A Revelation to John
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.+