Revelation 4
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
The Heavenly Worship
4 After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! 3 And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.[a] 4 Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders,[b] clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. 5 From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; 6 and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures,[c] full of eyes in front and behind: 7 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 a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing,
“Holy, holy, holy,[d] is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
11 “Worthy art thou, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for thou didst create all things,
and by thy will they existed and were created.”
Footnotes
- 4.3 John describes God in symbolic terms.
- 4.4 elders: They perform a priestly and royal task, since they praise God and share in the government of the world.
- 4.6 four living creatures: cf. Ezek 1.4-25: the four angels who preside over the government of the world. But in Chris tian tradition these symbols are used for the four evangelists.
- 4.8 Holy, holy, holy: Quoted in the Sanctus at Mass.
Hisgalus 4
Orthodox Jewish Bible
4 After these things I looked, and, hinei, a delet (door) having been opened in Shomayim, the kol harishon [the first voice, 1:10], the voice like a shofar that I heard speaking to me, said, Come up here! And I will show you MAH DI LEHEVE ("what will happen," DANIEL 2:28f) after these things.
2 At once I was in the Ruach Hakodesh, and, hinei, there in Shomayim stood a Kes (Throne), and upon the Kes DEMUT KEMAREH ADAM ("a figure in appearance like a Man," YECHEZKEL 1:26-28), [MELACHIM ALEF 22:19; YESHAYAH 6:1; DANIEL 7:9]
3 And the One sitting there was KEMAREH ("in appearance") like jasper stone and carnelian, and a keshet beanan (rainbow, BERESHIS 9:16) was around the Kes (Throne) that looks like an emerald. [YECHEZKEL 1:28]
4 And around the Kes (Throne) were esrim v’arba’ah kisot (twenty-four thrones) and on the kisot were sitting esrim v’arba’ah Zekenim (twenty-four Elders, SHEMOT 12:21), each clothed in lavan (white), each wearing a kittel, and on the roshim (heads) of them, golden atarot (crowns).
5 And out of the Kes (Throne) comes forth lightning and sounds and thunders and there were sheva lapidei eish (torches of fire) burning before the Kes (Throne), which are the sheva ruchot (spirits, Rv 1:4) of Hashem [SHEMOT 19:16; ZECHARYAH 4:2].
6 And before the Kes (Throne) there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. And on each side and around the Kes (Throne) there were Arbah Chayyot (four living beings), being full of eynayim in front and in back. [YECHEZKEL 1:5]
7 And harishonah (the first) of HaChayyot [the living beings, YECHEZKEL 1:10; 1:14] was like an aryeh (lion), and hasheniyah (the second) of HaChayyot (the living beings) like an egel (calf), and hashlishit (the third) of HaChayyot had the face of a ben Adam (human being), and hareve’it (fourth) of HaChayyot was like a flying nesher (eagle).
8 And the Arba HaChayyot (four living beings), each one of them had six wings and they were full of eynayim (eyes) without and within. And yomam valailah (day and night), they do not cease to rest but continue singing, KADOSH, KADOSH, KADOSH, ADONOI TZVAOT, the One who was and is and is to come. [YESHAYAH 6:3; YECHEZKEL 1:18; YESHAYAH 6:3]
9 And whenever the Chayyot will give kavod (glory) and hod (splendor) and hadar (majesty) and shevakh (praise) to the One sitting on the Kes (Throne), to Him that Hu Chai ad olemei olamim (that lives forever and ever), [TEHILLIM 47:8]
10 Then the esrim v’arba’ah Zekenim fall prostrate before the One sitting on the Kes (Throne) and worship the One that Hu Chai ad olemei olamim (lives forever and ever) and cast down their atarot (crowns) before the Kes (Throne), saying, [DEVARIM 33:3]
11 Worthy art Thou, Adoneinu and Eloheinu, to receive hod (honor) and hadar (splendor) and oz (power), because it was your "BARAH" that created all things, and because they existed and came to be by your ratzon (will). [BERESHIS 1:1]
Revelation 4
King James Version
4 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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