Revelation 1:1-15

English Standard Version

Prologue

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God ^(A)gave him ^(B)to show to his servants^[a] the things that must soon take place. ^(C)He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ²^(D)who bore witness to the word of God and to ^(E)the testimony of Jesus Christ, even ^(F)to all that he saw. ³^(G)Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, ^(H)for the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

⁴John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from ^(I)him ^(J)who is and ^(K)who was and who is to come, and from ^(L)the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ ^(M)the faithful witness, ^(N)the firstborn of the dead, and ^(O)the ruler of kings on earth.

To ^(P)him who loves us and ^(Q)has freed us from our sins by his blood ⁶and made us ^(R)a kingdom, ^(S)priests to ^(T)his God and Father, to him be ^(U)glory and ^(V)dominion forever and ever. Amen. ⁷Behold, ^(W)he is coming with the clouds, and ^(X)every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail^[b] on account of him. Even so. Amen.

⁸^(Y)“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, ^(Z)“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

⁹I, John, your brother and ^(AA)partner in ^(AB)the tribulation and ^(AC)the kingdom and ^(AD)the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos ^(AE)on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰^(AF)I was in the Spirit ^(AG)on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice ^(AH)like a trumpet ¹¹saying, ^(AI)“Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

¹²Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw ^(AJ)seven golden lampstands, ¹³and in the midst of the lampstands ^(AK)one like ^(AL)a son of man, ^(AM)clothed with a long robe and ^(AN)with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴^(AO)The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. ^(AP)His eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵^(AQ)his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and ^(AR)his voice was like the roar of many waters. ¹⁶^(AS)In his right hand he held seven stars, ^(AT)from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and ^(AU)his face was like the sun shining ^(AV)in full strength.

¹⁷^(AW)When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But ^(AX)he laid his right hand on me, ^(AY)saying, “Fear not, ^(AZ)I am the first and the last, ¹⁸and the living one. ^(BA)I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and ^(BB)I have the keys of Death and Hades. ¹⁹^(BC)Write therefore ^(BD)the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. ²⁰As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and ^(BE)the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and ^(BF)the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

To the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of ^(BG)him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, ^(BH)who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

²^(BI)“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but ^(BJ)have tested those ^(BK)who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. ³I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up ^(BL)for my name's sake, and you ^(BM)have not grown weary. ⁴But I have this against you, that you have abandoned ^(BN)the love you had at first. ⁵Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do ^(BO)the works you did at first. If not, ^(BP)I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶Yet this you have: you hate the works of ^(BQ)the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷^(BR)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(BS)To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of ^(BT)the tree of life, which is in ^(BU)the paradise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of ^(BV)the first and the last, ^(BW)who died and came to life.

⁹“‘I know your tribulation and ^(BX)your poverty (^(BY)but you are rich) and the slander^[c] of ^(BZ)those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, ^(CA)that you may be tested, and for ^(CB)ten days ^(CC)you will have tribulation. ^(CD)Be faithful ^(CE)unto death, and I will give you ^(CF)the crown of life. ¹¹^(CG)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(CH)The one who conquers will not be hurt by ^(CI)the second death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has ^(CJ)the sharp two-edged sword.

¹³“‘I know where you dwell, ^(CK)where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not ^(CL)deny my faith^[d] even in the days of Antipas ^(CM)my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. ¹⁴But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of ^(CN)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might ^(CO)eat food sacrificed to idols and ^(CP)practice sexual immorality. ¹⁵So also you have some who hold the teaching of ^(CQ)the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶Therefore repent. If not, ^(CR)I will come to you soon and ^(CS)war against them with ^(CT)the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷^(CU)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(CV)To the one who conquers I will give some of ^(CW)the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with ^(CX)a new name written on the stone ^(CY)that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, ^(CZ)who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

¹⁹^(DA)“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. ²⁰But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman ^(DB)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants ^(DC)to practice sexual immorality and ^(DD)to eat food sacrificed to idols. ²¹I gave her time to repent, but ^(DE)she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. ²²Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, ²³and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he ^(DF)who searches mind and heart, and ^(DG)I will give to each of you according to your works. ²⁴But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ^(DH)the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I ^(DI)do not lay on you any other burden. ²⁵Only hold fast ^(DJ)what you have until I come. ²⁶^(DK)The one who conquers and who keeps my works ^(DL)until the end, ^(DM)to him I will give authority over the nations, ²⁷and ^(DN)he will ^(DO)rule^[e] them with a rod of iron, ^(DP)as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. ²⁸And I will give him ^(DQ)the morning star. ²⁹^(DR)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ^(DS)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^(DT)of being alive, ^(DU)but you are dead. ²Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^(DV)complete in the sight of my God. ³^(DW)Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ^(DX)I will come ^(DY)like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. ⁴Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not ^(DZ)soiled their garments, and they will walk with me ^(EA)in white, for they are ^(EB)worthy. ⁵^(EC)The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^(ED)blot his name out of ^(EE)the book of life. ^(EF)I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. ⁶^(EG)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of ^(EH)the holy one, ^(EI)the true one, ^(EJ)who has the key of David, ^(EK)who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

⁸“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^(EL)an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹Behold, I will make those of ^(EM)the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^(EN)I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^(EO)I have loved you. ¹⁰^(EP)Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^(EQ)those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹^(ER)I am coming soon. ^(ES)Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ^(ET)your crown. ¹²^(EU)The one who conquers, I will make him ^(EV)a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^(EW)the name of my God, and ^(EX)the name of the city of my God, ^(EY)the new Jerusalem, ^(EZ)which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^(FA)new name. ¹³^(FB)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the ^(FC)Amen, ^(FD)the faithful and true witness, ^(FE)the beginning of God's creation.

¹⁵“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^(FF)Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷^(FG)For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, ^(FH)blind, and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you ^(FI)to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and ^(FJ)white garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^(FK)the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, ^(FL)so that you may see. ¹⁹^(FM)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door and ^(FN)knock. ^(FO)If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, ^(FP)I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹^(FQ)The one who conquers, ^(FR)I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^(FS)I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²^(FT)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me ^(FU)like a trumpet, said, ^(FV)“Come up here, and ^(FW)I will show you what must take place after this.” ²At once ^(FX)I was in the Spirit, and behold, ^(FY)a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³And he who sat there had the appearance of ^(FZ)jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was ^(GA)a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. ⁴Around the throne were ^(GB)twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, ^(GC)clothed in white garments, with ^(GD)golden crowns on their heads. ⁵From the throne came ^(GE)flashes of lightning, and rumblings^[f] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning ^(GF)seven torches of fire, ^(GG)which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶and before the throne there was ^(GH)as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are ^(GI)four living creatures, ^(GJ)full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷^(GK)the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸And the four living creatures, ^(GL)each of them with six wings, are ^(GM)full of eyes all around and within, and ^(GN)day and night they never cease to say,

^(GO)“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
^(GP)who was and is and is to come!”

⁹And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, ^(GQ)who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders ^(GR)fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast ^(GS)their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹^(GT)“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for ^(GU)you created all things,
and ^(GV)by your will they existed and were created.”

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne ^(GW)a scroll written within and on the back, ^(GX)sealed with seven seals. ²And ^(GY)I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, ⁴and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, ^(GZ)the Lion ^(HA)of the tribe of Judah, ^(HB)the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw ^(HC)a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with ^(HD)seven eyes, which are ^(HE)the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders ^(HF)fell down before the Lamb, ^(HG)each holding a harp, and ^(HH)golden bowls full of incense, ^(HI)which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹And they sang ^(HJ)a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for ^(HK)you were slain, and by your blood ^(HL)you ransomed people for God
    from ^(HM)every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰and you have made them ^(HN)a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering ^(HO)myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice,

^(HP)“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³And I heard ^(HQ)every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

¹⁴And the four living creatures ^(HR)said, “Amen!” and the elders ^(HS)fell down and worshiped.

The Seven Seals

6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of ^(HT)the seven seals, and I heard ^(HU)one of the four living creatures say ^(HV)with a voice like thunder, ^(HW)“Come!” ²And I looked, and behold, ^(HX)a white horse! And ^(HY)its rider had a bow, and ^(HZ)a crown was given to him, and he came out ^(IA)conquering, and to conquer.

³When he opened the second seal, I heard ^(IB)the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴And out came another horse, ^(IC)bright red. Its rider was permitted ^(ID)to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

⁵When he opened the third seal, I heard the ^(IE)third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, ^(IF)a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ^(IG)“A quart^[g] of wheat for a denarius,^[h] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and ^(IH)do not harm the oil and wine!”

⁷When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of ^(II)the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸And I looked, and behold, ^(IJ)a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill ^(IK)with sword and with famine and with pestilence and ^(IL)by wild beasts of the earth.

⁹When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^(IM)the altar ^(IN)the souls of those who had been slain ^(IO)for the word of God and for ^(IP)the witness they had borne. ¹⁰They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, ^(IQ)holy and true, ^(IR)how long ^(IS)before you will judge and ^(IT)avenge our blood on ^(IU)those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹Then they were each given ^(IV)a white robe and ^(IW)told to rest a little longer, ^(IX)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers^[i] ^(IY)should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

¹²When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, ^(IZ)there was a great earthquake, and ^(JA)the sun became black as ^(JB)sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³and ^(JC)the stars of the sky fell to the earth ^(JD)as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ¹⁴^(JE)The sky vanished ^(JF)like a scroll that is being rolled up, and ^(JG)every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave^[j] and free, ^(JH)hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶^(JI)calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of ^(JJ)him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷for ^(JK)the great day of their wrath has come, and ^(JL)who can stand?”

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back ^(JM)the four winds of the earth, ^(JN)that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. ²Then I saw another angel ascending ^(JO)from the rising of the sun, with ^(JP)the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, ³saying, ^(JQ)“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God ^(JR)on their foreheads.” ⁴And ^(JS)I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

⁵12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
⁶12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
⁷12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
⁸12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

⁹After this I looked, and behold, ^(JT)a great multitude that no one could number, ^(JU)from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ^(JV)clothed in white robes, with ^(JW)palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, ^(JX)“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and ^(JY)the four living creatures, and they ^(JZ)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²^(KA)saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, ^(KB)clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of ^(KC)the great tribulation. ^(KD)They have washed their robes and ^(KE)made them white ^(KF)in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and ^(KG)serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne ^(KH)will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶^(KI)They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    ^(KJ)the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷For the Lamb in the midst of the throne ^(KK)will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of ^(KL)living water,
and ^(KM)God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When the Lamb opened ^(KN)the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ²Then I saw the seven angels ^(KO)who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³And another angel came and stood ^(KP)at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with ^(KQ)the prayers of all the saints on ^(KR)the golden altar before the throne, ⁴and ^(KS)the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵Then the angel took the censer and ^(KT)filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and ^(KU)there were peals of ^(KV)thunder, rumblings,^[k] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The Seven Trumpets

⁶Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

⁷The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed ^(KW)hail and ^(KX)fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a ^(KY)third of the earth was burned up, and a third of ^(KZ)the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

⁸The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like ^(LA)a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea ^(LB)became blood. ⁹A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of ^(LC)the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel blew his trumpet, and ^(LD)a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on ^(LE)the springs of water. ¹¹The name of the star is Wormwood.^[l] A third of the waters ^(LF)became wormwood, and many people died from the water, ^(LG)because it had been made bitter.

¹²The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of ^(LH)the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

¹³Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, ^(LI)“Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and ^(LJ)I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given ^(LK)the key to the shaft of ^(LL)the bottomless pit.^[m] ²He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft ^(LM)rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and ^(LN)the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. ³Then from the smoke came ^(LO)locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. ⁴They were told ^(LP)not to harm ^(LQ)the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have ^(LR)the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵They were allowed to torment them ^(LS)for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. ⁶And in those days ^(LT)people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

⁷^(LU)In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: ^(LV)on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were ^(LW)like human faces, ⁸their hair like women's hair, and ^(LX)their teeth like lions' teeth; ⁹they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was ^(LY)like the noise of many chariots with ^(LZ)horses rushing into battle. ¹⁰They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people ^(MA)for five months is in their tails. ¹¹They have ^(MB)as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is ^(MC)Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.^[n]

¹²^(MD)The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

¹³Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from ^(ME)the four horns of the golden altar before God, ¹⁴saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release ^(MF)the four angels who are bound at ^(MG)the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released ^(MH)to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶The number of ^(MI)mounted troops was ^(MJ)twice ten thousand times ten thousand; ^(MK)I heard their number. ¹⁷And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire^[o] and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were ^(ML)like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. ¹⁸By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. ¹⁹For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

²⁰The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, ^(MM)did not repent of ^(MN)the works of their hands nor give up worshiping ^(MO)demons ^(MP)and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, ²¹nor did they repent of their murders or their ^(MQ)sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with ^(MR)a rainbow over his head, and ^(MS)his face was like the sun, and ^(MT)his legs like pillars of fire. ²^(MU)He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, ³and called out with a loud voice, ^(MV)like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. ⁴And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ^(MW)“Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” ⁵And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land ^(MX)raised his right hand to heaven ⁶and swore by ^(MY)him who lives forever and ever, ^(MZ)who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, ⁷but that ^(NA)in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, ^(NB)just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

⁸Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” ⁹So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, ^(NC)“Take and ^(ND)eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹And I was told, ^(NE)“You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

The Two Witnesses

11 Then I was given ^(NF)a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ²but do not measure ^(NG)the court outside the temple; leave that out, for ^(NH)it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for ^(NI)forty-two months. ³And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(NJ)1,260 days, ^(NK)clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴These are ^(NL)the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵And if anyone would harm them, ^(NM)fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, ^(NN)this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶They have the power ^(NO)to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and ^(NP)to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷And when they have finished their testimony, ^(NQ)the beast that rises from ^(NR)the bottomless pit^[p] ^(NS)will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^[q] is called ^(NT)Sodom and ^(NU)Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and ^(NV)refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰and ^(NW)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and ^(NX)exchange presents, because these two prophets ^(NY)had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹But after the three and a half days ^(NZ)a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹²Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ^(OA)“Come up here!” And ^(OB)they went up to heaven ^(OC)in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³And at that hour there was ^(OD)a great earthquake, and ^(OE)a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(OF)gave glory to ^(OG)the God of heaven.

¹⁴^(OH)The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵Then ^(OI)the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and ^(OJ)there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ^(OK)“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(OL)his Christ, and ^(OM)he shall reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶And the twenty-four elders ^(ON)who sit on their thrones before God ^(OO)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    ^(OP)who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
    and ^(OQ)begun to reign.
¹⁸The nations raged,
    but ^(OR)your wrath came,
    and ^(OS)the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
    and ^(OT)those who fear your name,
    both small and great,
and ^(OU)for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

¹⁹Then ^(OV)God's temple in heaven was opened, and ^(OW)the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^[r] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and ^(OX)heavy hail.

The Woman and the Dragon

12 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman ^(OY)clothed with ^(OZ)the sun, with ^(PA)the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ²She was pregnant and ^(PB)was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. ³And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great ^(PC)red dragon, ^(PD)with seven heads and ^(PE)ten horns, and on his heads ^(PF)seven diadems. ⁴His tail swept down ^(PG)a third of the stars of heaven and ^(PH)cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child ^(PI)he might devour it. ⁵She gave birth to a male child, ^(PJ)one who is to rule^[s] all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was ^(PK)caught up to God and to his throne, ⁶and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for ^(PL)1,260 days.

Satan Thrown Down to Earth

⁷Now war arose in heaven, ^(PM)Michael and ^(PN)his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹And ^(PO)the great dragon was thrown down, ^(PP)that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, ^(PQ)the deceiver of the whole world—^(PR)he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now ^(PS)the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers^[t] has been thrown down, ^(PT)who accuses them day and night before our God. ¹¹And ^(PU)they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for ^(PV)they loved not their lives ^(PW)even unto death. ¹²Therefore, ^(PX)rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But ^(PY)woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because ^(PZ)he knows that his time is short!”

¹³And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued ^(QA)the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴But the woman was given the two ^(QB)wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent ^(QC)into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished ^(QD)for a time, and times, and half a time. ¹⁵The serpent poured water ^(QE)like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. ¹⁷Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off ^(QF)to make war on the rest of ^(QG)her offspring, ^(QH)on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to ^(QI)the testimony of Jesus. And he stood^[u] on the sand of the sea.

The First Beast

13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, ^(QJ)with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and ^(QK)blasphemous names on its heads. ²And the beast that I saw was ^(QL)like a leopard; its feet were like ^(QM)a bear's, and its mouth was like ^(QN)a lion's mouth. And to it ^(QO)the dragon gave his power and ^(QP)his throne and great authority. ³One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and ^(QQ)the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. ⁴And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ^(QR)“Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

⁵And the beast was given ^(QS)a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for ^(QT)forty-two months. ⁶It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,^[v] that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷Also it was allowed ^(QU)to make war on the saints and to conquer them.^[w] And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, ⁸and all ^(QV)who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in ^(QW)the book of life of ^(QX)the Lamb ^(QY)who was slain. ⁹^(QZ)If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

¹⁰^(RA)If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
^(RB)if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.

^(RC)Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The Second Beast

¹¹Then ^(RD)I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. ¹²It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,^[x] and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, ^(RE)whose mortal wound was healed. ¹³^(RF)It performs great signs, even ^(RG)making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, ¹⁴and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of^[y] the beast ^(RH)it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast ^(RI)that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not ^(RJ)worship the image of the beast ^(RK)to be slain. ¹⁶Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,^[z] ^(RL)to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, ¹⁷so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, ^(RM)the name of the beast or ^(RN)the number of its name. ¹⁸^(RO)This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number ^(RP)of a man, and his number is 666.^[aa]

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and behold, on ^(RQ)Mount Zion ^(RR)stood the Lamb, and with him ^(RS)144,000 who ^(RT)had his name and his Father's name written ^(RU)on their foreheads. ²And I heard a voice from heaven ^(RV)like the roar of many waters and ^(RW)like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of ^(RX)harpists playing on their harps, ³and they were singing ^(RY)a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. ^(RZ)No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for ^(SA)they are virgins. It is these ^(SB)who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as ^(SC)firstfruits for God and the Lamb, ⁵and ^(SD)in their mouth no lie was found, for they are ^(SE)blameless.

The Messages of the Three Angels

⁶Then I saw another angel ^(SF)flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to ^(SG)those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. ⁷And he said with a loud voice, ^(SH)“Fear God and ^(SI)give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and ^(SJ)worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the ^(SK)springs of water.”

⁸Another angel, a second, followed, saying, ^(SL)“Fallen, fallen is ^(SM)Babylon the great, ^(SN)she who made all nations drink ^(SO)the wine of the passion^[ab] of her sexual immorality.”

⁹And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone ^(SP)worships the beast and its image and receives ^(SQ)a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰he also will drink ^(SR)the wine of God's wrath, ^(SS)poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and ^(ST)he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹And ^(SU)the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and ^(SV)they have no rest, day or night, these ^(SW)worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

¹²^(SX)Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who ^(SY)keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.^[ac]

¹³And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: ^(SZ)Blessed are the dead ^(TA)who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, ^(TB)“that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

The Harvest of the Earth

¹⁴Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one ^(TC)like a son of man, ^(TD)with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵And another angel ^(TE)came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, ^(TF)“Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for ^(TG)the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” ¹⁶So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸And another angel came out from the altar, ^(TH)the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, ^(TI)for its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great ^(TJ)winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰And ^(TK)the winepress was trodden ^(TL)outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as ^(TM)a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.^[ad]

The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

15 Then ^(TN)I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, ^(TO)seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

Footnotes

Revelation 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant later in this verse
Revelation 1:7 Or mourn
Revelation 2:9 Greek blasphemy
Revelation 2:13 Or your faith in me
Revelation 2:27 Greek shepherd
Revelation 4:5 Or voices, or sounds
Revelation 6:6 Greek choinix, a dry measure equal to about a quart
Revelation 6:6 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
Revelation 6:11 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
Revelation 6:15 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
Revelation 8:5 Or voices, or sounds
Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is the name of a plant and of the bitter-tasting extract derived from it
Revelation 9:1 Greek the abyss; also verses 2, 11
Revelation 9:11 Abaddon means destruction; Apollyon means destroyer
Revelation 9:17 Greek hyacinth
Revelation 11:7 Or the abyss
Revelation 11:8 Greek spiritually
Revelation 11:19 Or voices, or sounds
Revelation 12:5 Greek shepherd
Revelation 12:10 Or brothers and sisters
Revelation 12:17 Some manuscripts And I stood, connecting the sentence with 13:1
Revelation 13:6 Or tabernacle
Revelation 13:7 Some manuscripts omit this sentence
Revelation 13:12 Or on its behalf
Revelation 13:14 Or on behalf of
Revelation 13:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
Revelation 13:18 Some manuscripts 616
Revelation 14:8 Or wrath
Revelation 14:12 Greek and the faith of Jesus
Revelation 14:20 About 184 miles; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters

Revelation 1:1-15

New International Version

Prologue

1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave^(A) him to show his servants what must soon take place.^(B) He made it known by sending his angel^(C) to his servant John,^(D) ²who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God^(E) and the testimony of Jesus Christ.^(F) ³Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,^(G) because the time is near.^(H)

Greetings and Doxology

⁴John,

To the seven churches^(I) in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you^(J) from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,^(K) and from the seven spirits^[a]^(L) before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,^(M) the firstborn from the dead,^(N) and the ruler of the kings of the earth.^(O)

To him who loves us^(P) and has freed us from our sins by his blood,^(Q) ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests^(R) to serve his God and Father^(S)—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.^(T)

⁷“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”^[b]^(U)
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;^(V)
and all peoples on earth “will mourn^(W) because of him.”^[c]
So shall it be! Amen.

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”^(X) says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come,^(Y) the Almighty.”^(Z)

John’s Vision of Christ

⁹I, John,^(AA) your brother and companion in the suffering^(AB) and kingdom^(AC) and patient endurance^(AD) that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God^(AE) and the testimony of Jesus.^(AF) ¹⁰On the Lord’s Day^(AG) I was in the Spirit,^(AH) and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,^(AI) ¹¹which said: “Write on a scroll what you see^(AJ) and send it to the seven churches:^(AK) to Ephesus,^(AL) Smyrna,^(AM) Pergamum,^(AN) Thyatira,^(AO) Sardis,^(AP) Philadelphia^(AQ) and Laodicea.”^(AR)

¹²I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,^(AS) ¹³and among the lampstands^(AT) was someone like a son of man,^[d]^(AU) dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet^(AV) and with a golden sash around his chest.^(AW) ¹⁴The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.^(AX) ¹⁵His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace,^(AY) and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.^(AZ) ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars,^(BA) and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.^(BB) His face was like the sun^(BC) shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet^(BD) as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me^(BE) and said: “Do not be afraid.^(BF) I am the First and the Last.^(BG) ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead,^(BH) and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!^(BI) And I hold the keys of death and Hades.^(BJ)

¹⁹“Write, therefore, what you have seen,^(BK) what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand^(BL) and of the seven golden lampstands^(BM) is this: The seven stars are the angels^[e] of the seven churches,^(BN) and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.^(BO)

To the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the angel^[f] of the church in Ephesus^(BP) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand^(BQ) and walks among the seven golden lampstands.^(BR) ²I know your deeds,^(BS) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested^(BT) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.^(BU) ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,^(BV) and have not grown weary.

⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.^(BW) ⁵Consider how far you have fallen! Repent^(BX) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand^(BY) from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,^(BZ) which I also hate.

⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear^(CA) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(CB) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,^(CC) which is in the paradise^(CD) of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸“To the angel of the church in Smyrna^(CE) write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last,^(CF) who died and came to life again.^(CG) ⁹I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!^(CH) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,^(CI) but are a synagogue of Satan.^(CJ) ¹⁰Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you,^(CK) and you will suffer persecution for ten days.^(CL) Be faithful,^(CM) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.^(CN)

¹¹Whoever has ears, let them hear^(CO) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.^(CP)

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“To the angel of the church in Pergamum^(CQ) write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.^(CR) ¹³I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,^(CS) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,^(CT) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.^(CU)

¹⁴Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:^(CV) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,^(CW) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols^(CX) and committed sexual immorality.^(CY) ¹⁵Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.^(CZ) ¹⁶Repent^(DA) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.^(DB)

¹⁷Whoever has ears, let them hear^(DC) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,^(DD) I will give some of the hidden manna.^(DE) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name^(DF) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.^(DG)

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸“To the angel of the church in Thyatira^(DH) write:

These are the words of the Son of God,^(DI) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.^(DJ) ¹⁹I know your deeds,^(DK) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

²⁰Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,^(DL) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.^(DM) ²¹I have given her time^(DN) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.^(DO) ²²So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery^(DP) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²³I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds,^(DQ) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.^(DR)

²⁴Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,^(DS) ²⁵except to hold on to what you have^(DT) until I come.’^(DU)

²⁶To the one who is victorious^(DV) and does my will to the end,^(DW) I will give authority over the nations^(DX)— ²⁷that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter^(DY) and will dash them to pieces like pottery’^[g]^(DZ)—just as I have received authority from my Father. ²⁸I will also give that one the morning star.^(EA) ²⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear^(EB) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Sardis

3 “To the angel^[h] of the church in Sardis^(EC) write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits^[i]^(ED) of God and the seven stars.^(EE) I know your deeds;^(EF) you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.^(EG) ²Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ³Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.^(EH) But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,^(EI) and you will not know at what time^(EJ) I will come to you.

⁴Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.^(EK) They will walk with me, dressed in white,^(EL) for they are worthy. ⁵The one who is victorious^(EM) will, like them, be dressed in white.^(EN) I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life,^(EO) but will acknowledge that name before my Father^(EP) and his angels. ⁶Whoever has ears, let them hear^(EQ) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia^(ER) write:

These are the words of him who is holy^(ES) and true,^(ET) who holds the key of David.^(EU) What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸I know your deeds.^(EV) See, I have placed before you an open door^(EW) that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.^(EX) ⁹I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan,^(EY) who claim to be Jews though they are not,^(EZ) but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet^(FA) and acknowledge that I have loved you.^(FB) ¹⁰Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you^(FC) from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world^(FD) to test^(FE) the inhabitants of the earth.^(FF)

¹¹I am coming soon.^(FG) Hold on to what you have,^(FH) so that no one will take your crown.^(FI) ¹²The one who is victorious^(FJ) I will make a pillar^(FK) in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God^(FL) and the name of the city of my God,^(FM) the new Jerusalem,^(FN) which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³Whoever has ears, let them hear^(FO) what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴“To the angel of the church in Laodicea^(FP) write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,^(FQ) the ruler of God’s creation.^(FR) ¹⁵I know your deeds,^(FS) that you are neither cold nor hot.^(FT) I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’^(FU) But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.^(FV) ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,^(FW) so you can become rich; and white clothes^(FX) to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;^(FY) and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.^(FZ) So be earnest and repent.^(GA) ²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door^(GB) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,^(GC) I will come in^(GD) and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹To the one who is victorious,^(GE) I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,^(GF) just as I was victorious^(GG) and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²Whoever has ears, let them hear^(GH) what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open^(GI) in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet^(GJ) said, “Come up here,^(GK) and I will show you what must take place after this.”^(GL) ²At once I was in the Spirit,^(GM) and there before me was a throne in heaven^(GN) with someone sitting on it. ³And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper^(GO) and ruby.^(GP) A rainbow^(GQ) that shone like an emerald^(GR) encircled the throne. ⁴Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders.^(GS) They were dressed in white^(GT) and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.^(GU) In front of the throne, seven lamps^(GV) were blazing. These are the seven spirits^[j]^(GW) of God. ⁶Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass,^(GX) clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures,^(GY) and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.^(GZ) ⁷The 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.^(HA) ⁸Each of the four living creatures^(HB) had six wings^(HC) and was covered with eyes all around,^(HD) even under its wings. Day and night^(HE) they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’^[k]^(HF)

who was, and is, and is to come.”^(HG)

⁹Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne^(HH) and who lives for ever and ever,^(HI) ¹⁰the twenty-four elders^(HJ) fall down before him^(HK) who sits on the throne^(HL) 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,^(HM)
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”^(HN)

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne^(HO) a scroll with writing on both sides^(HP) and sealed^(HQ) with seven seals. ²And I saw a mighty angel^(HR) proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion^(HS) of the tribe of Judah,^(HT) the Root of David,^(HU) has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶Then I saw a Lamb,^(HV) looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures^(HW) and the elders.^(HX) The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes,^(HY) which are the seven spirits^[l]^(HZ) of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.^(IA) ⁸And when he had taken it, the four living creatures^(IB) and the twenty-four elders^(IC) fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp^(ID) and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers^(IE) of God’s people. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying:^(IF)

“You are worthy^(IG) to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood^(IH) you purchased^(II) for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.^(IJ)
¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdom and priests^(IK) to serve our God,
    and they will reign^[m] on the earth.”^(IL)

¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.^(IM) They encircled the throne and the living creatures^(IN) and the elders.^(IO) ¹²In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb,^(IP) who was slain,^(IQ)
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”^(IR)

¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth^(IS) and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne^(IT) and to the Lamb^(IU)
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”^(IV)

¹⁴The four living creatures^(IW) said, “Amen,”^(IX) and the elders^(IY) fell down and worshiped.^(IZ)

The Seals

6 I watched as the Lamb^(JA) opened the first of the seven seals.^(JB) Then I heard one of the four living creatures^(JC) say in a voice like thunder,^(JD) “Come!” ²I looked, and there before me was a white horse!^(JE) Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown,^(JF) and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.^(JG)

³When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature^(JH) say, “Come!” ⁴Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.^(JI) Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth^(JJ) and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

⁵When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature^(JK) say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse!^(JL) Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures,^(JM) saying, “Two pounds^[n] of wheat for a day’s wages,^[o] and six pounds^[p] of barley for a day’s wages,^[q]^(JN) and do not damage^(JO) the oil and the wine!”

⁷When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature^(JP) say, “Come!” ⁸I looked, and there before me was a pale horse!^(JQ) Its rider was named Death, and Hades^(JR) was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.^(JS)

⁹When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under^(JT) the altar^(JU) the souls of those who had been slain^(JV) because of the word of God^(JW) and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰They called out in a loud voice, “How long,^(JX) Sovereign Lord,^(JY) holy and true,^(JZ) until you judge the inhabitants of the earth^(KA) and avenge our blood?”^(KB) ¹¹Then each of them was given a white robe,^(KC) and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,^[r] were killed just as they had been.^(KD)

¹²I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake.^(KE) The sun turned black^(KF) like sackcloth^(KG) made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, ¹³and the stars in the sky fell to earth,^(KH) as figs drop from a fig tree^(KI) when shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up,^(KJ) and every mountain and island was removed from its place.^(KK)

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free,^(KL) hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.^(KM) ¹⁶They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us^(KN) and hide us^[s] from the face of him who sits on the throne^(KO) and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷For the great day^(KP) of their^[t] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”^(KQ)

144,000 Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners^(KR) of the earth, holding back the four winds^(KS) of the earth to prevent^(KT) any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ²Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal^(KU) of the living God.^(KV) He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:^(KW) ³“Do not harm^(KX) the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads^(KY) of the servants of our God.” ⁴Then I heard the number^(KZ) of those who were sealed: 144,000^(LA) from all the tribes of Israel.

⁵From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

⁶from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

⁷from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

⁸from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

The Great Multitude in White Robes

⁹After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,^(LB) standing before the throne^(LC) and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes^(LD) and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,^(LE)
who sits on the throne,^(LF)
and to the Lamb.”

¹¹All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders^(LG) and the four living creatures.^(LH) They fell down on their faces^(LI) before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”^(LJ)

¹³Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes^(LK)—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes^(LL) and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^(LM) ¹⁵Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God^(LN)
    and serve him^(LO) day and night in his temple;^(LP)
and he who sits on the throne^(LQ)
    will shelter them with his presence.^(LR)
¹⁶‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.^(LS)
The sun will not beat down on them,’^[u]
    nor any scorching heat.^(LT)
¹⁷For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;^(LU)
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’^[v]^(LV)
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’^[w]”^(LW)

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When he opened the seventh seal,^(LX) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

²And I saw the seven angels^(LY) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.^(LZ)

³Another angel,^(MA) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,^(MB) on the golden altar^(MC) in front of the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God^(MD) from the angel’s hand. ⁵Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,^(ME) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,^(MF) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.^(MG)

The Trumpets

⁶Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets^(MH) prepared to sound them.

⁷The first angel^(MI) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire^(MJ) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third^(MK) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.^(ML)

⁸The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,^(MM) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third^(MN) of the sea turned into blood,^(MO) ⁹a third^(MP) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky^(MQ) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water^(MR)— ¹¹the name of the star is Wormwood.^[x] A third^(MS) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.^(MT)

¹²The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third^(MU) of them turned dark.^(MV) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.^(MW)

¹³As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair^(MX) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe^(MY) to the inhabitants of the earth,^(MZ) because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.^(NA) The star was given the key^(NB) to the shaft of the Abyss.^(NC) ²When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.^(ND) The sun and sky were darkened^(NE) by the smoke from the Abyss.^(NF) ³And out of the smoke locusts^(NG) came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions^(NH) of the earth. ⁴They were told not to harm^(NI) the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,^(NJ) but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.^(NK) ⁵They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months.^(NL) And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion^(NM) when it strikes. ⁶During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.^(NN)

⁷The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.^(NO) On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.^(NP) ⁸Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.^(NQ) ⁹They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.^(NR) ¹⁰They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.^(NS) ¹¹They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss,^(NT) whose name in Hebrew^(NU) is Abaddon^(NV) and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

¹²The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.^(NW)

¹³The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns^(NX) of the golden altar that is before God.^(NY) ¹⁴It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels^(NZ) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”^(OA) ¹⁵And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released^(OB) to kill a third^(OC) of mankind.^(OD) ¹⁶The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.^(OE)

¹⁷The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths^(OF) came fire, smoke and sulfur.^(OG) ¹⁸A third^(OH) of mankind was killed^(OI) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur^(OJ) that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

²⁰The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent^(OK) of the work of their hands;^(OL) they did not stop worshiping demons,^(OM) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.^(ON) ²¹Nor did they repent^(OO) of their murders, their magic arts,^(OP) their sexual immorality^(OQ) or their thefts.

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel^(OR) coming down from heaven.^(OS) He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow^(OT) above his head; his face was like the sun,^(OU) and his legs were like fiery pillars.^(OV) ²He was holding a little scroll,^(OW) which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,^(OX) ³and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.^(OY) When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders^(OZ) spoke. ⁴And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write;^(PA) but I heard a voice from heaven^(PB) say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”^(PC)

⁵Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land^(PD) raised his right hand to heaven.^(PE) ⁶And he swore^(PF) by him who lives for ever and ever,^(PG) who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,^(PH) and said, “There will be no more delay!^(PI) ⁷But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet,^(PJ) the mystery^(PK) of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”^(PL)

⁸Then the voice that I had heard from heaven^(PM) spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll^(PN) that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

⁹So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’^[y]”^(PO) ¹⁰I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,^(PP) but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹Then I was told, “You must prophesy^(PQ) again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”^(PR)

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod^(PS) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ²But exclude the outer court;^(PT) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^(PU) They will trample on the holy city^(PV) for 42 months.^(PW) ³And I will appoint my two witnesses,^(PX) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^(PY) clothed in sackcloth.”^(PZ) ⁴They are “the two olive trees”^(QA) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^[z]^(QB) ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^(QC) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^(QD) ⁶They have power to shut up the heavens^(QE) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^(QF) and they have power to turn the waters into blood^(QG) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^(QH) that comes up from the Abyss^(QI) will attack them,^(QJ) and overpower and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^(QK)—which is figuratively called Sodom^(QL) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^(QM) ⁹For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation^(QN) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.^(QO) ¹⁰The inhabitants of the earth^(QP) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,^(QQ) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹But after the three and a half days^(QR) the breath^[aa] of life from God entered them,^(QS) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹²Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”^(QT) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,^(QU) while their enemies looked on.

¹³At that very hour there was a severe earthquake^(QV) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory^(QW) to the God of heaven.^(QX)

¹⁴The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.^(QY)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,^(QZ) and there were loud voices^(RA) in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,^(RB)
and he will reign for ever and ever.”^(RC)

¹⁶And the twenty-four elders,^(RD) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces^(RE) and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying:

“We give thanks^(RF) to you, Lord God Almighty,^(RG)
    the One who is and who was,^(RH)
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.^(RI)
¹⁸The nations were angry,^(RJ)
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,^(RK)
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets^(RL)
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small^(RM)—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹Then God’s temple^(RN) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.^(RO) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,^(RP) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.^(RQ)

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great sign^(RR) appeared in heaven:^(RS) a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars^(RT) on her head. ²She was pregnant and cried out in pain^(RU) as she was about to give birth. ³Then another sign appeared in heaven:^(RV) an enormous red dragon^(RW) with seven heads^(RX) and ten horns^(RY) and seven crowns^(RZ) on its heads. ⁴Its tail swept a third^(SA) of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.^(SB) The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child^(SC) the moment he was born. ⁵She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”^[ab]^(SD) And her child was snatched up^(SE) to God and to his throne. ⁶The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.^(SF)

⁷Then war broke out in heaven. Michael^(SG) and his angels fought against the dragon,^(SH) and the dragon and his angels^(SI) fought back. ⁸But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent^(SJ) called the devil,^(SK) or Satan,^(SL) who leads the whole world astray.^(SM) He was hurled to the earth,^(SN) and his angels with him.

¹⁰Then I heard a loud voice in heaven^(SO) say:

“Now have come the salvation^(SP) and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,^(SQ)
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.
¹¹They triumphed over^(SR) him
    by the blood of the Lamb^(SS)
    and by the word of their testimony;^(ST)
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.^(SU)
¹²Therefore rejoice, you heavens^(SV)
    and you who dwell in them!
But woe^(SW) to the earth and the sea,^(SX)
    because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
    because he knows that his time is short.”

¹³When the dragon^(SY) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.^(SZ) ¹⁴The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,^(TA) so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,^(TB) out of the serpent’s reach. ¹⁵Then from his mouth the serpent^(TC) spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war^(TD) against the rest of her offspring^(TE)—those who keep God’s commands^(TF) and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.^(TG)

The Beast out of the Sea

13 The dragon^[ac] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.^(TH) It had ten horns and seven heads,^(TI) with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.^(TJ) ²The beast I saw resembled a leopard,^(TK) but had feet like those of a bear^(TL) and a mouth like that of a lion.^(TM) The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.^(TN) ³One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.^(TO) The whole world was filled with wonder^(TP) and followed the beast. ⁴People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like^(TQ) the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies^(TR) and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.^(TS) ⁶It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.^(TT) ⁷It was given power to wage war^(TU) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^(TV) ⁸All inhabitants of the earth^(TW) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^(TX) the Lamb^(TY) who was slain from the creation of the world.^[ad]^(TZ)

⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(UA)

¹⁰“If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed^[ae] with the sword,
with the sword they will be killed.”^[af]^(UB)

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness^(UC) on the part of God’s people.^(UD)

The Beast out of the Earth

¹¹Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.^(UE) It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.^(UF) ¹²It exercised all the authority^(UG) of the first beast on its behalf,^(UH) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,^(UI) whose fatal wound had been healed.^(UJ) ¹³And it performed great signs,^(UK) even causing fire to come down from heaven^(UL) to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴Because of the signs^(UM) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived^(UN) the inhabitants of the earth.^(UO) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^(UP) ¹⁵The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship^(UQ) the image to be killed.^(UR) ¹⁶It also forced all people, great and small,^(US) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^(UT) ¹⁷so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^(UU) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^(UV)

¹⁸This calls for wisdom.^(UW) Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[ag]^(UX) That number is 666.

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb,^(UY) standing on Mount Zion,^(UZ) and with him 144,000^(VA) who had his name and his Father’s name^(VB) written on their foreheads.^(VC) ²And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters^(VD) and like a loud peal of thunder.^(VE) The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.^(VF) ³And they sang a new song^(VG) before the throne and before the four living creatures^(VH) and the elders.^(VI) No one could learn the song except the 144,000^(VJ) who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.^(VK) They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.^(VL) They were purchased from among mankind^(VM) and offered as firstfruits^(VN) to God and the Lamb. ⁵No lie was found in their mouths;^(VO) they are blameless.^(VP)

The Three Angels

⁶Then I saw another angel flying in midair,^(VQ) and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth^(VR)—to every nation, tribe, language and people.^(VS) ⁷He said in a loud voice, “Fear God^(VT) and give him glory,^(VU) because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made^(VV) the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”^(VW)

⁸A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’^[ah]^(VX) which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”^(VY)

⁹A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast^(VZ) and its image^(WA) and receives its mark on their forehead^(WB) or on their hand, ¹⁰they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury,^(WC) which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.^(WD) They will be tormented with burning sulfur^(WE) in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.^(WF) There will be no rest day or night^(WG) for those who worship the beast and its image,^(WH) or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”^(WI) ¹²This calls for patient endurance^(WJ) on the part of the people of God^(WK) who keep his commands^(WL) and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord^(WM) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,^(WN) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(WO) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[ai]^(WP) with a crown^(WQ) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Then another angel came out of the temple^(WR) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(WS) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(WT) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^(WU) ¹⁸Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(WV) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(WW) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^(WX) ²⁰They were trampled in the winepress^(WY) outside the city,^(WZ) and blood^(XA) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[aj]

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:^(XB) seven angels^(XC) with the seven last plagues^(XD)—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.

Footnotes

Revelation 1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
Revelation 1:7 Daniel 7:13
Revelation 1:7 Zech. 12:10
Revelation 1:13 See Daniel 7:13.
Revelation 1:20 Or messengers
Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18
Revelation 2:27 Psalm 2:9
Revelation 3:1 Or messenger; also in verses 7 and 14
Revelation 3:1 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
Revelation 4:5 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
Revelation 4:8 Isaiah 6:3
Revelation 5:6 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
Revelation 5:10 Some manuscripts they reign
Revelation 6:6 Or about 1 kilogram
Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
Revelation 6:6 Or about 3 kilograms
Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
Revelation 6:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 12:10; 19:10.
Revelation 6:16 See Hosea 10:8.
Revelation 6:17 Some manuscripts his
Revelation 7:16 Isaiah 49:10
Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 49:10
Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 25:8
Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is a bitter substance.
Revelation 10:9 Ezek. 3:3
Revelation 11:4 See Zech. 4:3,11,14.
Revelation 11:11 Or Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5,14)
Revelation 12:5 Psalm 2:9
Revelation 13:1 Some manuscripts And I
Revelation 13:8 Or written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was slain
Revelation 13:10 Some manuscripts anyone kills
Revelation 13:10 Jer. 15:2
Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number
Revelation 14:8 Isaiah 21:9
Revelation 14:14 See Daniel 7:13.
Revelation 14:20 That is, about 180 miles or about 300 kilometers

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)

Revelation 1:1-15 English Standard Version

Prologue

Greeting to the Seven Churches

Vision of the Son of Man

To the Church in Ephesus

To the Church in Smyrna

To the Church in Pergamum

To the Church in Thyatira

To the Church in Sardis

To the Church in Philadelphia

To the Church in Laodicea

The Throne in Heaven

The Scroll and the Lamb

The Seven Seals

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

The Seven Trumpets

The Angel and the Little Scroll

The Two Witnesses

The Seventh Trumpet

The Woman and the Dragon

Satan Thrown Down to Earth

The First Beast

The Second Beast

The Lamb and the 144,000

The Messages of the Three Angels

The Harvest of the Earth

The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

Footnotes

Cross references

Revelation 1:1-15 New International Version

Prologue

Greetings and Doxology

John’s Vision of Christ

To the Church in Ephesus

To the Church in Smyrna

To the Church in Pergamum

To the Church in Thyatira

To the Church in Sardis

To the Church in Philadelphia

To the Church in Laodicea

The Throne in Heaven

The Scroll and the Lamb

The Seals

144,000 Sealed

The Great Multitude in White Robes

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

The Trumpets

The Angel and the Little Scroll

The Two Witnesses

The Seventh Trumpet

The Woman and the Dragon

The Beast out of the Sea

The Beast out of the Earth

The Lamb and the 144,000

The Three Angels

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Revelation 1:1-15

English Standard Version

Revelation 1:1-15

New International Version