⁵ And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying,

¹⁷ And they said,

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,”^[a] says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

John’s Greeting to the Seven Churches

⁴ This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.^[a]

Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit^[b] before his throne;

³ And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

⁸ Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. ⁶ In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.

²⁵ Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”