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I egō, John Iōannēs, · ho your hymeis brother adelphos and kai partner synkoinōnos in en the ho tribulation thlipsis and kai kingdom basileia and kai patient endurance hypomonē that are in en Jesus Iēsous, was ginomai on en the ho island nēsos · ho called kaleō Patmos Patmos on account of dia the ho word logos of ho God theos and kai the ho testimony martyria of Jesus Iēsous. 10 I was ginomai in en the spirit pneuma on en the ho Lord’ s kyriakos Day hēmera, and kai I heard akouō behind opisō me egō a loud megas voice phōnē like hōs a trumpet salpinx, 11 saying legō, “ Write graphō what hos you see blepō on eis a scroll biblion and kai send pempō it to the ho seven hepta churches ekklēsia to eis Ephesus Ephesos, · kai Smyrna Smyrna, · kai Pergamum Pergamos, · kai Thyatira Thuateira, · kai Sardis Sardeis, · kai Philadelphia Philadelpheia, and kai Laodicea Laodikeia.” 12 And kai I turned epistrephō to see blepō the ho voice phōnē that hostis was speaking laleō to meta me egō, and kai when I had turned epistrephō I saw seven hepta golden chrysous lampstands lychnia, 13 and kai in en the midst mesos of the ho lampstands lychnia one like homoios a son hyios of man anthrōpos, dressed endyō in a long robe podērēs and kai with a gold chrysous sash zōnē tied perizōnnymi high across pros his ho chest mastos. 14 · ho · de His autos head kephalē and kai his ho hair thrix were white leukos, like hōs white leukos wool erion, like hōs snow chiōn, and kai · ho his autos eyes ophthalmos were like hōs a flame phlox of fire pyr. 15 · kai · ho His autos feet pous were like homoios burnished bronze chalkolibanon, refined pyroō in en a furnace kaminos, and kai · ho his autos voice phōnē was like hōs the roar phōnē of many polys waters hydōr. 16 · kai In en · ho his autos right dexios hand cheir he held echō seven hepta stars astēr, · kai from ek · ho his autos mouth stoma came ekporeuomai a sharp oxys two-edged distomos sword rhomphaia, and kai · ho his autos face opsis was shining phainō like hōs the ho sun hēlios at en · ho full autos strength dynamis. 17 And kai when hote I saw him autos, I fell piptō at pros · ho his autos feet pous as though hōs dead nekros. And kai he laid tithēmi · ho his autos right hand dexios on epi me egō, saying legō, “ Do not fear phobeomai! I egō am eimi the ho First prōtos and kai the ho Last eschatos, 18 · kai the ho Living One zaō. · kai I was ginomai dead nekros, but kai behold idou, I am eimi alive zaō for eis all ho time aiōn ho! · ho And kai I hold echō the ho keys kleis of ho death thanatos and kai of ho Hades hadēs. 19 Write graphō therefore oun the things hos that you have seen, · kai those that hos are eimi, and kai those that hos are mellō to take place ginomai after meta this houtos. 20 The ho mystery mystērion of the ho seven hepta stars astēr that hos you saw in epi · ho my egō right hand dexios, and kai the ho seven hepta golden chrysous lampstands lychnia, · ho is this: the ho seven hepta stars astēr are eimi the angels angelos of the ho seven hepta churches ekklēsia, and kai the ho seven hepta lampstands lychnia · ho are eimi the seven hepta churches ekklēsia.

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I, John, your brother and the one who shares[a] with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that[b] are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.[c] 10 I was in the Spirit[d] on the Lord’s Day[e] when[f] I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches—to Ephesus, Smyrna,[g] Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12 I[h] turned to see whose voice was speaking to me,[i] and when I did so,[j] I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man.[k] He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt[l] around his chest. 14 His[m] head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow,[n] and his eyes were like a fiery[o] flame. 15 His feet were like polished bronze[p] refined[q] in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar[r] of many waters. 16 He held[s] seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His[t] face shone like the sun shining at full strength. 17 When[u] I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but[v] he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 18 and the one who lives! I[w] was dead, but look, now I am alive—forever and ever—and I hold the keys of death and of Hades![x] 19 Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things.[y] 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this:[z] The seven stars are the angels[aa] of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 1:9 tn The translation attempts to bring out the verbal idea in συγκοινωνός (sunkoinōnos, “co-sharer”); John was suffering for his faith at the time he wrote this.
  2. Revelation 1:9 tn The prepositional phrase ἐν ᾿Ιησοῦ (en Iēsou) could be taken with ὑπομονῇ (hupomonē) as the translation does or with the more distant συγκοινωνός (sunkoinōnos), in which case the translation would read “your brother and the one who shares with you in Jesus in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance.”
  3. Revelation 1:9 tn The phrase “about Jesus” has been translated as an objective genitive.
  4. Revelation 1:10 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
  5. Revelation 1:10 tn Concerning the phrase κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ (kuriakē hēmera) BDAG 576 s.v. κυριακός states: “pert. to belonging to the Lord, the Lord’sκ. ἡμέρᾳ the Lord’s day (Kephal. I 192, 1; 193, 31…) i.e. certainly Sunday (so in Mod. Gk….) Rv 1:10 (WStott, NTS 12, ’65, 70-75).”
  6. Revelation 1:10 tn The conjunction καί (kai) is not introducing a coordinate thought, but one that is logically subordinate to the main verb ἐγενόμην (egenomēn).
  7. Revelation 1:11 tn Grk “and to Smyrna.” For stylistic reasons the conjunction καί (kai) and the preposition εἰς (eis) have not been translated before the remaining elements of the list. In lists with more than two elements contemporary English generally does not repeat the conjunction except between the next to last and last elements.
  8. Revelation 1:12 tn Throughout the translation John’s use of καί (kai) often reflects the varied usage of the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav). A clause which καί introduces has been translated in terms of its semantic relationship to the clause that preceded it. If the καί seemed redundant, however, it was left untranslated; that is the case in this verse.
  9. Revelation 1:12 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (metemou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
  10. Revelation 1:12 tn Grk “and turning I saw.” The repetition of ἐπιστρέφω (epistrephō) is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been translated generally.
  11. Revelation 1:13 tn This phrase constitutes an allusion to Dan 7:13. Concerning υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (huios tou anthrōpou), BDAG 1026 s.v. υἱός 2.d.γ says: “ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου lit. ‘the son of the man’…‘the human being, the human one, the man’…On Israelite thought contemporary w. Jesus and alleged knowledge of a heavenly being looked upon as a ‘Son of Man’ or ‘Man’, who exercises Messianic functions such as judging the world (metaph., pictorial passages in En 46-48; 4 Esdr 13:3, 51f)…Outside the gospels: Ac 7:56…Rv 1:13; 14:14 (both after Da 7:13…).” The term “son” here in this expression is anarthrous and as such lacks specificity. Some commentators and translations take the expression as an allusion to Daniel 7:13 and not to “the son of man” found in gospel traditions (e.g., Mark 8:31; 9:12; cf. D. E. Aune, Revelation [WBC], 2:800-801; cf. also NIV). Other commentators and versions, however, take the phrase “son of man” as definite, involving allusions to Dan 7:13 and “the son of man” gospel traditions (see G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 771-72; NRSV).
  12. Revelation 1:13 tn Or “a wide golden sash,” but this would not be diagonal, as some modern sashes are, but horizontal. The Greek term can refer to a wide band of cloth or leather worn on the outside of one’s clothing (L&N 6.178).
  13. Revelation 1:14 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  14. Revelation 1:14 tn The clause, “even as white as snow” seems to heighten the preceding clause and is so understood in this ascensive sense (“even”) in the translation.
  15. Revelation 1:14 tn The genitive noun πυρός (puros) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
  16. Revelation 1:15 tn The precise meaning of the term translated “polished bronze” (χαλκολιβάνῳ, chalkolibanō), which appears nowhere else in Greek literature outside of the book of Revelation (see 2:18), is uncertain. Without question it is some sort of metal. BDAG 1076 s.v. χαλκολίβανον suggests “fine brass/bronze.” L&N 2.57 takes the word to refer to particularly valuable or fine bronze, but notes that the emphasis here and in Rev 2:18 is more on the lustrous quality of the metal.
  17. Revelation 1:15 tn Or “that has been heated in a furnace until it glows.”
  18. Revelation 1:15 tn Grk “sound,” but the idea is closer to the roar of a waterfall or rapids.
  19. Revelation 1:16 tn Grk “and having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but because contemporary English style employs much shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”
  20. Revelation 1:16 tn This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  21. Revelation 1:17 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  22. Revelation 1:17 tn Here the Greek conjunction καί (kai) has been translated as a contrastive (“but”) due to the contrast between the two clauses.
  23. Revelation 1:18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  24. Revelation 1:18 tn Concerning “Hades” BDAG 19 s.v. ᾅδης 1 and 2 states: “Orig. proper noun, god of the nether world, ‘Hades’, then the nether world, Hades as place of the dead, Ac 2:27, 31 (Ps 16:10; Eccl 9:10; PGM 1, 179; 16, 8; Philo, Mos. 1, 195; Jos., Bell. 1, 596, Ant. 6, 332). Of Jonah’s fish ἐκ τοῦ κατωτάτου ᾅδου. In the depths, contrasted w. heaven ἕως (τοῦ) ᾅδου Mt 11:23; Lk 10:15 (PsSol 15:10; cf.; Is 14:11, 15); ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ 16:23; ἐν ῝Αιδου ApcPt Rainer. Accessible by gates (but the pl. is also used [e.g. Hom., X., Ael. Aristid. 47, 20 K.=23 p. 450 D.] when only one gate is meant), hence πύλαι ᾅδου (Il. 5, 646; Is 38:10; Wsd 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; Pss. Sol. 16:2.—Lucian, Menipp. 6 the magicians can open τοῦ ῝Αιδου τὰς πύλας and conduct people in and out safely) Mt 16:18…locked ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου Rv 1:18 (the genitives are either obj. [Ps.-Apollod. 3, 12, 6, 10 Aeacus, the son of Zeus holds the κλεῖς τοῦ ῝Αιδου; SEG VIII, 574, 3 (III ad) τῷ τὰς κλεῖδας ἔχοντι τῶν καθ᾿ ῝Αιδου (restored)] or possess.; in the latter case death and Hades are personif.; s. 2)…Hades personif.…w. θάνατος (cf. Is 28:15; Job 38:17…) Rv 6:8; 20:13f.” sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13-14).
  25. Revelation 1:19 tn Grk “Therefore write the things that you saw, and the things that are, and the things that will take place after these things.” Verse 19 could also be translated (taking καίκαί [kaikai] as “both…and”): “Therefore write what you have seen, both what things currently are and what is going to happen after these things.” The structure of this verse is debated.
  26. Revelation 1:20 tn The words “is this” are supplied to make a complete sentence in English.
  27. Revelation 1:20 tn Or perhaps “the messengers.”