Revelation 1-8

English Standard Version

Prologue

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God ^(A)gave him ^(B)to show to his servants^[a] the things that must soon take place. ^(C)He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ^2 (D)who bore witness to the word of God and to ^(E)the testimony of Jesus Christ, even ^(F)to all that he saw. ^3 (G)Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, ^(H)for the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

⁴ John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from ^(I)him ^(J)who is and ^(K)who was and who is to come, and from ^(L)the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ ^(M)the faithful witness, ^(N)the firstborn of the dead, and ^(O)the ruler of kings on earth.

To ^(P)him who loves us and ^(Q)has freed us from our sins by his blood ⁶ and made us ^(R)a kingdom, ^(S)priests to ^(T)his God and Father, to him be ^(U)glory and ^(V)dominion forever and ever. Amen. ⁷ Behold, ^(W)he is coming with the clouds, and ^(X)every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail^[b] on account of him. Even so. Amen.

^8 (Y)“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, ^(Z)“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

⁹ I, John, your brother and ^(AA)partner in ^(AB)the tribulation and ^(AC)the kingdom and ^(AD)the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos ^(AE)on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ^10 (AF)I was in the Spirit ^(AG)on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice ^(AH)like a trumpet ¹¹ saying, ^(AI)“Write what you see 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 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw ^(AJ)seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the lampstands ^(AK)one like ^(AL)a son of man, ^(AM)clothed with a long robe and ^(AN)with a golden sash around his chest. ^14 (AO)The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. ^(AP)His eyes were like a flame of fire, ^15 (AQ)his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and ^(AR)his voice was like the roar of many waters. ^16 (AS)In his right hand he held seven stars, ^(AT)from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and ^(AU)his face was like the sun shining ^(AV)in full strength.

^17 (AW)When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But ^(AX)he laid his right hand on me, ^(AY)saying, “Fear not, ^(AZ)I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living one. ^(BA)I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and ^(BB)I have the keys of Death and Hades. ^19 (BC)Write therefore ^(BD)the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. ²⁰ As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and ^(BE)the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and ^(BF)the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

To the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of ^(BG)him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, ^(BH)who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

^2 (BI)“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but ^(BJ)have tested those ^(BK)who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. ³ I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up ^(BL)for my name's sake, and you ^(BM)have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned ^(BN)the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do ^(BO)the works you did at first. If not, ^(BP)I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this you have: you hate the works of ^(BQ)the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ^7 (BR)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(BS)To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of ^(BT)the tree of life, which is in ^(BU)the paradise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸ “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of ^(BV)the first and the last, ^(BW)who died and came to life.

⁹ “‘I know your tribulation and ^(BX)your poverty (^(BY)but you are rich) and the slander^[c] of ^(BZ)those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, ^(CA)that you may be tested, and for ^(CB)ten days ^(CC)you will have tribulation. ^(CD)Be faithful ^(CE)unto death, and I will give you ^(CF)the crown of life. ^11 (CG)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(CH)The one who conquers will not be hurt by ^(CI)the second death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has ^(CJ)the sharp two-edged sword.

¹³ “‘I know where you dwell, ^(CK)where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not ^(CL)deny my faith^[d] even in the days of Antipas ^(CM)my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of ^(CN)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might ^(CO)eat food sacrificed to idols and ^(CP)practice sexual immorality. ¹⁵ So also you have some who hold the teaching of ^(CQ)the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore repent. If not, ^(CR)I will come to you soon and ^(CS)war against them with ^(CT)the sword of my mouth. ^17 (CU)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(CV)To the one who conquers I will give some of ^(CW)the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with ^(CX)a new name written on the stone ^(CY)that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, ^(CZ)who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

^19 (DA)“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. ²⁰ But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman ^(DB)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants ^(DC)to practice sexual immorality and ^(DD)to eat food sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I gave her time to repent, but ^(DE)she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, ²³ and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he ^(DF)who searches mind and heart, and ^(DG)I will give to each of you according to your works. ²⁴ But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ^(DH)the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I ^(DI)do not lay on you any other burden. ²⁵ Only hold fast ^(DJ)what you have until I come. ^26 (DK)The one who conquers and who keeps my works ^(DL)until the end, ^(DM)to him I will give authority over the nations, ²⁷ and ^(DN)he will ^(DO)rule^[e] them with a rod of iron, ^(DP)as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. ²⁸ And I will give him ^(DQ)the morning star. ^29 (DR)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ^(DS)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^(DT)of being alive, ^(DU)but you are dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^(DV)complete in the sight of my God. ^3 (DW)Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ^(DX)I will come ^(DY)like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. ⁴ Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not ^(DZ)soiled their garments, and they will walk with me ^(EA)in white, for they are ^(EB)worthy. ^5 (EC)The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^(ED)blot his name out of ^(EE)the book of life. ^(EF)I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. ^6 (EG)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷ “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of ^(EH)the holy one, ^(EI)the true one, ^(EJ)who has the key of David, ^(EK)who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

⁸ “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^(EL)an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹ Behold, I will make those of ^(EM)the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^(EN)I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^(EO)I have loved you. ^10 (EP)Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^(EQ)those who dwell on the earth. ^11 (ER)I am coming soon. ^(ES)Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ^(ET)your crown. ^12 (EU)The one who conquers, I will make him ^(EV)a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^(EW)the name of my God, and ^(EX)the name of the city of my God, ^(EY)the new Jerusalem, ^(EZ)which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^(FA)new name. ^13 (FB)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴ “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the ^(FC)Amen, ^(FD)the faithful and true witness, ^(FE)the beginning of God's creation.

¹⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^(FF)Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ^17 (FG)For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, ^(FH)blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you ^(FI)to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and ^(FJ)white garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^(FK)the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, ^(FL)so that you may see. ^19 (FM)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and ^(FN)knock. ^(FO)If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, ^(FP)I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ^21 (FQ)The one who conquers, ^(FR)I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^(FS)I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. ^22 (FT)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me ^(FU)like a trumpet, said, ^(FV)“Come up here, and ^(FW)I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once ^(FX)I was in the Spirit, and behold, ^(FY)a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³ And he who sat there had the appearance of ^(FZ)jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was ^(GA)a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were ^(GB)twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, ^(GC)clothed in white garments, with ^(GD)golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came ^(GE)flashes of lightning, and rumblings^[f] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning ^(GF)seven torches of fire, ^(GG)which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶ and before the throne there was ^(GH)as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are ^(GI)four living creatures, ^(GJ)full of eyes in front and behind: ^7 (GK)the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸ And the four living creatures, ^(GL)each of them with six wings, are ^(GM)full of eyes all around and within, and ^(GN)day and night they never cease to say,

⁹ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, ^(GQ)who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders ^(GR)fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast ^(GS)their crowns before the throne, saying,

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne ^(GW)a scroll written within and on the back, ^(GX)sealed with seven seals. ² And ^(GY)I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, ⁴ and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, ^(GZ)the Lion ^(HA)of the tribe of Judah, ^(HB)the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw ^(HC)a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with ^(HD)seven eyes, which are ^(HE)the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders ^(HF)fell down before the Lamb, ^(HG)each holding a harp, and ^(HH)golden bowls full of incense, ^(HI)which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang ^(HJ)a new song, saying,

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering ^(HO)myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

¹³ And I heard ^(HQ)every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

¹⁴ And the four living creatures ^(HR)said, “Amen!” and the elders ^(HS)fell down and worshiped.

The Seven Seals

6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of ^(HT)the seven seals, and I heard ^(HU)one of the four living creatures say ^(HV)with a voice like thunder, ^(HW)“Come!” ² And I looked, and behold, ^(HX)a white horse! And ^(HY)its rider had a bow, and ^(HZ)a crown was given to him, and he came out ^(IA)conquering, and to conquer.

³ When he opened the second seal, I heard ^(IB)the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ And out came another horse, ^(IC)bright red. Its rider was permitted ^(ID)to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

⁵ When he opened the third seal, I heard the ^(IE)third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, ^(IF)a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ^(IG)“A quart^[g] of wheat for a denarius,^[h] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and ^(IH)do not harm the oil and wine!”

⁷ When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of ^(II)the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ And I looked, and behold, ^(IJ)a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill ^(IK)with sword and with famine and with pestilence and ^(IL)by wild beasts of the earth.

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^(IM)the altar ^(IN)the souls of those who had been slain ^(IO)for the word of God and for ^(IP)the witness they had borne. ¹⁰ They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, ^(IQ)holy and true, ^(IR)how long ^(IS)before you will judge and ^(IT)avenge our blood on ^(IU)those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then they were each given ^(IV)a white robe and ^(IW)told to rest a little longer, ^(IX)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers^{[i] (IY)}should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

¹² When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, ^(IZ)there was a great earthquake, and ^(JA)the sun became black as ^(JB)sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³ and ^(JC)the stars of the sky fell to the earth ^(JD)as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ^14 (JE)The sky vanished ^(JF)like a scroll that is being rolled up, and ^(JG)every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave^[j] and free, ^(JH)hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ^16 (JI)calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of ^(JJ)him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ for ^(JK)the great day of their wrath has come, and ^(JL)who can stand?”

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back ^(JM)the four winds of the earth, ^(JN)that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. ² Then I saw another angel ascending ^(JO)from the rising of the sun, with ^(JP)the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, ³ saying, ^(JQ)“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God ^(JR)on their foreheads.” ⁴ And ^(JS)I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, ^(JT)a great multitude that no one could number, ^(JU)from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ^(JV)clothed in white robes, with ^(JW)palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, ^(JX)“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and ^(JY)the four living creatures, and they ^(JZ)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ^12 (KA)saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, ^(KB)clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of ^(KC)the great tribulation. ^(KD)They have washed their robes and ^(KE)made them white ^(KF)in the blood of the Lamb.

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8 When the Lamb opened ^(KN)the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ² Then I saw the seven angels ^(KO)who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³ And another angel came and stood ^(KP)at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with ^(KQ)the prayers of all the saints on ^(KR)the golden altar before the throne, ⁴ and ^(KS)the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer and ^(KT)filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and ^(KU)there were peals of ^(KV)thunder, rumblings,^[k] flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The Seven Trumpets

⁶ Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

⁷ The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed ^(KW)hail and ^(KX)fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a ^(KY)third of the earth was burned up, and a third of ^(KZ)the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

⁸ The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like ^(LA)a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea ^(LB)became blood. ⁹ A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of ^(LC)the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ The third angel blew his trumpet, and ^(LD)a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on ^(LE)the springs of water. ¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood.^[l] A third of the waters ^(LF)became wormwood, and many people died from the water, ^(LG)because it had been made bitter.

¹² The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of ^(LH)the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

¹³ Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, ^(LI)“Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”