The Two Witnesses
1 An angel gave me a measuring stick and said:
Measure around God's temple. Be sure to include the altar and everyone worshiping there. 2 But don't measure the courtyard outside the temple building. Leave it out. It has been given to those people who don't know God, and they will trample all over the holy city for 42 months. 3 My two witnesses will wear sackcloth, while I let them preach for 1,260 days.
4 These two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in the presence of the Lord who rules the earth. 5 Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths. 6 They have the power to lock up the sky and to keep rain from falling while they are prophesying. And whenever they want to, they can turn water to blood and cause all kinds of terrible troubles on earth.
7 After the two witnesses have finished preaching God's message, the beast that lives in the deep pit will come up and fight against them. It will win the battle and kill them. 8 Their bodies will be left lying in the streets of the same great city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. And this city is spiritually like the city of Sodom or the country of Egypt.
9 For three and a half days the people of every nation, tribe, language, and race will stare at the bodies of these two witnesses and refuse to let them be buried. 10 Everyone on earth will celebrate and be happy. They will give gifts to each other, because of what happened to the two prophets who caused them so much trouble. 11 But three and a half days later, God will breathe life into their bodies. They will stand up, and everyone who sees them will be terrified.
12 The witnesses then heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, “Come up here.” And while their enemies were watching, they were taken up to heaven in a cloud. 13 At that same moment there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were frightened and praised the God who rules in heaven.
14 The second horrible thing has now happened! And the third one will be here soon.
The Seventh Trumpet
15 At the sound of the seventh trumpet, loud voices were heard in heaven. They said,
“Now the kingdom
of this world
belongs to our Lord
and to his Chosen One!
And he will rule
forever and ever!”
16 Then the 24 elders, who were seated on thrones in God's presence, knelt down and worshiped him. 17 They said,
“Lord God All-Powerful,
you are and you were,
and we thank you.
You used your great power
and started ruling.
18 When the nations got angry,
you became angry too!
Now the time has come
for the dead
to be judged.
It is time for you to reward
your servants the prophets
and all your people
who honor your name,
no matter who they are.
It is time to destroy everyone
who has destroyed
the earth.”
19 The door to God's temple in heaven was then opened, and the sacred chest could be seen inside the temple. I saw lightning and heard roars of thunder. The earth trembled and huge hailstones fell to the ground.
الشاهدان
1 وأعطاني أحَدُهُم قَصَبَةً كالقَضيبِ وقالَ لي: «قُمْ، قِسْ هَيكَلَ اللهِ والمَذبَحَ وعُدّ السّاجِدينَ فيهِ. 2 أمّا ساحَةُ الهَيكَلِ الخارِجِيّةُ فاَترُكْها ولا تَقِسْها لأنّها مَتروكَةٌ لِلأُمَمِ، وسيَدوسونَ المدينةَ المُقَدّسَةَ مُدّةَ اَثنَينِ وأربَعينَ شَهرًا. 3 وسأُرسِلُ شاهِدَينِ مِنْ عِندي علَيهِما المُسوحُ، يتَنَبّآنِ مُدّةَ ألفٍ ومِئتينِ وسِتينَ يومًا».
4 هَذانِ الشّاهِدانِ هُما الزّيتونَتانِ والمَنارَتانِ القائِمَتانِ أمامَ رَبّ الأرضِ. 5 فإذا حاوَلَ أحَدٌ أنْ يُؤذِيَهُما، خَرَجتْ مِنْ أفواهِهِما نارٌ تأكُلُ أعداءَهُما. هكذا يَجِبُ أنْ يَهلِكَ كُلّ مَنْ حاوَلَ أنْ يُؤذيَهُما. 6 ولهُما سُلطانٌ على أنْ يُغلِقا السّماءَ، فلا يَنزِلُ المَطَرُ في أيّامِ نُبوءَتِهما، ولهُما سُلطانٌ على أنْ يَجعَلا المِياهَ دَمًا وأنْ يَضرِبا الأرضَ بأنواعِ البَلايا كُلّما أرادا.
7 وما إنْ يُتِمّا شَهادَتَهُما حتى يَجيءَ الوَحشُ الصّاعِدُ مِنَ الهاوِيَةِ ويُصارِعَهُما ويَغلِبَهُما ويَقتُلَهُما. 8 وتَبقى جُثّتاهُما مَطروحَتَينِ في ساحَةِ المدينةِ العَظيمَةِ التي تُدعى، عَلى سَبـيلِ الرّمزِ، سَدومَ أو مِصْرَ حَيثُ ماتَ رَبّهُما مَصلوبًا. 9 ويَنظُرُ النّاسُ مِنْ كُلّ شَعبٍ وقَبـيلةٍ ولِسانٍ وأُمّةٍ إلى جُثّتَيهِما مُدّةَ ثلاثَةِ أيّامٍ ونِصفِ يومٍ، لا يَأذَنونَ لأحَدٍ أنْ يَضَعَهُما في قَبرٍ. 10 ويَشمَتُ بِهِما سُكّانُ الأرضِ ويَبتَهِجونَ ويَتبادَلونَ الهَدايا، لأنّ هذَينِ النّبِـيّينِ أنزَلا بِسُكّانِ الأرضِ عَذابًا شَديدًا.
11 وبَعدَما مَرّتِ الأيّامُ الثّلاثَةُ ونِصفُ اليومِ، دَخَلَت فيهِما رُوحُ حياةٍ مِنَ اللهِ فوَقَفا على أقدامِهِما. ووَقَعَ خَوفٌ شَديدٌ على النّاظِرينَ إلَيهِما، 12 وسَمِعوا صَوتًا عَظيمًا يَصيحُ بِهِما مِنَ السّماءِ: «اَصعَدا إلى هُنا!» فصَعِدا إلى السّماءِ في سحابَةٍ بِمَشهَدٍ مِنْ أعدائِهِما. 13 وحدَثَ في تِلكَ السّاعَةِ زَلزالٌ عَنيفٌ، فاَنهارَ عُشرُ المدينةِ وهَلَكَ بالزّلزالِ سَبعةُ آلافٍ مِنَ النّاسِ، واَرتَعَبَ الباقونَ، فأخَذوا يُمَجّدونَ إلهَ السّماءِ.
14 مَضى الوَيلُ الثّاني، وها هوَ الوَيلُ الثّالِثُ يأْتي سَريعًا.
البوق السابع
15 ونفَخَ الملاكُ السّابــــعُ في بُوقِهِ، فاَرتفَعَتْ أصواتٌ عَظيمةٌ في السّماءِ تَقولُ: «صارَ مُلْكُ العالَمِ لِرَبّنا ولِمَسيحِهِ، فيَملِكُ إلى أبَدِ الدّهورِ». 16 فركَعَ الشّيوخُ الأربعةُ والعِشرونَ الجالِسونَ أمامَ اللهِ على عُروشِهِم واَرتَمَوا على وُجوهِهِم ساجِدينَ للهِ، 17 وقالوا: «نَشكُرُكَ أيّها الرّبّ الإلهُ القَديرُ الذي هوَ كائِنٌ وكانَ، لأنّكَ أظهَرتَ جَبَروتَكَ ومَلَكْتَ. 18 غَضِبَتِ الأُمَمُ، فجاءَت ساعَةُ غَضَبِكَ ودَينونَةُ الأمواتِ حتى تُكافِـئَ عَبـيدَكَ الأنبـياءَ والقِدّيسينَ والمُتّقينَ اَسمَكَ، صِغارًا وكِبارًا، وتُهلِكَ الذينَ كانوا يُهلِكونَ الأرضَ».
19 واَنفَتَحَ هَيكَلُ اللهِ في السّماءِ، فظَهَرَ تابوتُ العَهدِ في الهَيكَلِ، وحَدَثَت بُروقٌ وأصواتٌ ورُعودٌ وزِلازلُ، وسقَطَ برَدٌ كثيرٌ.
