Revelation 1-3

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which ^(A)God gave Him to ^(B)show to His bond-servants, ^(C)the things which must soon take place; and He sent and ^[a]communicated it ^(D)by His angel to His bond-servant ^(E)John, ² who testified to ^(F)the word of God and to ^(G)the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. ^3 (H)Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and ^[b]heed the things which are written in it; ^(I)for the time is near.

Message to the Seven Churches

^4 (J)John to ^(K)the seven churches that are in ^(L)Asia: ^(M)Grace to you and peace, from ^(N)Him who is and who was and who ^[c]is to come, and from ^(O)the seven Spirits who are before His throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, ^(P)the faithful witness, the ^(Q)firstborn of the dead, and the ^(R)ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who ^(S)loves us and released us from our sins ^[d]by His blood— ⁶ and He has made us to be a ^(T)kingdom, ^(U)priests to ^[e](V)His God and Father—^(W)to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ^7 (X)Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and ^(Y)every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will ^(Z)mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

⁸ “I am ^(AA)the Alpha and the Omega,” says the ^(AB)Lord God, “^(AC)who is and who was and who ^[f]is to come, the Almighty.”

The Patmos Vision

^9 (AD)I, John, your ^(AE)brother and ^(AF)fellow partaker in the tribulation and ^(AG)kingdom and ^[g](AH)perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos ^(AI)because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰ I was ^[h](AJ)in the Spirit on ^(AK)the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice ^(AL)like the sound of a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, “^(AM)Write in a ^[i]book what you see, and send it to the ^(AN)seven churches: to ^(AO)Ephesus and to ^(AP)Smyrna and to ^(AQ)Pergamum and to ^(AR)Thyatira and to ^(AS)Sardis and to ^(AT)Philadelphia and to ^(AU)Laodicea.”

¹² Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw ^(AV)seven golden lampstands; ¹³ and ^(AW)in the middle of the lampstands I saw one ^(AX)like ^[j]a son of man, ^(AY)clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and ^(AZ)girded across His chest with a golden sash. ¹⁴ His head and His ^(BA)hair were white like white wool, like snow; and ^(BB)His eyes were like a flame of fire. ¹⁵ His ^(BC)feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His ^(BD)voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶ In His right hand He held ^(BE)seven stars, and out of His mouth came a ^(BF)sharp two-edged sword; and His ^(BG)face was like ^(BH)the sun ^[k]shining in its strength.

¹⁷ When I saw Him, I ^(BI)fell at His feet like a dead man. And He ^(BJ)placed His right hand on me, saying, “^(BK)Do not be afraid; ^(BL)I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the ^(BM)living One; and I ^[l](BN)was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have ^(BO)the keys of death and of Hades. ¹⁹ Therefore ^(BP)write ^(BQ)the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place ^(BR)after these things. ²⁰ As for the ^(BS)mystery of the ^(BT)seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the ^(BU)seven golden lampstands: the ^(BV)seven stars are the angels of ^(BW)the seven churches, and the seven ^(BX)lampstands are the seven churches.

Message to Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in ^(BY)Ephesus write:

The One who holds ^(BZ)the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks ^[m](CA)among the seven golden lampstands, says this:

² ‘^(CB)I know your deeds and your toil and ^[n]perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you ^(CC)put to the test those who call themselves ^(CD)apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³ and you have ^[o]perseverance and have endured ^(CE)for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have ^(CF)left your first love. ⁵ Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and ^(CG)repent and ^(CH)do the ^[p]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your ^(CI)lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the ^(CJ)Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ^7 (CK)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(CL)To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of ^(CM)the tree of life which is in the ^(CN)Paradise of God.’

Message to Smyrna

⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(CO)Smyrna write:

^(CP)The first and the last, who ^[q](CQ)was dead, and has come to life, says this:

⁹ ‘I know your ^(CR)tribulation and your ^(CS)poverty (but you are ^(CT)rich), and the blasphemy by those who ^(CU)say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of ^(CV)Satan. ¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be ^(CW)tested, and you will have tribulation ^(CX)for ten days. ^[r]Be ^(CY)faithful until death, and I will give you ^(CZ)the crown of life. ^11 (DA)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(DB)He who overcomes will not be hurt by the ^(DC)second death.’

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in ^(DD)Pergamum write:

The One who has ^(DE)the sharp two-edged sword says this:

¹³ ‘I know where you dwell, where ^(DF)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny ^(DG)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My ^(DH)witness, My ^(DI)faithful one, who was killed among you, ^(DJ)where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But ^(DK)I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the ^(DL)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ^(DM)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ¹⁵ So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the ^(DN)Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(DO)repent; or else ^(DP)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with ^(DQ)the sword of My mouth. ^17 (DR)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(DS)To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden ^(DT)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ^(DU)new name written on the stone ^(DV)which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(DW)Thyatira write:

^(DX)The Son of God, ^(DY)who has ^[s]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

¹⁹ ‘^(DZ)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and ^[t]perseverance, and that your ^[u]deeds of late are greater than ^[v]at first. ²⁰ But ^(EA)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ^(EB)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ^(EC)commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ^21 (ED)I gave her time to repent, and she ^(EE)does not want to repent of her immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her ^[w]on a bed of sickness, and those who ^(EF)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ^[x]her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with ^[y]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who ^(EG)searches the ^[z]minds and hearts; and ^(EH)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ²⁴ But I say to you, the rest who are in ^(EI)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the ^(EJ)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I ^(EK)place no other burden on you. ²⁵ Nevertheless ^(EL)what you have, hold fast ^(EM)until I come. ^26 (EN)He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds ^(EO)until the end, ^(EP)to him I will give authority over the ^[aa]nations; ²⁷ and he shall ^[ab](EQ)rule them with a rod of iron, ^(ER)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him ^(ES)the morning star. ^29 (ET)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Sardis

3 “To the angel of the church in ^(EU)Sardis write:

He who has ^(EV)the seven Spirits of God and ^(EW)the seven stars, says this: ‘^(EX)I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, ^[ac]but you are ^(EY)dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ³ So ^(EZ)remember ^[ad]what you have received and heard; and keep it, and ^(FA)repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, ^(FB)I will come ^(FC)like a thief, and you will not know at ^(FD)what hour I will come to you. ⁴ But you have a few ^[ae](FE)people in ^(FF)Sardis who have not ^(FG)soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me ^(FH)in white, for they are worthy. ^5 (FI)He who overcomes will thus be clothed in ^(FJ)white garments; and I will not ^(FK)erase his name from the book of life, and ^(FL)I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. ^6 (FM)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Philadelphia

⁷ “And to the angel of the church in ^(FN)Philadelphia write:

^(FO)He who is holy, ^(FP)who is true, who has ^(FQ)the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

⁸ ‘^(FR)I know your ^[af]deeds. Behold, I have put before you ^(FS)an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and ^(FT)have not denied My name. ⁹ Behold, I ^[ag]will cause those of ^(FU)the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them ^(FV)come and bow down ^[ah]at your feet, and make them know that ^(FW)I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you have ^(FX)kept the word of ^(FY)My ^[ai]perseverance, ^(FZ)I also will keep you from the hour of ^[aj](GA)testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole ^[ak](GB)world, to ^[al]test ^(GC)those who dwell on the earth. ^11 (GD)I am coming quickly; ^(GE)hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your ^(GF)crown. ^12 (GG)He who overcomes, I will make him a ^(GH)pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the ^(GI)name of My God, and ^(GJ)the name of the city of My God, ^(GK)the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My ^(GL)new name. ^13 (GM)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Laodicea

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

^(GO)The Amen, ^(GP)the faithful and true Witness, ^(GQ)the ^[am]Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

¹⁵ ‘^(GR)I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; ^(GS)I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will ^[an]spit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, “^(GT)I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, ¹⁸ I advise you to ^(GU)buy from Me ^(GV)gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and ^(GW)white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that ^(GX)the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ^19 (GY)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and ^(GZ)repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand ^(HA)at the door and ^(HB)knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, ^(HC)I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ^21 (HD)He who overcomes, I will grant to him ^(HE)to sit down with Me on My throne, as ^(HF)I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ^22 (HG)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”