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This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel[a] to his servant, John, who testified to God’s word and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand.

John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood— and he made us to be a Kingdom, priestsExodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6 to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Behold,[b] he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,[c] says the Lord God,[d] “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet 11 saying,[e]“What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies:[f] to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

12 I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands. 13 And among the lamp stands was one like a son of man,Daniel 7:13 clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters. 16 He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man.

He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last, 18 and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.[g] 19 Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will happen hereafter. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels[h] of the seven assemblies. The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 or, messenger (here and wherever angel is mentioned)
  2. 1:7 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
  3. 1:8 TR adds “the Beginning and the End”
  4. 1:8 TR omits “God”
  5. 1:11 TR adds “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.”
  6. 1:11 TR adds “which are in Asia”
  7. 1:18 or, Hell
  8. 1:20 or, messengers (here and wherever angels are mentioned)

Prologue

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his slaves the things which must take place in a short time, and communicated it by[a] sending it through his angel to his slave John, who testified about the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are[b] those who hear the words of the prophecy and observe the things written in it, because the time is near!

Greetings to the Churches

John, to the seven churches in Asia:[c] grace to you and peace from the one who is and the one who was and the one who is coming, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To the one who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power forever and ever[d]. Amen.

Behold, he is coming with the clouds,
    and every eye will see him,
even every one who pierced him,
    and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him.

Yes, amen.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, the one who is and the one who was and the one who is coming, the All-Powerful.

John’s Vision of the Son of Man

I, John, your brother and co-sharer in the affliction and kingdom and steadfastness in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a great sound like a trumpet 11 saying, “What you see, write 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.”

12 And I turned to see the voice which was speaking with me, and when I[e] turned, I saw seven gold lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded around his[f] chest with a golden belt, 14 and his head and hair were white like wool, white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame, 15 and his feet were like fine bronze when it has been fired in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters, 16 and he had in his right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength.

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead person, and he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 18 and the one who lives, and I was dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever[g], and I hold the keys of death and of Hades. 19 Therefore, write the things which you saw, and the things which are, and the things which are about to take place after these things. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands—the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 1:1 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“sending”) which is understood as means
  2. Revelation 1:3 The phrase “blessed are” is an understood repetition from the beginning of the verse
  3. Revelation 1:4 A reference to the Roman province of Asia (modern Asia Minor)
  4. Revelation 1:6 Literally “for the ages of the ages”
  5. Revelation 1:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“turned”) which is understood as temporal
  6. Revelation 1:13 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  7. Revelation 1:18 Literally “for the ages of the ages”