Revelation 1–7

PROLOGUE

1The 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.

⁴John: 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^Fi before his throne, ⁵and 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 priestsⁿ to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.^o

⁷Look, 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^Kq

will mourn over him.^LMr

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

⁹I, 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^Nx 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.”

¹²Then I turned to see whose voice^aa it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,^{ab 13}and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,^Pac dressed in a robe^ad and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.^{ae 14}The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow^af—and his eyes like a fiery flame.^{ag 15}His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace,^ah and his voice like the sound of cascading^Q waters.^{ai 16}He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth,^aj and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.^ak

¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man.^al He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,^{am 18}and the Living One.^an I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever,^ao and I hold the keys^ap of death and Hades. ¹⁹Therefore write what you have seen,^aq what is, and what will take place after this. ²⁰The mystery^ar of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels^A of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands^B are the seven churches.^as

THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

THE LETTER TO EPHESUS

2“Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands:^{at 2}I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,^au and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not,^a and you have found them to be liars.^{b 3}I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name,^c and you have not grown weary. ⁴But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.^{d 5}Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.^e Otherwise, I will come to you^D and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give^f the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in^E the paradise of God.^g

THE LETTER TO SMYRNA

⁸“Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last,^h the one who was dead and came to life: ⁹I know your^F affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.^{i 10}Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil^j is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days.^k Be faithful to the point of death,^l and I will give you the crown^G of life.^m

¹¹“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.ⁿ

THE LETTER TO PERGAMUM

¹²“Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword:^{o 13}I know^H where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me,^Ip even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness^q who was put to death among you, where Satan lives. ¹⁴But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam,^r who taught Balak to place a stumbling block^A in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols^s and to commit sexual immorality.^{t 15}In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.^{B 16}So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly^u and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.^v

¹⁷“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna.^Cw I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name^x is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.

THE LETTER TO THYATIRA

¹⁸“Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God,^y the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:^{z 19}I know your works—your love, faithfulness,^D service, and endurance.^aa I know that your last works are greater than the first. ²⁰But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel,^ab who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.^{ac 21}I gave her time to repent,^ad but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.^{ae 22}Look, I will throw her into a sickbed^af and those who commit adultery with her^ag into great affliction.^ah Unless they repent of her^E works, ²³I will strike her children dead.^Fai Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts,^aj and I will give to each of you according to your works.^{ak 24}I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets^Gal of Satan”^am—as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you.^{an 25}Only hold on to what you have until I come.^{ao 26}The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations—

²⁷and he will rule^Hap them with an iron scepter;

he will shatter them like pottery^Iaq—

²⁸just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.^ar

²⁹“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

THE LETTER TO SARDIS

3“Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God^a and the seven stars:^b I know your works;^c you have a reputation^K for being alive, but you are dead.^{d 2}Be alert^e and strengthen^L what remains, which is about to die,^M for I have not found your works complete before my God. ³Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come^N like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.^{f 4}But you have a few people^O in Sardis who have not defiled^A their clothes,^g and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.

⁵“In the same way, the one who conquers^h will be dressed in white clothes,ⁱ and I will never erase his name from the book of life^j but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.^k

⁶“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen^l to what the Spirit says^m to the churches.

THE LETTER TO PHILADELPHIA

⁷“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one,ⁿ the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens:^{o 8}I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.^{p 9}Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet,^q and they will know that I have loved you.^{r 10}Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing^s that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.^{t 11}I am coming soon.^u Hold on to what you have,^v so that no one takes your crown.^w

¹²“The one who conquers I will make a pillar^x in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem,^y which comes down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.^z

¹³“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

THE LETTER TO LAODICEA

¹⁴“Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen,^aa the faithful and true witness, the originator^Bab of God’s creation: ¹⁵I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit^C you out of my mouth. ¹⁷For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’^ac and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich,^ad white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed,^ae and…