Ouverture du septième sceau : un grand silence

Quand l’Agneau ouvrit le septième sceau, il se fit dans le ciel un silence d’environ une demi-heure.

Les sept trompettes

Alors je vis les sept anges qui se tiennent devant Dieu. Sept trompettes leur furent données.

Un autre ange vint et se plaça sur l’autel. Il portait un encensoir d’or. On lui remit de nombreux parfums pour les offrir sur l’autel d’or devant le trône avec les prières des membres du peuple saint. Et, de la main de l’ange, la fumée des parfums s’éleva devant Dieu, avec les prières des membres du peuple saint.

L’ange prit l’encensoir, le remplit de braises ardentes prises sur l’autel et le lança sur la terre. Il y eut alors des coups de tonnerre, des voix, des éclairs et un tremblement de terre.

Alors les sept anges qui tenaient les sept trompettes s’apprêtèrent à en sonner.

Les quatre premières trompettes

Le premier ange sonna de la trompette : aussitôt de la grêle[a] mêlée de feu et de sang s’abattit sur la terre. Le tiers de la terre fut brûlé, le tiers des arbres fut brûlé et toute plante verte fut brûlée.

Le deuxième ange sonna de la trompette : une énorme masse incandescente ressemblant à une montagne embrasée fut précipitée dans la mer. Le tiers de la mer devint comme du sang. Le tiers des créatures vivantes dans la mer périrent et le tiers des bateaux furent détruits.

10 Le troisième ange sonna de la trompette : un grand astre enflammé, une sorte de globe de feu, tomba du ciel sur le tiers des fleuves et sur les sources d’eau. 11 Cet astre se nomme « Absinthe ». Le tiers des eaux se transforma en un liquide amer comme l’absinthe et beaucoup d’hommes moururent pour avoir bu ces eaux parce qu’elles étaient devenues amères.

12 Le quatrième ange sonna de la trompette : le tiers du soleil, le tiers de la lune et le tiers des étoiles furent frappés, de sorte que le tiers de leur lumière s’éteignit, et la clarté du jour, comme celle de la nuit, diminua d’un tiers.

L’annonce de trois malheurs

13 Alors je vis un aigle qui planait au zénith et je l’entendis crier d’une voix forte : Malheur, malheur, malheur aux habitants de la terre, quand retentiront les trois trompettes que les trois derniers anges vont faire sonner !

Footnotes

  1. 8.7 Ces fléaux rappellent les plaies d’Egypte (comparer Ex 9.13-25).

Quand il ouvrit le septième sceau, il y eut dans le ciel un silence d'environ une demi-heure.

Et je vis les sept anges qui se tiennent devant Dieu, et sept trompettes leur furent données.

Et un autre ange vint, et il se tint sur l'autel, ayant un encensoir d'or; on lui donna beaucoup de parfums, afin qu'il les offrît, avec les prières de tous les saints, sur l'autel d'or qui est devant le trône.

La fumée des parfums monta, avec les prières des saints, de la main de l'ange devant Dieu.

Et l'ange prit l'encensoir, le remplit du feu de l'autel, et le jeta sur la terre. Et il y eut des voix, des tonnerres, des éclairs, et un tremblement de terre.

Et les sept anges qui avaient les sept trompettes se préparèrent à en sonner.

Le premier sonna de la trompette. Et il y eut de la grêle et du feu mêlés de sang, qui furent jetés sur la terre; et le tiers de la terre fut brûlé, et le tiers des arbres fut brûlé, et toute herbe verte fut brûlée.

Le second ange sonna de la trompette. Et quelque chose comme une grande montagne embrasée par le feu fut jeté dans la mer; et le tiers de la mer devint du sang,

et le tiers des créatures qui étaient dans la mer et qui avaient vie mourut, et le tiers des navires périt.

10 Le troisième ange sonna de la trompette. Et il tomba du ciel une grande étoile ardente comme un flambeau; et elle tomba sur le tiers des fleuves et sur les sources des eaux.

11 Le nom de cette étoile est Absinthe; et le tiers des eaux fut changé en absinthe, et beaucoup d'hommes moururent par les eaux, parce qu'elles étaient devenues amères.

12 Le quatrième ange sonna de la trompette. Et le tiers du soleil fut frappé, et le tiers de la lune, et le tiers des étoiles, afin que le tiers en fût obscurci, et que le jour perdît un tiers de sa clarté, et la nuit de même.

13 Je regardai, et j'entendis un aigle qui volait au milieu du ciel, disant d'une voix forte: Malheur, malheur, malheur aux habitants de la terre, à cause des autres sons de la trompette des trois anges qui vont sonner!

Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

When(A) He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (B)And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, (C)and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with (D)the prayers of all the saints upon (E)the golden altar which was before the throne. And (F)the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And (G)there were noises, thunderings, (H)lightnings, (I)and an earthquake.

So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck

The first angel sounded: (J)And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown (K)to the [a]earth. And a third (L)of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck

Then the second angel sounded: (M)And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, (N)and a third of the sea (O)became blood. (P)And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck

10 Then the third angel sounded: (Q)And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, (R)and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (S)The name of the star is Wormwood. (T)A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck

12 (U)Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day [b]did not shine, and likewise the night.

13 And I looked, (V)and I heard an [c]angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, (W)“Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 8:7 NU, M add and a third of the earth was burned up
  2. Revelation 8:12 had no light
  3. Revelation 8:13 NU, M eagle

The Seventh Seal

Now[a] when the Lamb[b] opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then[c] I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another[d] angel holding[e] a golden censer[f] came and was stationed[g] at the altar. A[h] large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne. The[i] smoke coming from the incense,[j] along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then[k] the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring,[l] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Now[m] the seven angels holding[n] the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The[o] first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that[p] a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Then[q] the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A[r] third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures[s] living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed.[t]

10 Then[u] the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky;[v] it landed[w] on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (Now[x] the name of the star is[y] Wormwood.)[z] So[aa] a third of the waters became wormwood,[ab] and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.[ac]

12 Then[ad] the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day[ae] and for a third of the night likewise. 13 Then[af] I looked, and I heard an[ag] eagle[ah] flying directly overhead,[ai] proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”[aj]

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 8:1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption of the topic of the seals.
  2. Revelation 8:1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the Lamb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. Revelation 8:2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  4. Revelation 8:3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  5. Revelation 8:3 tn Grk “having.”
  6. Revelation 8:3 sn A golden censer was a bowl in which incense was burned. The imagery suggests the OT role of the priest.
  7. Revelation 8:3 tn The verb “to station” was used to translate ἑστάθη (hestathē) because it connotes the idea of purposeful arrangement in English, which seems to be the idea in the Greek.
  8. Revelation 8:3 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  9. Revelation 8:4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  10. Revelation 8:4 tn The expression τῶν θυμιαμάτων (tōn thumiamatōn) is taken as a “genitive of producer,” i.e., the noun in the genitive produces the head noun.
  11. Revelation 8:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  12. Revelation 8:5 tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”
  13. Revelation 8:6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  14. Revelation 8:6 tn Grk “having.”
  15. Revelation 8:7 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  16. Revelation 8:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” because what follows has the logical force of a result clause.
  17. Revelation 8:8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  18. Revelation 8:8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  19. Revelation 8:9 tn Or “a third of the living creatures in the sea”; Grk “the third of the creatures which were in the sea, the ones having life.”
  20. Revelation 8:9 tn On the term translated “completely destroyed,” L&N 20.40 states, “to cause the complete destruction of someone or something—‘to destroy utterly.’ τὸ τρίτον τῶν πλοίων διεφθάρησαν ‘a third of the ships were completely destroyed’ Re 8:9.”
  21. Revelation 8:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  22. Revelation 8:10 tn Or “from heaven” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
  23. Revelation 8:10 tn Grk “fell.”
  24. Revelation 8:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” in keeping with the parenthetical nature of this remark.
  25. Revelation 8:11 tn Grk “is called,” but this is somewhat redundant in contemporary English.
  26. Revelation 8:11 sn Wormwood refers to a particularly bitter herb with medicinal value. According to L&N 3.21, “The English term wormwood is derived from the use of the plant as a medicine to kill intestinal worms.” This remark about the star’s name is parenthetical in nature.
  27. Revelation 8:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the star falling on the waters.
  28. Revelation 8:11 tn That is, terribly bitter (see the note on “Wormwood” earlier in this verse).
  29. Revelation 8:11 tn Grk “and many of the men died from these waters because they were bitter.”
  30. Revelation 8:12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  31. Revelation 8:12 tn Grk “the day did not shine [with respect to] the third of it.”
  32. Revelation 8:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
  33. Revelation 8:13 tn Grk “one eagle.”
  34. Revelation 8:13 tc MA reads “angel” (ἀγγέλου, angelou) instead of “eagle” (ἀετοῦ, aetou), a reading strongly supported by א A 046 MK and several versions. On external grounds, ἀετοῦ is clearly the superior reading. ἀγγέλου could have arisen inadvertently due to similarities in spelling or sound between ἀετοῦ and ἀγγέλου. It may also have been intentional in order to bring this statement in line with 14:6 where an angel is mentioned as the one flying in midair. This seems a more likely reason, strengthened by the facts that the book only mentions eagles two other times (4:7; 12:14). Further, the immediate as well as broad context is replete with references to angels.
  35. Revelation 8:13 tn Concerning the word μεσουράνημα (mesouranēma), L&N 1.10 states, “a point or region of the sky directly above the earth—‘high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.’ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἁετοῦ πετομένου ἐν μεσουρανήματι ‘I looked, and I heard an eagle that was flying overhead in the sky’ Re 8:13.”
  36. Revelation 8:13 tn Grk “about to sound their trumpets,” but this is redundant in English.