Revelation 1
Living Bible
1 This book unveils some of the future activities soon to occur in the life of Jesus Christ.[a] God permitted him to reveal these things to his servant John in a vision; and then an angel was sent from heaven to explain the vision’s meaning. 2 John wrote it all down—the words of God and Jesus Christ and everything he heard and saw.
3 If you read this prophecy aloud to the church, you will receive a special blessing from the Lord. Those who listen to it being read and do what it says will also be blessed. For the time is near when these things will all come true.
4 From: John
To: The seven churches in Turkey.[b]
Dear Friends:
May you have grace and peace from God who is, and was, and is to come; and from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ who faithfully reveals all truth to us. He was the first to rise from death, to die no more.[c] He is far greater than any king in all the earth. All praise to him who always loves us and who set us free from our sins by pouring out his lifeblood for us. 6 He has gathered us into his Kingdom and made us priests of God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever! Amen!
7 See! He is arriving, surrounded by clouds; and every eye shall see him—yes, and those who pierced him.[d] And the nations will weep in sorrow and in terror when he comes. Yes! Amen! Let it be so!
8 “I am the A and the Z,[e] the Beginning and the Ending of all things,” says God, who is the Lord, the All Powerful One who is, and was, and is coming again!
9 It is I, your brother John, a fellow sufferer for the Lord’s sake, who am writing this letter to you. I, too, have shared the patience Jesus gives, and we shall share his Kingdom!
I was on the island of Patmos, exiled there for preaching the Word of God and for telling what I knew about Jesus Christ. 10 It was the Lord’s Day and I was worshiping, when suddenly I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast, 11 saying, “I am A and Z, the First and Last!” And then I heard him say, “Write down everything you see, and send your letter to the seven churches in Turkey:[f] to the church in Ephesus, the one in Smyrna, and those in Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 When I turned to see who was speaking, there behind me were seven candlesticks of gold. 13 And standing among them was one who looked like Jesus, who called himself the Son of Man,[g] wearing a long robe circled with a golden band across his chest. 14 His hair was white as wool or snow,[h] and his eyes penetrated like flames of fire. 15 His feet gleamed like burnished bronze, and his voice thundered like the waves against the shore. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand and a sharp, double-bladed sword in his mouth,[i] and his face shone like the power of the sun in unclouded brilliance.
17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead; but he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! Though I am the First and Last, the Living One who died, who is now alive forevermore, who has the keys of hell and death—don’t be afraid! 19 Write down what you have just seen and what will soon be shown to you. 20 This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks: The seven stars are the leaders[j] of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the churches themselves.
Footnotes
- Revelation 1:1 This book unveils . . . the life of Jesus Christ, literally, “This is the revelation of [concerning, or from] Jesus Christ.”
- Revelation 1:4 in Turkey, literally, “in Asia.” the sevenfold Spirit, literally, “the seven Spirits.” But see Isaiah 11:2, where various aspects of the Holy Spirit are described, and Zechariah 4:2-6, giving probability to the paraphrase; see also 2:7.
- Revelation 1:5 He was the first to rise from death, to die no more, literally, “He was the firstborn from the dead.” Others (Lazarus, etc.) rose to die again. As used here the expression therefore implies “to die no more.”
- Revelation 1:7 and those who pierced him. John saw this happen with his own eyes—the piercing of Jesus—and never forgot the horror of it.
- Revelation 1:8 I am the A and the Z, literally, “I am Alpha and Omega.” These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. is coming again, literally, “who comes” or “who is to come.”
- Revelation 1:11 in Turkey, literally, “in Asia.”
- Revelation 1:13 like Jesus, who called himself the Son of Man, literally, “like unto a Son of Man.” John recognizes him from having lived with him for three years, and from seeing him in glory at the Transfiguration.
- Revelation 1:14 His hair was white as wool or snow, literally, “His head—the hair—was white like wool.”
- Revelation 1:16 in his mouth, literally, “came out from his mouth.”
- Revelation 1:20 leaders, literally, “angels.” Some expositors (Origen, Jerome, etc.) believe from this that an angelic being is appointed by God to oversee each local church.
Revelation 1
Christian Standard Bible
Prologue
1 The revelation of[a] Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants(A) what must soon take place.(B) He made it known by sending his angel(C) to his servant John,(D) 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony[b] of Jesus Christ,(E) whatever he saw.[c] 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy,(F) and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep[d] what is written in it, because the time is near.
4 John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace(G) to you from[e] the one who is, who was, and who is to come,(H) and from the seven spirits[f](I) before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,(J) the firstborn from the dead(K) and the ruler of the kings of the earth.(L)
To him who loves us and has set us free[g] from our sins by his blood,(M) 6 and made us a kingdom,[h] priests[i](N) to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.(O)
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds,(P)
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
And all the tribes[j] of the earth[k](Q)
will mourn over him.[l][m] (R)
So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”(S) says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
John’s Vision of the Risen Lord
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction,(T) kingdom,(U) and endurance(V) that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.(W) 10 I was in the Spirit[n](X) on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet(Y) 11 saying, “Write(Z) on a scroll[o] what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see whose voice(AA) it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,(AB) 13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,[p](AC) dressed in a robe(AD) and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.(AE) 14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow(AF)—and his eyes like a fiery flame.(AG) 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace,(AH) and his voice like the sound of cascading[q] waters.(AI) 16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth,(AJ) and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.(AK)
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man.(AL) He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,(AM) 18 and the Living One.(AN) I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever,(AO) and I hold the keys(AP) of death and Hades. 19 Therefore write what you have seen,(AQ) what is, and what will take place after this. 20 The mystery(AR) of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[r] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands[s] are the seven churches.(AS)
Footnotes
- 1:1 Or Revelation of, or A revelation of
- 1:2 Or witness
- 1:2 Or as many as he saw
- 1:3 Or follow, or obey
- 1:4 Other mss add God
- 1:4 Or the sevenfold Spirit
- 1:5 Other mss read has washed us
- 1:6 Other mss read kings and
- 1:6 Or made us into (or to be) a kingdom of priests; Ex 19:6
- 1:7 Or peoples
- 1:7 Gn 12:3; 28:14; Zch 14:17
- 1:7 Or will wail because of him
- 1:7 Dn 7:13; Zch 12:10
- 1:10 Or in spirit; lit I became in the Spirit
- 1:11 Or book
- 1:13 Or like a son of man
- 1:15 Lit many
- 1:20 Or messengers
- 1:20 Other mss add that you saw
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.