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1 Samuel 10
New English Translation

Samuel Anoints Saul

10 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s[a] head. Samuel[b] kissed him and said, “The Lord has chosen you[c] to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the Lord’s people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the Lord has chosen[d] you as leader over his inheritance.[e] 2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on Benjamin’s border. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you have gone looking for have been found. Your father is no longer concerned about the donkeys but has become anxious about you two![f] He is asking, “What should I do about my son?”’

3 “As you continue on from there, you will come to the tall tree of Tabor. At that point three men who are going up to God at Bethel will meet you. One of them will be carrying three young goats, one of them will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and one of them will be carrying a container of wine. 4 They will ask you how you’re doing and will give you two loaves of bread. You will accept them. 5 Afterward you will go to Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine officials.[g] When you enter the town, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place. They will have harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person.

7 “When these signs have taken place, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God will be with you.[h] 8 You will go down to Gilgal before me. I am going to join you there to offer burnt offerings and to make peace offerings. You should wait for seven days until I arrive and tell you what to do.”

Saul Becomes King

9 As Saul[i] turned[j] to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost person.[k] All these signs happened on that very day. 10 When Saul and his servant[l] arrived at Gibeah, a company of prophets was coming out to meet him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul[m] and he prophesied among them. 11 When everyone who had known him previously saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people asked one another, “What on earth has happened to the son of Kish? Does even Saul belong with the prophets?”

12 A man who was from there replied, “And who is their father?” Therefore this became a proverb: “Is even Saul among the prophets?” 13 When Saul[n] had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” Saul[o] replied, “To look for the donkeys. But when we realized they were lost,[p] we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”[q] 16 Saul said to his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul[r] did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.

17 Then Samuel called the people together before the Lord at Mizpah. 18 He said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt and I delivered you from the power[s] of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. 19 But today you have rejected your God who saves you from all your trouble and distress. You have said, “No![t] Appoint a king over us.” Now take your positions before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.’”

20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. At last Saul son of Kish was chosen by lot. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Has the man arrived here yet?” The Lord said, “He has hidden himself among the equipment.”[u]

23 So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the people, he stood head and shoulders above them all. 24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people.” All the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work.[v] He wrote it all down on a scroll and set it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away to their homes. 26 Even Saul went to his home in Gibeah. With him went some brave men whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some wicked men[w] said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and did not even bring him a gift. But Saul said nothing about it.[x]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  2. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn Heb “Is it not that the Lord has anointed you?” The question draws attention to the fact and is a rhetorical way of affirming the Lord’s choice of Saul. The translation reflects the rhetorical force of the question.
  4. 1 Samuel 10:1 tn That is, “anointed.”
  5. 1 Samuel 10:1 tc The MT reads simply “Is it not that the Lord has anointed you over his inheritance for a leader?” The translation follows the LXX. The MT apparently suffers from parablepsis, whereby a scribe’s eye jumped from the first occurrence of the expression “the Lord has anointed you” to the second occurrence of this expression at the end of v. 1. This mistake caused the accidental omission of the intervening material in the LXX, which appears to preserve the original Hebrew text here.
  6. 1 Samuel 10:2 sn In the Hebrew text the pronoun you is plural, suggesting that Saul’s father was concerned about his son and the servant who accompanied him.
  7. 1 Samuel 10:5 tn Or “sentries.” Some translate “outpost” (NIV) or “garrison” (NAB, NRSV, NLT) here (see 1 Sam 13:3). The noun is plural in the Hebrew text, but the LXX and other ancient witnesses read a singular noun here.
  8. 1 Samuel 10:7 sn In light of Saul’s commission to be Israel’s deliverer (see v. 1), it is likely that some type of military action against the Philistines (see v.5) is implied.
  9. 1 Samuel 10:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  10. 1 Samuel 10:9 tn Heb “turned his shoulder.”
  11. 1 Samuel 10:9 tn Heb “God turned for him another heart”; NAB, NRSV “gave him another heart”; NIV, NCV “changed Saul’s heart”; TEV “gave Saul a new nature”; CEV “made Saul feel like a different person.”
  12. 1 Samuel 10:10 tc Two medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta have the singular “he” (in which case the referent would be Saul alone).tn Heb “they”; the referents (Saul and his servant) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. 1 Samuel 10:10 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  14. 1 Samuel 10:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  15. 1 Samuel 10:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  16. 1 Samuel 10:14 tn Heb “And we saw that they were not.”
  17. 1 Samuel 10:15 tc In the LXX and Vulgate the pronoun “you” is singular, referring specifically to Saul. In the MT it is plural, including Saul’s servant as well.
  18. 1 Samuel 10:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  19. 1 Samuel 10:18 tn Heb “hand” (also later in this verse).
  20. 1 Samuel 10:19 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate in reading לֹא (loʾ, “not”) rather than the MT לוֹ (lo; “to him”). Some witnesses combine the variants, resulting in a conflated text. For example, a few medieval Hebrew mss have לֹא לוֹ (lo loʾ; “to him, ‘No.’”). A few others have לֹא לִי (li loʾ; “to me, ‘No.’”).
  21. 1 Samuel 10:22 tn Or “baggage” (so many English versions); KJV “stuff”; TEV “supplies.”
  22. 1 Samuel 10:25 tn Heb “the regulation of the kingship.” This probably refers to the regulations pertaining to kingship given to Moses (see Deut 17:14-20).
  23. 1 Samuel 10:27 tn Heb “sons of worthlessness” (see 2:12).
  24. 1 Samuel 10:27 tc In place of the MT (“and it was like one being silent”) the LXX has “after about a month,” taking the expression with the first part of the following chapter rather than with 10:27. Some Hebrew support for this reading appears in the corrected hand of a Qumran ms of Samuel, which has here “about a month.” However, it seems best to stay with the MT here even though it is difficult.
Listen to 1 Samuel 10, Job 27, Revelation 4
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1 Samuel 10
New International Version

10 Then Samuel took a flask(A) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed(B) you ruler over his inheritance?[a](C) 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,(D) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys(E) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried(F) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

3 “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel(G) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread,(H) which you will accept from them.

5 “After that you will go to Gibeah(I) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.(J) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets(K) coming down from the high place(L) with lyres, timbrels,(M) pipes(N) and harps(O) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.(P) 6 The Spirit(Q) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed(R) into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever(S) your hand(T) finds to do, for God is with(U) you.

8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal.(V) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven(W) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed(X) Saul’s heart, and all these signs(Y) were fulfilled(Z) that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit(AA) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.(AB) 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this(AC) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AD)

12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AE) 13 After Saul stopped prophesying,(AF) he went to the high place.

14 Now Saul’s uncle(AG) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,(AH)” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys(AI) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah(AJ) 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed(AK) you.’ 19 But you have now rejected(AL) your God, who saves(AM) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king(AN) over us.’(AO) So now present(AP) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.(AQ) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired(AR) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller(AS) than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?(AT) There is no one like(AU) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live(AV) the king!”

25 Samuel explained(AW) to the people the rights and duties(AX) of kingship.(AY) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah,(AZ) accompanied by valiant men(BA) whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some scoundrels(BB) said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts.(BC) But Saul kept silent.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 10:1 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate over his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance:
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Job 27
New English Translation

A Protest of Innocence

27 And Job took up his discourse again:[a]

2 “As surely as God lives,[b] who has denied me justice,[c]
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter[d]—
3 for while[e] my spirit[f] is still in me,
and the breath from God is in my nostrils,
4 my[g] lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will whisper[h] no deceit.
5 I will never[i] declare that you three[j] are in the right;
until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!
6 I will maintain my righteousness
and never let it go;
my conscience[k] will not reproach me
for as long as I live.[l]

The Condition of the Wicked

7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,[m]
my adversary[n] like the unrighteous.[o]
8 For what hope does the godless have when he is cut off,[p]
when God takes away his life?[q]
9 Does God listen to his cry
when distress overtakes him?
10 Will he find delight[r] in the Almighty?
Will he call out to God at all times?
11 I will teach you[s] about the power[t] of God;
what is on the Almighty’s mind[u] I will not conceal.
12 If you yourselves have all seen this,
Why in the world[v] do you continue this meaningless talk?[w]
13 This is the portion of the wicked man
allotted by God,[x]
the inheritance that evildoers receive
from the Almighty.
14 If his children increase—it is for the sword![y]
His offspring never have enough to eat.[z]
15 Those who survive him are buried by the plague,[aa]
and their[ab] widows do not mourn for them.
16 If he piles up silver like dust
and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,
17 what he stores up[ac] a righteous man will wear,
and an innocent man will inherit his silver.
18 The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon,[ad]
like a hut[ae] that a watchman has made.
19 He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more.[af]
When he opens his eyes, it is all gone.[ag]
20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood;[ah]
at night a whirlwind carries him off.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without pity[ai]
as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps[aj] its hands at him in derision
and hisses him away from his place.[ak]

Footnotes

  1. Job 27:1 tn The Hebrew word מָשָׁל (mashal) is characteristically “proverb; by-word.” It normally refers to a brief saying, but can be used for a discourse (see A. R. Johnson, “Mašal,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 162ff.).
  2. Job 27:2 tn The expression חַי־אֵל (khay ʾel) is the oath formula: “as God lives.” In other words, the speaker is staking God’s life on the credibility of the words. It is like saying, “As truly as God is alive.”
  3. Job 27:2 tn “My judgment” would here, as before, be “my right.” God has taken this away by afflicting Job unjustly (A. B. Davidson, Job, 187).
  4. Job 27:2 tn The verb הֵמַר (hemar) is the Hiphil perfect from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”) and hence, “to make bitter.” The object of the verb is “my soul,” which is better translated as “me” or “my life.”
  5. Job 27:3 tn The adverb עוֹד (ʿod) was originally a noun, and so here it could be rendered “all the existence of my spirit.” The word comes between the noun in construct and its actual genitive (see GKC 415 §128.e).
  6. Job 27:3 tn The word נְשָׁמָה (neshamah) is the “breath” that was breathed into Adam in Gen 2:7. Its usage includes the animating breath, the spiritual understanding, and the functioning conscience—so the whole spirit of the person. The other word in this verse, רוּחַ (ruakh), may be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit/Spirit” depending on the context. Here, since it talks about the nostrils, it should be translated “breath.”
  7. Job 27:4 tn The verse begins with אִם (ʾim), the formula used for the content of the oath (“God lives…if I do/do not…”). Thus, the content of the oath proper is here in v. 4.
  8. Job 27:4 tn The verb means “to utter; to mumble; to meditate.” The implication is that he will not communicate deceitful things, no matter how quiet or subtle.
  9. Job 27:5 tn The text uses חָלִילָה לִּי (khalilah li) meaning “far be it from me,” or more strongly, something akin to “sacrilege.”
  10. Job 27:5 tn In the Hebrew text “you” is plural—a reference to Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad. To make this clear, “three” is supplied in the translation.
  11. Job 27:6 tn Heb “my heart.”
  12. Job 27:6 tn The prepositional phrase “from my days” probably means “from the days of my birth,” or “all my life.”
  13. Job 27:7 sn Of course, he means like his enemy when he is judged, not when he is thriving in prosperity and luxury.
  14. Job 27:7 tn The form is the Hitpolel participle from קוּם (qum): “those who are rising up against me,” or “my adversary.”
  15. Job 27:7 tc The LXX made a free paraphrase: “No, but let my enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me as the destruction of transgressors.”
  16. Job 27:8 tn The verb יִבְצָע (yivtsaʿ) means “to cut off.” It could be translated transitively or intransitively—the latter is better here (“when he is cut off”). Since the next line speaks of prayer, some have thought this verse should be about prayer. Mandelkern, in his concordance (p. 228b), suggested the verb should be “when he prays” (reading יִפְגַּע [yifgaʿ] in place of יִבְצָע [yivtsaʿ]).
  17. Job 27:8 tn The verb יֵשֶׁל (yeshel) is found only here. It has been related spoils [or sheaves]”); שָׁאַל (shaʾal, “to ask”); נָשָׂא (nasaʾ, “to lift up” [i.e., pray]); and a host of others.
  18. Job 27:10 tn See the note on 22:26 where the same verb is employed.
  19. Job 27:11 tn The object suffix is in the plural, which gives some support to the idea Job is speaking to them.
  20. Job 27:11 tn Heb “the hand of.”
  21. Job 27:11 tn Heb “[what is] with Shaddai.”
  22. Job 27:12 tn The interrogative uses the demonstrative pronoun in its emphatic position: “Why in the world…?” (IBHS 312-13 §17.4.3c).
  23. Job 27:12 tn The text has the noun “vain thing; breath; vapor,” and then a denominative verb from the same root: “to become vain with a vain thing,” or “to do in vain a vain thing.” This is an example of the internal object, or a cognate accusative (see GKC 367 §117.q). The LXX has “you all know that you are adding vanity to vanity.”
  24. Job 27:13 tn The expression “allotted by God” interprets the simple prepositional phrase in the text: “with/from God.”
  25. Job 27:14 tn R. Gordis (Job, 294) identifies this as a breviloquence. Cf. Ps 92:8 where the last two words also constitute the apodosis.
  26. Job 27:14 tn Heb “will not be satisfied with bread/food.”
  27. Job 27:15 tn The text says “will be buried in/by death.” A number of passages in the Bible use “death” to mean the plague that kills (see Jer 15:2; Isa 28:3; and BDB 89 s.v. ב 2.a). In this sense it is like the English expression for the plague, “the Black Death.”
  28. Job 27:15 tc The LXX has “their widows” to match the plural, and most commentators harmonize in the same way.
  29. Job 27:17 tn The text simply repeats the verb from the last clause. It could be treated as a separate short clause: “He may store it up, but the righteous will wear it.” But it also could be understood as the object of the following verb, “[what] he stores up the righteous will wear.” The LXX simply has, “All these things shall the righteous gain.”
  30. Job 27:18 tn Heb כָעָשׁ (khaʿash, “like a moth”), but this leaves room for clarification. Some commentators wanted to change it to “bird’s nest” or just “nest” (cf. NRSV) to make the parallelism; see Job 4:14. But the word is not found. The LXX has a double expression, “as moths, as a spider.” So several take it as the spider’s web, which is certainly unsubstantial (cf. NAB, NASB, NLT; see Job 8:14).
  31. Job 27:18 tn The Hebrew word is the word for “booth,” as in the Feast of Booths. The word describes something that is flimsy; it is not substantial at all.
  32. Job 27:19 tc The verb is the Niphal יֵאָסֵף (yeʾasef), from אָסַף (ʾasaf, “to gather”). So, “he lies down rich, but he is not gathered.” This does not make much sense. It could mean “he will not be gathered for burial,” but that does not belong here. Many commentators accept the variant יֹאסִף (yoʾsif) stood for יוֹסִיף (yosif, “will [not] add”). This is what the LXX and the Syriac have. This leads to the interpretive translation that “he will do so no longer.”
  33. Job 27:19 tn Heb “and he is not.” One view is that this must mean that he dies, not that his wealth is gone. R. Gordis (Job, 295) says the first part should be made impersonal: “when one opens one’s eyes, the wicked is no longer there.” E. Dhorme (Job, 396) has it more simply: “He has opened his eyes, and it is for the last time.” But the other view is that the wealth goes overnight. In support of this is the introduction into the verse of the wealthy. The RSV, NRSV, ESV, and NLT take it that “wealth is gone.”
  34. Job 27:20 tn Many commentators want a word parallel to “in the night.” And so we are offered בַּיּוֹם (bayyom, “in the day”) for כַמַּיִם (khammayim, “like waters”) as well as a number of others. But “waters” sometimes stand for major calamities, and so may be retained here. Besides, not all parallel structures are synonymous.
  35. Job 27:22 tn The verb is once again functioning in an adverbial sense. The text has “it hurls itself against him and shows no mercy.”
  36. Job 27:23 tn If the same subject is to be carried through here, it is the wind. That would make this a bold personification, perhaps suggesting the force of the wind. Others argue that it is unlikely that the wind claps its hands. They suggest taking the verb with an indefinite subject: “he claps” means “one claps. The idea is that of people rejoicing when the wicked are gone. But the parallelism is against this unless the second line is changed as well. R. Gordis (Job, 296) has “men will clap their hands…men will whistle upon him.”
  37. Job 27:23 tn Or “hisses at him from its place” (ESV).
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Job 27
New International Version

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

27 And Job continued his discourse:(A)

2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(B)
    the Almighty,(C) who has made my life bitter,(D)
3 as long as I have life within me,
    the breath of God(E) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
    and my tongue will not utter lies.(F)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
    till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(G)
6 I will maintain my innocence(H) and never let go of it;
    my conscience(I) will not reproach me as long as I live.(J)

7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(K)
    my adversary(L) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(M) when they are cut off,
    when God takes away their life?(N)
9 Does God listen to their cry
    when distress comes upon them?(O)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(P)
    Will they call on God at all times?

11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
    the ways(Q) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(R)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
    Why then this meaningless talk?

13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
    the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(S)
14 However many his children,(T) their fate is the sword;(U)
    his offspring will never have enough to eat.(V)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
    and their widows will not weep for them.(W)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(X)
    and clothes like piles of clay,(Y)
17 what he lays up(Z) the righteous will wear,(AA)
    and the innocent will divide his silver.(AB)
18 The house(AC) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(AD)
    like a hut(AE) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(AF)
    when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(AG)
20 Terrors(AH) overtake him like a flood;(AI)
    a tempest snatches him away in the night.(AJ)
21 The east wind(AK) carries him off, and he is gone;(AL)
    it sweeps him out of his place.(AM)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(AN)
    as he flees headlong(AO) from its power.(AP)
23 It claps its hands(AQ) in derision
    and hisses him out of his place.”(AR)

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Job 26
Job 28
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Revelation 4
New English Translation

The Amazing Scene in Heaven

4 After these things I looked, and there was[a] a door standing open in heaven![b] And the first voice I had heard speaking to me[c] like a trumpet[d] said: “Come up here so that[e] I can show you what must happen after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit,[f] and[g] a throne was standing[h] in heaven with someone seated on it! 3 And the one seated on it was like jasper[i] and carnelian[j] in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald[k] encircled the throne. 4 In[l] a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were[m] dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns[n] on their heads. 5 From[o] the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring[p] and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God,[q] were burning in front of the throne 6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.[r]

In[s] the middle of the throne[t] and around the throne were four living creatures[u] full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The[v] first living creature was like a lion, the[w] second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings[x] and was full of eyes all around and inside.[y] They never rest day or night, saying:[z]

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful,[aa]
Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor,[ab] and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground[ac] before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns[ad] before his[ae] throne, saying:

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
since you created all things,
and because of your will they existed and were created!”[af]

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 4:1 tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
  2. Revelation 4:1 tn Or “in the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
  3. Revelation 4:1 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
  4. Revelation 4:1 sn The phrase speaking to me like a trumpet refers back to Rev 1:10.
  5. Revelation 4:1 tn The conjunction καί (kai), much like the vav-consecutive in Hebrew, appears to be introducing a final/purpose clause here rather than a coordinate clause.
  6. Revelation 4:2 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
  7. Revelation 4:2 tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
  8. Revelation 4:2 tn BDAG 537 s.v. κεῖμαι 2 gives the translation “stand” for the term in this verse.
  9. Revelation 4:3 tn Grk “jasper stone.”sn Jasper was a semiprecious gemstone, probably green in color (L&N 2.30).
  10. Revelation 4:3 sn Carnelian was a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).
  11. Revelation 4:3 tn Or “a rainbow emerald-like in appearance.”
  12. Revelation 4:4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  13. Revelation 4:4 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were” to indicate the connection to the preceding material.
  14. Revelation 4:4 sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.
  15. Revelation 4:5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  16. Revelation 4:5 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?…).”
  17. Revelation 4:5 sn Some interpret the seven spirits of God as angelic beings, while others see them as a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.
  18. Revelation 4:6 tn This could refer to rock crystal, but it is possible this refers to ice (an older meaning). See BDAG 571 s.v. κρύσταλλος.
  19. Revelation 4:6 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  20. Revelation 4:6 tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).
  21. Revelation 4:6 tn On the meaning of ζῴον (zōon) BDAG 431 s.v. 2 states, “Of the four peculiar beings at God’s throne, whose description Rv 4:6-9 reminds one of the ζῷα in Ezk 1:5ff, the cherubim. S. also Rv 5:6, 8, 11, 14; 6:1, 3, 5-7; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4.”
  22. Revelation 4:7 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  23. Revelation 4:7 tn Both here and before the phrase “the third,” καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
  24. Revelation 4:8 tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.
  25. Revelation 4:8 tn Some translations render ἔσωθεν (esōthen) as “under [its] wings,” but the description could also mean “filled all around on the outside and on the inside with eyes.” Since the referent is not available to the interpreter, the exact force is difficult to determine.
  26. Revelation 4:8 tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”
  27. Revelation 4:8 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π.…Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”sn A quotation from (or an allusion to) Isa 6:3.
  28. Revelation 4:9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
  29. Revelation 4:10 tn Grk “the twenty-four elders fall down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
  30. Revelation 4:10 sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.
  31. Revelation 4:10 tn The pronoun “his” is understood from the demonstrative force of the article τοῦ (tou) before θρόνου (thronou).
  32. Revelation 4:11 tc The past tense of “they existed” (ἦσαν, ēsan) and the order of the expression “they existed and were created” seems backwards both logically and chronologically. The text as it stands is the more difficult reading and seems to have given rise to codex A omitting the final “they were created,” 2329 replacing “they existed” (ἦσαν) with “have come into being” (ἐγένοντο, egeneto), and 046 adding οὐκ (ouk, “not”) before ἦσαν (“they did not exist, [but were created]”). Several mss (1854 2050 MA sa) also attempt to alleviate the problem by replacing ἦσαν with “they are” (εἰσιν, eisin).
Close NIV

Revelation 4
New International Version

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open(A) in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet(B) said, “Come up here,(C) and I will show you what must take place after this.”(D) 2 At once I was in the Spirit,(E) and there before me was a throne in heaven(F) with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper(G) and ruby.(H) A rainbow(I) that shone like an emerald(J) encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders.(K) They were dressed in white(L) and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.(M) In front of the throne, seven lamps(N) were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a](O) of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass,(P) clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures,(Q) and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.(R) 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.(S) 8 Each of the four living creatures(T) had six wings(U) and was covered with eyes all around,(V) even under its wings. Day and night(W) they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’[b](X)

who was, and is, and is to come.”(Y)

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne(Z) and who lives for ever and ever,(AA) 10 the twenty-four elders(AB) fall down before him(AC) who sits on the throne(AD) and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,(AE)
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”(AF)

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 4:5 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
  2. Revelation 4:8 Isaiah 6:3
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Revelation 3
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