Revelation 1:1-20
1 A revelation*+ by Jesus Christ, which God gave him,+ to show his slaves+ the things that must shortly* take place.+ And he sent forth his angel+ and presented [it] in signs+ through him to his slave John,+
2 who bore witness to the word God gave+ and to the witness Jesus Christ gave,+ even to all the things he saw.
3 Happy+ is he who reads aloud+ and those who hear the words of this prophecy,+ and who observe the things written in it;+ for the appointed time is near.+
4 John to the seven congregations+ that are in the [district of] Asia:
May YOU have undeserved kindness and peace from “The One who is* and who was and who is coming,”+ and from the seven spirits+ that are before his throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness,”+ “The firstborn from the dead,”+ and “The Ruler of the kings of the earth.”+
To him that loves us+ and that loosed us from our sins by means of his own blood+—
6 and he made us to be a kingdom,+ priests+ to his God and Father—yes, to him be the glory and the might forever.+ Amen.
7 Look! He is coming with the clouds,+ and every eye will see him,+ and those who pierced him;+ and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him.+ Yes, Amen.
8 “I am the Alʹpha and the O·meʹga,”*+ says Jehovah* God, “the One who is and who was and who is coming,+ the Almighty.”*+
9 I John, YOUR brother and a sharer with YOU in the tribulation+ and kingdom+ and endurance+ in company with Jesus,+ came to be in the isle that is called Patʹmos for speaking about God and bearing witness* to Jesus.*+
10 By inspiration*+ I came to be+ in the Lord’s day,*+ and I heard behind me a strong voice+ like that of a trumpet,
11 saying: “What you see write+ in a scroll and send it to the seven congregations,+ in Ephʹe·sus+ and in Smyrʹna+ and in Perʹga·mum+ and in Thy·a·tiʹra+ and in Sarʹdis+ and in Philadelphia+ and in La·o·di·ceʹa.”+
12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me, and, having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,+
13 and in the midst of the lampstands someone like a son of man,+ clothed with a garment that reached down to the feet, and girded at the breasts with a golden girdle.
14 Moreover, his head and his hair were white+ as white wool, as snow, and his eyes as a fiery flame;+
15 and his feet were like fine copper+ when glowing in a furnace; and his voice+ was as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars,+ and out of his mouth a sharp, long two-edged sword+ was protruding, and his countenance was as the sun when it shines in its power.+
17 And when I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet.
And he laid his right hand upon me and said: “Do not be fearful.+ I am the First*+ and the Last,+
18 and the living one;+ and I became dead,+ but, look! I am living forever and ever,+ and I have the keys of death+ and of Haʹdes.*+
19 Therefore write down the things you saw, and the things that are and the things that will take place after these.+
20 As for the sacred secret of the seven stars+ that you saw upon my right hand, and [of] the seven golden lampstands:+ The seven stars mean* [the] angels of the seven congregations, and the seven lampstands mean seven congregations.+
Footnotes
^ Lit., “in quickness.”
^ Lit., “uncovering; disclosure.” Gr., A·po·kaʹly·psis; Lat., A·po·ca·lyʹpsis.
^ Or, “the A and the Z.” Gr., τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ (to Alʹpha kai to O[·meʹga]), the first and last letters of the Gr. alphabet; SyhJ22, “the Aleph and the Taw.”
^ See App 1D.
^ “The Almighty.” Gr., ho Pan·to·kraʹtor; Lat., O·mniʹpo·tens; J18(Heb.), ʼEl Shad·daiʹ, “God Almighty”; J17,22(Heb.), ʼElo·hehʹ tseva·ʼohthʹ, “God of armies.” See Ru 1:20 ftn, “Almighty.”
^ Lit., “through the word of the God and the witness of Jesus.”
^ “Bearing witness.” Gr., mar·ty·riʹan; Lat., te·sti·moʹni·um.
^ “By inspiration.” Or, “In spirit.” Gr., en pneuʹma·ti; Lat., in spiʹri·tu.
^ Or, “I came to be under inspiration on the Lord’s day.”
^ “First,” אVgSyh; A, “Firstborn.”
^ “Hades,” אA; SyhJ7,8,13,16-18,22, “Sheol.” See App 4B.
^ Or, “are.”
