Revelation 4-5

Contemporary English Version

Worship in Heaven

4 After this, I looked and saw a door that opened into heaven. Then the voice that had spoken to me at first and that sounded like a trumpet said, “Come up here! I will show you what must happen next.” ^2 (A) Right then the Spirit took control of me, and there in heaven I saw a throne and someone sitting on it. ³ The one who was sitting there sparkled like precious stones of jasper^[a] and carnelian.^[b] A rainbow that looked like an emerald^[c] surrounded the throne.

⁴ Twenty-four other thrones were in a circle around that throne. And on each of these thrones there was an elder dressed in white clothes and wearing a gold crown. ^5 (B) Flashes of lightning and roars of thunder came out from the throne in the center of the circle. Seven torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning in front of the throne. ^6 (C)(D) Also in front of the throne was something that looked like a glass sea, clear as crystal.

Around the throne in the center were four living creatures covered front and back with eyes. ⁷ The first creature was like a lion, the second one was like a bull, the third one had the face of a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. ^8 (E) Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and their bodies were covered with eyes. Day and night they never stopped singing,

⁹ The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. ¹⁰ At the same time the 24 elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said,

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 ^(G) In the right hand of the one sitting on the throne I saw a scroll^[d] that had writing on the inside and on the outside. And it was sealed in seven places. ² I saw a mighty angel ask with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³ No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it.

⁴ I cried hard because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it. ^5 (H) Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying and look! The one who is called both the ‘Lion from the Tribe of Judah’^[e] and ‘King David's Great Descendant’^[f] has won the victory. He will open the scroll and its seven seals.”

^6 (I) Then I looked and saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb looked as if it had once been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits^[g] of God, sent out to all the earth.

⁷ The Lamb went over and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. ^8 (J) After he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders knelt down before him. Each of them had a harp and a gold bowl full of incense,^[h] which are the prayers of God's people. ^9 (K) Then they sang a new song,

^11 (M) As I looked, I heard the voices of a large number of angels around the throne and the voices of the living creatures and of the elders. There were millions and millions of them, ¹² and they were saying in a loud voice,

¹³ Then I heard all beings in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea offer praise. Together, all of them were saying,

¹⁴ The four living creatures said “Amen,” while the elders knelt down and worshiped.