Revelation 1
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Introduction and Salutation
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:[a]
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
A Vision of Christ
9 I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Per′gamum and to Thyati′ra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odice′a.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,[b] clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; 14 his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; 16 in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Revelation 1
Living Bible
1 This book unveils some of the future activities soon to occur in the life of Jesus Christ.[a] God permitted him to reveal these things to his servant John in a vision; and then an angel was sent from heaven to explain the vision’s meaning. 2 John wrote it all down—the words of God and Jesus Christ and everything he heard and saw.
3 If you read this prophecy aloud to the church, you will receive a special blessing from the Lord. Those who listen to it being read and do what it says will also be blessed. For the time is near when these things will all come true.
4 From: John
To: The seven churches in Turkey.[b]
Dear Friends:
May you have grace and peace from God who is, and was, and is to come; and from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ who faithfully reveals all truth to us. He was the first to rise from death, to die no more.[c] He is far greater than any king in all the earth. All praise to him who always loves us and who set us free from our sins by pouring out his lifeblood for us. 6 He has gathered us into his Kingdom and made us priests of God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever! Amen!
7 See! He is arriving, surrounded by clouds; and every eye shall see him—yes, and those who pierced him.[d] And the nations will weep in sorrow and in terror when he comes. Yes! Amen! Let it be so!
8 “I am the A and the Z,[e] the Beginning and the Ending of all things,” says God, who is the Lord, the All Powerful One who is, and was, and is coming again!
9 It is I, your brother John, a fellow sufferer for the Lord’s sake, who am writing this letter to you. I, too, have shared the patience Jesus gives, and we shall share his Kingdom!
I was on the island of Patmos, exiled there for preaching the Word of God and for telling what I knew about Jesus Christ. 10 It was the Lord’s Day and I was worshiping, when suddenly I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast, 11 saying, “I am A and Z, the First and Last!” And then I heard him say, “Write down everything you see, and send your letter to the seven churches in Turkey:[f] to the church in Ephesus, the one in Smyrna, and those in Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 When I turned to see who was speaking, there behind me were seven candlesticks of gold. 13 And standing among them was one who looked like Jesus, who called himself the Son of Man,[g] wearing a long robe circled with a golden band across his chest. 14 His hair was white as wool or snow,[h] and his eyes penetrated like flames of fire. 15 His feet gleamed like burnished bronze, and his voice thundered like the waves against the shore. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand and a sharp, double-bladed sword in his mouth,[i] and his face shone like the power of the sun in unclouded brilliance.
17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead; but he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! Though I am the First and Last, the Living One who died, who is now alive forevermore, who has the keys of hell and death—don’t be afraid! 19 Write down what you have just seen and what will soon be shown to you. 20 This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks: The seven stars are the leaders[j] of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks are the churches themselves.
Footnotes
- Revelation 1:1 This book unveils . . . the life of Jesus Christ, literally, “This is the revelation of [concerning, or from] Jesus Christ.”
- Revelation 1:4 in Turkey, literally, “in Asia.” the sevenfold Spirit, literally, “the seven Spirits.” But see Isaiah 11:2, where various aspects of the Holy Spirit are described, and Zechariah 4:2-6, giving probability to the paraphrase; see also 2:7.
- Revelation 1:5 He was the first to rise from death, to die no more, literally, “He was the firstborn from the dead.” Others (Lazarus, etc.) rose to die again. As used here the expression therefore implies “to die no more.”
- Revelation 1:7 and those who pierced him. John saw this happen with his own eyes—the piercing of Jesus—and never forgot the horror of it.
- Revelation 1:8 I am the A and the Z, literally, “I am Alpha and Omega.” These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. is coming again, literally, “who comes” or “who is to come.”
- Revelation 1:11 in Turkey, literally, “in Asia.”
- Revelation 1:13 like Jesus, who called himself the Son of Man, literally, “like unto a Son of Man.” John recognizes him from having lived with him for three years, and from seeing him in glory at the Transfiguration.
- Revelation 1:14 His hair was white as wool or snow, literally, “His head—the hair—was white like wool.”
- Revelation 1:16 in his mouth, literally, “came out from his mouth.”
- Revelation 1:20 leaders, literally, “angels.” Some expositors (Origen, Jerome, etc.) believe from this that an angelic being is appointed by God to oversee each local church.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.