The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb,(A) standing on Mount Zion,(B) and with him 144,000(C) who had his name and his Father’s name(D) written on their foreheads.(E) And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters(F) and like a loud peal of thunder.(G) The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.(H) And they sang a new song(I) before the throne and before the four living creatures(J) and the elders.(K) No one could learn the song except the 144,000(L) who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.(M) They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.(N) They were purchased from among mankind(O) and offered as firstfruits(P) to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths;(Q) they are blameless.(R)

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An Interlude: The Song of the 144,000

14 Then[a] I looked, and here was[b] the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. I also heard a sound[c] coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now[d] the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No[e] one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

These are the ones who have not defiled themselves[f] with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, and no lie was found on their lips;[g] they[h] are blameless.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 14:1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
  2. Revelation 14:1 tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
  3. Revelation 14:2 tn Or “a voice” (cf. Rev 1:15), but since in this context nothing is mentioned as the content of the voice, it is preferable to translate φωνή (phōnē) as “sound” here.
  4. Revelation 14:2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new topic.
  5. Revelation 14:3 tn Grk “elders, and no one.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but because of the length and complexity of the sentence a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  6. Revelation 14:4 tn The aorist passive verb is rendered as a reflexive (“defiled themselves”) by BDAG 657 s.v. μολύνω 2.
  7. Revelation 14:5 tn Grk “in their mouth was not found a lie.”
  8. Revelation 14:5 tc Several mss (P47 א 1 1006 1611 2351 MK) have the conjunction “for” (γάρ, gar) here so that the phrase reads: “for they are blameless.” Other significant mss (A C P 1854 2053 al lat) lack the word. The shorter reading is to be preferred since the scribes were more likely to make the connection explicit through the addition of “for” than they would have been to omit the conjunction. As it is, the passage without the conjunction makes good sense and evokes a very somber tone.