Revelation 1
Amplified Bible
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
1 This is the [a]revelation of Jesus Christ [His unveiling of the divine mysteries], which God [the Father] gave to Him to show to His bond-servants (believers) the things which must soon take place [in their entirety]; and He sent and communicated it by His angel (divine messenger) to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified and gave supporting evidence to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to everything that he saw [in his visions]. 3 [b]Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things which are written in it [heeding them and taking them to heart]; for the time [of fulfillment] is near.
Message to the Seven Churches
4 [c]John, to the seven churches that are in [the province of] [d]Asia: [e]Grace [be granted] to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being], from Him Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, and from [f]the seven Spirits that are before His throne,(A) 5 and from Jesus Christ, the [g]faithful and trustworthy Witness, the [h]Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all] [i]freed us [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (His sacrificial death)—(B) 6 and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], [j]priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.(C) 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. [k]So it is to be. Amen.(D)
8 “I am the [l]Alpha and the Omega [the Beginning and the End],” says the Lord God, “Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all].”(E)
The Patmos Vision
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the [m]tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, [exiled there] because of [my preaching of] the word of God [regarding eternal salvation] and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the [n]Spirit [in special communication with the Holy Spirit and empowered to receive and record the revelation from Jesus Christ] on the [o]Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see [in this revelation], and send it to the [p]seven churches—to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw someone [q]like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe reaching to His feet, and with a golden sash wrapped around His chest.(F) 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, [glistening white] like snow; and His [all-seeing] eyes were [flashing] like a flame of fire [piercing into my being].(G) 15 His feet were like burnished [white-hot] bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was [powerful] like the sound of many waters.(H) 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; and His face [reflecting His majesty and the [r]Shekinah glory] was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].(I)
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God],(J) 18 and the Ever-living One [living in and beyond all time and space]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of [absolute control and victory over] death and of Hades (the realm of the dead). 19 So write the things [s]which you have seen [in the vision], and the things [t]which are [now happening], and the things [u]which will take place after these things. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels ([v]divine messengers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 1:1 The God-given disclosures contained in this book relate to both Christ and future events.
- Revelation 1:3 This is the first of the seven promised blessings (beatitudes) of the Revelation. See also 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14.
- Revelation 1:4 John and his brother James were among the first apostles chosen by Jesus, and were the sons of Zebedee and Salome. In addition to the Revelation, John wrote the Gospel and the three letters that bear his name.
- Revelation 1:4 The Roman province of Asia (now western Turkey) was formed in 129 b.c.
- Revelation 1:4 Like Paul, the apostle John takes the standard Jewish greeting of “Peace [Heb shalom] to you” and modifies it by adding grace, without which no one could obtain peace with God.
- Revelation 1:4 A literal translation, perhaps referring to the perfect fullness of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
- Revelation 1:5 Lit the witness, the faithful.
- Revelation 1:5 Jesus was not the first person to be brought back to life, since He raised others from the dead (the most notable being Lazarus, John 11), but they had to experience death again. Jesus is the first to be restored to life with a glorified (immortal, everlasting) body, never again to die. The word Firstborn may point not only to Jesus’ own resurrection but also to His divine power to resurrect others. The Firstborn (preeminent) is given power over all things.
- Revelation 1:5 Some manuscripts use “freed” (lusanti) while others use “washed” (lousanti). Either reading conveys a similar theological conclusion: Jesus has taken away our sins by His blood.
- Revelation 1:6 All Christians become priests to God in order to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet 2:5) and proclaim His praises (1 Pet 2:9), and they will reign with Christ in the Millennium (20:6).
- Revelation 1:7 Lit Yes, amen.
- Revelation 1:8 An expression of God’s absolute supremacy over all things.
- Revelation 1:9 I.e. persecution because of one’s faith.
- Revelation 1:10 Or spirit. The Greek wording is not decisive, so John could be referring either to being in special communion with the Holy Spirit, or to being in a trance-like state in his own spirit like that experienced by Peter at Joppa (cf Acts 10:10, 11).
- Revelation 1:10 The early church used this term to refer to Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection. The term Kyriake is also the regular word for Sunday in modern Greek.
- Revelation 1:11 These were actual churches in Asia Minor (now western Turkey), and in John’s time there would have been only one church body in each of the cities. They are mentioned in the order in which they would be visited by a messenger traveling northward on the imperial road from Ephesus to Laodicea.
- Revelation 1:13 Or like a son of man. The phrase is a translation of a Hebrew idiom which refers to a man, and John could simply be describing his first impression. But since this proves to be a vision of Christ (v 18), John probably is referring to Him by the title that Jesus so often applied to Himself, a title originating in the Messianic prophecy of Daniel.
- Revelation 1:16 The visible, divine Presence.
- Revelation 1:19 I.e. the vision of ch 1.
- Revelation 1:19 I.e. the events of the present moment (chs 2; 3).
- Revelation 1:19 I.e. the events to come in chs 4-22, after the messages to the churches in chs 2; 3.
- Revelation 1:20 The Greek word for “messenger” is aggelos. When the word is referring to a heavenly being, it is usually not translated, but rather transliterated as “angel”; that is, the Greek letters are converted to their English equivalents, based on the sound of the Greek word. When the word is referring to a human, it is instead translated as “messenger” or the equivalent. So whether “angel” or “messenger” is used depends on the context.
启示录 1
Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)
耶稣基督的启示
1 耶稣基督的启示，就是神赐给他，要他指示给他奴仆们的那些必须快发生的事。基督[a]藉着他的天使，向他的奴仆约翰传达并指明了那些事。 2 约翰把神的话语[b]和有关耶稣基督的见证，凡是他所看到的，都见证出来。 3 那宣读这预言之话的，那些听见这预言之话并遵守其中所记载的，都是蒙福的，因为时候快到了。
4 约翰，
致那在亚细亚省的七个教会：
愿恩典与平安，从今在、昔在、将要来临的[c]那一位，从他宝座前的七个灵， 5 从那信实的见证者、死人中首先复活的[d]、地上众君王的元首耶稣基督，临到你们！
他爱我们，用自己的血，把我们从我们的罪孽中释放出来[e]， 6 又使我们成为国度[f]，做他父神的祭司。愿荣耀和权能都归于他，直到永永远远！阿们。
7 “看哪，他在云彩中来临，
所有人的眼睛都将看见他，
连那些刺他的人也将看见他；[g]
地上的万族都要因他捶胸哀哭。”
确实如此，阿们。
8 主、神[h]说：“我就是‘阿尔法’，也是‘欧米伽’，[i]是今在、昔在、将要来临的[j]那一位，是全能者。”
约翰见主的异象
9 我约翰，是你们的弟兄，是与你们在耶稣[k]的患难、国度、忍耐里一同有份的，为神的话语[l]和有关耶稣[m]的见证，曾经住在那叫做帕特莫斯的海岛上。 10 有一个主日[n]，我在灵里，听见我后面有一个大声音，如同号角声， 11 说：“[o]把你所看见的写在书卷上，送到[p]那七个教会：以弗所、士每拿、佩尔伽马、锡亚蒂拉、萨迪斯、费拉德菲亚和劳迪西亚。”
12 我转过身，要看看谁的声音对我说话。我转过身就看见了七座金灯台。 13 灯台[q]中间有一位仿佛人子的，身穿垂到脚的长袍，胸间束着金带。 14 他的头和头发洁白，如白羊毛、如雪；他的眼睛如同火焰； 15 他的两脚仿佛在炉中被炼过的精铜；他的声音好像众水的声音； 16 在他的右手中拿着七颗星；从他口中发出一把双刃的利剑；他的面容好像烈日发光。
17 我一看见他，就仆倒在他的脚前，像死人那样。他把右手放在我身上，说：“不要怕！我就是首先的，是末后的， 18 是那永生的。我曾经死过，可是看哪，我现在活着，直到永永远远，[r]并且拿着死亡和阴间的钥匙。 19 因此，你要把所看见的，就是现在的事，和此后将要发生的事，都写下来。 20 你所看见的，我右手中的七颗星，和这七座金灯台的奥秘就是：七颗星是七个教会的使者[s]，[t]七座灯台是七个教会。
Footnotes
- 启示录 1:1 基督——原文直译“他”。
- 启示录 1:2 神的话语——或译作“神的道”。
- 启示录 1:4 将要来临的——或译作“以后永在的”。
- 启示录 1:5 首先复活的——原文直译“首生的”或“长子”。
- 启示录 1:5 释放出来——有古抄本作“洗净”。
- 启示录 1:6 国度——有古抄本作“君王”。
- 启示录 1:7 《但以理书》7:13；《撒迦利亚书》12:10。
- 启示录 1:8 主、神——有古抄本作“主”。
- 启示录 1:8 有古抄本附“是开始，也是终结，”。
- 启示录 1:8 将要来临的——或译作“以后永在的”。
- 启示录 1:9 耶稣——有古抄本作“耶稣基督”。
- 启示录 1:9 神的话语——或译作“神的道”。
- 启示录 1:9 耶稣——有古抄本作“耶稣基督”。
- 启示录 1:10 主日——指“星期日”。
- 启示录 1:11 有古抄本附“我就是‘阿尔法’，也是‘欧米伽’；是首先的，也是末后的。”
- 启示录 1:11 有古抄本附“在亚细亚的”。
- 启示录 1:13 灯台——有古抄本作“七座灯台”。
- 启示录 1:18 有古抄本附“阿们。”
- 启示录 1:20 使者——或译作“天使”。
- 启示录 1:20 有古抄本附“你所看见的”。
Revelation 1
New King James Version
Introduction and Benediction
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, (A)which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must [a]shortly take place. And (B)He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 (C)who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things (D)that he saw. 3 (E)Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for (F)the time is near.
Greeting the Seven Churches
4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from Him (G)who is and (H)who was and who is to come, (I)and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, (J)the faithful (K)witness, the (L)firstborn from the dead, and (M)the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him (N)who [b]loved us (O)and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has (P)made us [c]kings and priests to His God and Father, (Q)to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, He is coming with (R)clouds, and every eye will see Him, even (S)they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
8 (T)“I am the Alpha and the Omega, [d]the Beginning and the End,” says the [e]Lord, (U)“who is and who was and who is to come, the (V)Almighty.”
Vision of the Son of Man
9 I, John, [f]both your brother and (W)companion in the tribulation and (X)kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 (Y)I was in the Spirit on (Z)the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me (AA)a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, [g]“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches [h]which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned (AB)I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 (AC)and in the midst of the seven lampstands (AD)One like the Son of Man, (AE)clothed with a garment down to the feet and (AF)girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and (AG)hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and (AH)His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 (AI)His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and (AJ)His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 (AK)He had in His right hand seven stars, (AL)out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, (AM)and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And (AN)when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But (AO)He laid His right hand on me, saying [i]to me, “Do not be afraid; (AP)I am the First and the Last. 18 (AQ)I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, (AR)I am alive forevermore. Amen. And (AS)I have the keys of [j]Hades and of Death. 19 [k]Write the things which you have (AT)seen, (AU)and the things which are, (AV)and the things which will take place after this. 20 The [l]mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are (AW)the [m]angels of the seven churches, and (AX)the seven lampstands [n]which you saw are the seven churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 1:1 quickly or swiftly
- Revelation 1:5 NU loves us and freed; M loves us and washed
- Revelation 1:6 NU, M a kingdom
- Revelation 1:8 NU, M omit the Beginning and the End
- Revelation 1:8 NU, M Lord God
- Revelation 1:9 NU, M omit both
- Revelation 1:11 NU, M omit “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and,
- Revelation 1:11 NU, M omit which are in Asia
- Revelation 1:17 NU, M omit to me
- Revelation 1:18 Lit. Unseen; the unseen realm
- Revelation 1:19 NU, M Therefore, write
- Revelation 1:20 hidden truth
- Revelation 1:20 Or messengers
- Revelation 1:20 NU, M omit which you saw
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
