Revelation of John 1

Prologue

1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God agave him bto show to his servants
Greek bondservants
the things that must soon take place. dHe made it known by sending his angel to his servant
Greek bondservant
John,
2 fwho bore witness to the word of God and to gthe testimony of Jesus Christ, even hto all that he saw. 3 iBlessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, jfor the time is near.

Greeting to the Seven Churches

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from khim lwho is and mwho was and who is to come, and from nthe seven spirits who are before his throne,
5and from Jesus Christ othe faithful witness, pthe firstborn of the dead, and qthe ruler of kings on earth.

To rhim who loves us and shas freed us from our sins by his blood
6and made us ta kingdom, upriests to vhis God and Father, to him be wglory and xdominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, yhe is coming with the clouds, and zevery eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail
Or mourn
on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 abI am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, acwho is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

9I, John, your brother and adpartner in aethe tribulation and afthe kingdom and agthe patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos ahon account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 aiI was in the Spirit ajon the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice aklike a trumpet 11saying, alWrite what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw amseven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands anone like aoa son of man, apclothed with a long robe and aqwith a golden sash around his chest. 14 arThe hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. asHis eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 athis feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and auhis voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 avIn his right hand he held seven stars, awfrom his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and axhis face was like the sun shining ayin full strength.

17 azWhen I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But bahe laid his right hand on me, bbsaying, Fear not, bcI am the first and the last, 18and the living one. bdI died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and beI have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 bfWrite therefore bgthe things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and bhthe seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and bithe seven lampstands are the seven churches.

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