Revelation 1-2

American Standard Version

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God ^[a]gave him to show unto his ^[b]servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified ^[c]it by his angel unto his servant John; ² who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw. ³ Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand.

⁴ John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him ^[d]who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne; ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and ^[e]loosed us from our sins ^[f]by his blood; ⁶ and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto ^[g]his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion ^[h]for ever and ever. Amen. ⁷ Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen.

⁸ I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, ^[i]who is and who was and ^[j]who is to come, the Almighty.

⁹ I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and ^[k]patience which are in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for 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 great voice, as of a trumpet ¹¹ saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. ¹² And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden ^[l]candlesticks; ¹³ and in the midst of the ^[m]candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle. ¹⁴ And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; ¹⁵ and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters. ¹⁶ And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. ¹⁷ And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the Living one; and I ^[n]was dead, and behold, I am alive ^[o]for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. ¹⁹ Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter; ²⁰ the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest ^[p]in my right hand, and the seven golden ^[q]candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven ^[r]candlesticks are seven churches.

2 To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden ^[s]candlesticks: ² I know thy works, and thy toil and ^[t]patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false; ³ and thou hast ^[u]patience and didst bear for my name’s sake, and hast not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. ⁵ Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy ^[v]candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. ⁶ But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the ^[w]Paradise of God.

⁸ And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These things saith the first and the last, who ^[x]was dead, and lived again: ⁹ I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the ^[y]blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; ^[z]and ye shall have ^[aa]tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. ¹¹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

¹² And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword: ¹³ I know where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s throne is; and thou holdest fast my name, and didst not deny my faith, even in the days ^[ab]of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwelleth. ¹⁴ But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. ¹⁵ So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner. ¹⁶ Repent therefore; or else I come to thee quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it.

¹⁸ And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like unto burnished brass: ¹⁹ I know thy works, and thy love and faith and ministry and ^[ac]patience, and that thy last works are more than the first. ²⁰ But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest ^[ad]the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my ^[ae]servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. ²¹ And I gave her time that she should repent; and she willeth not to repent of her fornication. ²² Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of ^[af]her works. ²³ And I will kill her children with ^[ag]death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. ²⁴ But to you I say, to the rest that are in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, who know not the deep things of Satan, as they are wont to say; I cast upon you none other burden. ²⁵ Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come. ²⁶ And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the ^[ah]nations: ²⁷ and he shall rule them with a rod of ^[ai]iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father: ²⁸ and I will give him the morning star. ²⁹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.