Prologue
1 The revelation of A Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants a what must soon take place. b He made it known by sending his angel c to his servant John, d 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony B of Jesus Christ, e whatever he saw. C 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, f and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep D what is written in it, because the time is near.
4 John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace g to you from E the one who is, who was, and who is to come, h and from the seven spirits F,i before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, j the firstborn from the dead k and the ruler of the kings of the earth. l
To him who loves us and has set us free G from our sins by his blood, m 6 and made us a kingdom, H priests I,n to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. o
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, p
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
And all the tribes J of the earth K,q
So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” s says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
John’s Vision of the Risen Lord
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, t kingdom, u and endurance v that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. w 10 I was in the Spirit N,x on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet y 11 saying, “Write z on a scroll O what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see whose voice a it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, b 13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man, P,c dressed in a robe d and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest. e 14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow f—and his eyes like a fiery flame. g 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, h and his voice like the sound of cascading Q waters. i 16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, j and his face was shining like the sun at full strength. k
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. l He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, m 18 and the Living One. n I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, o and I hold the keys p of death and Hades. 19 Therefore write what you have seen, q what is, and what will take place after this.20 The mystery r of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels R of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands S are the seven churches. s