Revelation 1
Christian Standard Bible
Prologue
1 The revelation of[a] Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants(A) what must soon take place.(B) He made it known by sending his angel(C) to his servant John,(D) 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony[b] of Jesus Christ,(E) whatever he saw.[c] 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy,(F) and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep[d] what is written in it, because the time is near.
4 John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace(G) to you from[e] the one who is, who was, and who is to come,(H) and from the seven spirits[f](I) before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,(J) the firstborn from the dead(K) and the ruler of the kings of the earth.(L)
To him who loves us and has set us free[g] from our sins by his blood,(M) 6 and made us a kingdom,[h] priests[i](N) to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.(O)
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds,(P)
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
And all the tribes[j] of the earth[k](Q)
will mourn over him.[l][m] (R)
So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”(S) says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
John’s Vision of the Risen Lord
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction,(T) kingdom,(U) and endurance(V) that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.(W) 10 I was in the Spirit[n](X) on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet(Y) 11 saying, “Write(Z) on a scroll[o] what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see whose voice(AA) it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,(AB) 13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,[p](AC) dressed in a robe(AD) and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.(AE) 14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow(AF)—and his eyes like a fiery flame.(AG) 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace,(AH) and his voice like the sound of cascading[q] waters.(AI) 16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth,(AJ) and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.(AK)
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man.(AL) He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,(AM) 18 and the Living One.(AN) I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever,(AO) and I hold the keys(AP) of death and Hades. 19 Therefore write what you have seen,(AQ) what is, and what will take place after this. 20 The mystery(AR) of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[r] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands[s] are the seven churches.(AS)
Footnotes
- 1:1 Or Revelation of, or A revelation of
- 1:2 Or witness
- 1:2 Or as many as he saw
- 1:3 Or follow, or obey
- 1:4 Other mss add God
- 1:4 Or the sevenfold Spirit
- 1:5 Other mss read has washed us
- 1:6 Other mss read kings and
- 1:6 Or made us into (or to be) a kingdom of priests; Ex 19:6
- 1:7 Or peoples
- 1:7 Gn 12:3; 28:14; Zch 14:17
- 1:7 Or will wail because of him
- 1:7 Dn 7:13; Zch 12:10
- 1:10 Or in spirit; lit I became in the Spirit
- 1:11 Or book
- 1:13 Or like a son of man
- 1:15 Lit many
- 1:20 Or messengers
- 1:20 Other mss add that you saw
Revelation 1
Common English Bible
Greetings
1 A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. Christ made it known by sending it through his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, including all that John saw. 3 Favored is the one who reads the words of this prophecy out loud, and favored are those who listen to it being read, and keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
4 John, to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. Amen.
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. This is so. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and was and is coming, the Almighty.”
Christ appears to John
9 I, John, your brother who shares with you in the hardship, kingdom, and endurance that we have in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and my witness about Jesus. 10 I was in a Spirit-inspired trance on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet. 11 It said, “Write down on a scroll whatever you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 I turned to see who was speaking to me, and when I turned, I saw seven oil lamps burning on top of seven gold stands. 13 In the middle of the lampstands I saw someone who looked like the Human One.[a] He wore a robe that stretched down to his feet, and he had a gold sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white as white wool—like snow—and his eyes were like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like fine brass that has been purified in a furnace, and his voice sounded like rushing water. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His appearance was like the sun shining with all its power.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. But he put his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, but look! Now I’m alive forever and always. I have the keys of Death and the Grave. 19 So write down what you have seen, both the scene now before you and the things that are about to unfold after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands, here is what they mean: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Footnotes
- Revelation 1:13 Or Son of Man
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Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible