds segl med sig. Han råbte med høj røst til de fire engle, som havde fået magt til at skade både jord og hav: 3„Rør ikke jorden eller havet eller noget træ, før vi har mærket vores Guds tjeneres pander med hans segl.” 4Jeg hørte tallet på de beseglede. Det var 144.000 af alle Israels stammer, 5-812.000 fra hver af de 12 stammer: Juda, Ruben, Gad, Asher, Naftali, Manasse, Simeon, Levi, Issakar, Zebulon, Josef og Benjamin.
Den store flok i Himlen af frelste fra alle folkeslag
9Derefter lagde jeg mærke til en stor flok mennesker, som stod foran Lammet og Guds trone i Himlen, klædt i lange, hvide dragter og med palmegrene i hænderne. Der var mennesker fra alle folkeslag og sprog, og der var så mange, at ingen kunne tælle dem. 10De råbte: „Frelsen kom fra vores Gud, som sidder på tronen, og fra Lammet!”
11Alle englene stod i en kreds omkring Guds trone og de 24 medregenter og de fire levende væsener. De faldt på knæ foran tronen, og med ansigtet mod jorden hyldede de Gud: 12„Ja, det er rigtigt! Gud skal have ære, tak og lovprisning i al evighed. Han har al herlighed, visdom, kraft og magt. Amen!”
13En af medregenterne vendte sig til mig og sagde: „Ved du, hvem de mennesker i hvide dragter er? Ved du, hvor de er kommet fra?”
14„Nej, herre,” svarede jeg, „men du ved det.”
„De er kommet ud af den store trængsel,” sagde han. „De har gjort deres dragter rene i Lammets blod, så de er helt hvide. 15Derfor står de nu foran Guds trone og tjener ham dag og nat i hans helligdom. Han, som sidder på tronen, vil tage sig af dem, 16og de skal aldrig mere sulte eller tørste eller døje under sol og hede. 17Lammet, der står ved tronen, vil være deres hyrde og lede dem til kilden med det livgivende vand, og Gud vil tørre hver tåre af deres kinder.”
144,000 sealed
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3‘Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ 4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
The great multitude in white robes
9After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’
11All the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12saying:
‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honour
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!’
13Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?’
14I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’
And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore,
‘they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16“Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,”7:16 Isaiah 49:10
nor any scorching heat.
17For the Lamb at the centre of the throne
will be their shepherd;
“he will lead them to springs of living water.”7:17 Isaiah 49:10
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”7:17 Isaiah 25:8’
