⁶ Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, ^(A)compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and ^[a]truth; ⁷ who ^(B)keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He ^(C)will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, ^(D)inflicting the ^[b]punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

¹² Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw ^(A)seven golden lampstands; ¹³ and ^(B)in the middle of the lampstands I saw one ^(C)like ^[a]a son of man, ^(D)clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and ^(E)wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. ¹⁴ His head and His ^(F)hair were white like white wool, like snow; and ^(G)His eyes were like a flame of fire. ¹⁵ His ^(H)feet were like ^[b]burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His ^(I)voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶ In His right hand He held ^(J)seven stars, and out of His mouth came a ^(K)sharp two-edged sword; and His ^(L)face was like ^(M)the sun ^[c]shining in its strength.

¹⁷ When I saw Him, I ^(N)fell at His feet like a dead man. And He ^(O)placed His right hand on me, saying, “^(P)Do not be afraid; ^(Q)I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the ^(R)living One; and I ^[d](S)was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have ^(T)the keys of death and of Hades.