Revelation 7

1 After this I saw four angels. One was standing at the north, one at the east, one at the south, and one at the west. They were restraining the winds that blew from all directions [MTY] to keep them from blowing [destructively] on the earth or on the ocean or even on any tree.

After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.

2 I saw another angel come up from the east. He was carrying God’s seal. [With this] seal God, who is all-powerful, marks [his own people to protect them]. The angel called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom [he] had given [power] to harm the earth and the ocean. He said

I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea,

3 [to them], “Do not harm the earth or the ocean or the trees until we [(exc)] have marked the servants of our [(inc)] God on their foreheads.”

saying, “Don’t harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!”

4 [Then the angel and his fellow angels marked all God’s servants]. I heard the number of people who were marked {whom [the angels] marked} [because of their being God’s servants. The number was] 144,000. They were from all the tribes of Israel. [They symbolized the complete number of people whom God would protect].

I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

5 [The angels] marked 12,000 people from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12.000 from the tribe of Issachar,

of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, and 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin.

of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

9 After these things I saw a huge crowd. There were so [many people] that no one would be able to count them. [They were] from every nation, every tribe, every people-group, and every language [MTY]. They were standing before the throne and before [Jesus, the one who is like a] lamb. They were wearing white robes and held palm branches [to wave them in order to celebrate].

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

10 They shouted loudly, “[O] our [(exc)] God, you who sit on the throne, and [Jesus, you who are like a] lamb, [you two] have delivered [us(exc) from Satan’s power]!”

They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living [creatures]. They all bowed down before the throne with their faces [to the ground] and worshipped God.

All the angels were standing around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before his throne, and worshipped God,

12 They said, “May it be so! [We(exc)] praise, thank, and honor [you], our [(exc)] God, forever! [We(exc) acknowledge] that you are completely wise, the powerful one, who is forever able to accomplish everything he wants to. (May everyone acknowlege that it is so!/Amen!)” (aiōn g165)

saying, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honour, power, and might, be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (aiōn g165)

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These [people] who are wearing white robes, [do you know] who they are, and where they come from?”

One of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and where did they come from?”

14 I answered him, “Sir, [I do not know. Surely] you know [who they are]!” He said to me, “These are the people (whom [others] have caused to suffer greatly/who [have been persecuted]). [Because they believed that Jesus, the one who is like a sacrificial] lamb, [atoned for our sin when] his blood [flowed from his body when he died, it is as though] [MET] they have washed their robes and have made them [clean and] white.

I told him, “My lord, you know.” He said to me, “These are those who came out of the great suffering. They washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb’s blood.

15 Because of this, they are in front of God’s throne, and they serve him day and night in his [heavenly temple. God], the one who sits on the throne, will shelter/protect them [MTY].

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.

16 [As a result], they will never again be hungry. They will never again be thirsty. The sun will never again (beat on/burn) them, nor will any heat [scorch them].

They will never be hungry or thirsty any more. The sun won’t beat on them, nor any heat;

17 This is because the [one who is like a] lamb who is at the throne will [take care of them, just like] a shepherd [takes care of his sheep] [MET]. He will guide them [to the source of eternal life, just like a shepherd leads his sheep] to springs of water, [which enable the sheep] to live [MET]. God will [cause them to no longer be sad. It will be as if he were] wiping away all tears from their eyes [MTY].”

for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them and leads them to springs of life-giving waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”