Revelation 16
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 16
The Seven Bowls of the Wrath of God.[a] 1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, “Go forth and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
2 The first angel went forth and poured out his bowl on the earth. Immediately, foul and malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image.[b]
3 [c]The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. It turned to blood, like the blood of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned to blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
“You are just, O Holy One,
who are and who were,
in these your judgments.
6 For they have shed the blood
of the saints and the Prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink,
as they deserve.”
7 And I heard the altar respond:
“Yes, Lord God Almighty,
true and just are your judgments.”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to burn people with its flames. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had the power to inflict those plagues, but they refused to repent and pay him homage.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.[d] People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, instead of repenting for what they had done.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 I saw three unclean spirits like frogs[e] come forth from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.
14 These are demonic spirits with the power to work miracles. They were sent to the kings of the entire world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
15 [f]“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes close by so that he will not have to go naked and be exposed to shame.” 16 These spirits then assembled the kings at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.[g]
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there followed flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a violent earthquake—so violent that there has never been one like it since the human race has inhabited the earth.
19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed in ruin. Babylon the Great was also remembered by God, as he made her drink the cup filled with the wine of his fury and wrath. 20 Every island vanished, and no mountains were to be found. 21 Huge hailstones, each weighing about one hundred pounds, fell from the sky on the people, and they cursed God on account of the plague of hail that turned out to be so terrible.
Footnotes
- Revelation 16:1 The story of the plagues in Egypt (Ex 7–12) remained deeply inscribed in the imagination of the Jews; once again, as in chapters 8–10 (vision of the trumpets), that story here inspires the description of the final cataclysm of the universe and of the lives of its peoples and nations. The desolating picture shows all the hostile forces united at Armageddon (the Megiddo of the Bible, where King Josiah died with his troops); it became a place of sinister memory, and an omen and symbol of military defeat and even annihilation (see 2 Ki 23:29-30; Zec 12:11). The great city Babylon, i.e., Rome, is collapsing.
- Revelation 16:2 Similar to the sixth plague of Egypt (see Ex 9:8-11).
- Revelation 16:3 Similar to the first plague of Egypt (see Ex 7:20f).
- Revelation 16:10 Similar to the ninth plague of Egypt (see Ex 10:21-23).
- Revelation 16:13 Frogs: an allusion to the second plague of Egypt (see Ex 7:26—8:11).
- Revelation 16:15 This verse interrupts the text. It fits in better in the literary atmosphere of the letters to the Churches, especially Rev 3:3-4, 18. Blessed: the third beatitude (see note on Rev 1:3).
- Revelation 16:16 Armageddon: i.e., the “mountain of Megiddo,” the site of many battles in antiquity (see Jdg 5:19f; 2 Ki 9:27; 2 Chr 35:20-24); it symbolized the final defeat of the powers of evil.
啟示錄 16
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
16 我聽見殿中有宏亮的聲音對七位天使說：「去將那盛滿上帝烈怒的七個碗傾倒在地上。」
2 第一位天使離去，將碗倒在了地上，那些有怪獸的印記、敬拜獸像的人身上長出奇痛無比的毒瘡。
3 第二位天使將碗倒在了海洋裡，海水變得像死人的血，海中的活物都死光了。
4 第三位天使將碗倒在了江河與水泉裡，水就變成了血。 5 我聽見掌管各水源的天使說：
「昔在今在的聖者啊！
你是公義的，
因為你施行了審判。
6 由於他們流了眾聖徒和先知們的血，
現在你使他們喝血，
這正是他們應得的報應。」
7 我又聽見從祭壇發出的聲音說：
「是的，全能的主上帝，
你的判決真實公義。」
8 第四位天使將碗倒在太陽上，太陽就變得炙熱如火，可以灼傷人。 9 人們被炙熱灼傷，就褻瀆掌管這些災禍的上帝的名，他們毫無悔意，不肯歸榮耀給上帝。
10 第五位天使將碗倒在那海中怪獸的座位上，牠的國便被黑暗籠罩，牠的國民痛苦難當，咬自己的舌頭。 11 他們因為痛苦和毒瘡就褻瀆天上的上帝，不肯為自己的所作所為悔改。
12 第六位天使將碗倒在幼發拉底大河上，河水立刻乾了，為東方各國的王預備了道路。 13 我又看見三個像青蛙一樣的污鬼分別從巨龍、怪獸和假先知的口裡跳出來。 14 其實牠們都是鬼魔的靈，能行奇蹟。牠們到普天下召集各王，預備在全能上帝的大日子來臨時聚集爭戰。
15 「看啊！我要像賊一樣出其不意地來到。那警醒等候，看守自己衣裳，不致赤身行走蒙受羞辱的人有福了。」
16 鬼魔把眾王召集到一個希伯來話叫哈米吉多頓的地方。
17 第七位天使將碗倒在空中時，從殿裡的寶座上傳出響亮的聲音說：「成了！」 18 隨後雷電交加，伴隨著巨響，還有空前劇烈的大地震。 19 巴比倫大城裂作三段，其他各國的城邑也都倒塌了。上帝並沒有忘記巴比倫大城的罪惡，要把那杯盛滿祂烈怒的酒給她喝。 20 海島都沉沒了，山嶺也都不見了， 21 又有重達三十四公斤[a]的巨型冰雹從天而降，打在世人身上。世人無法忍受這極大的災禍，就褻瀆上帝。
Footnotes
- 16·21 「三十四公斤」希臘文是「一他連得」。
