Prologue

1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gavea him to show his servants what must soon take place.b He made it known by sending his angelc to his servant John,d 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of Gode and the testimony of Jesus Christ.f 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,g because the time is near.h

Greetings and Doxology

4 John,

To the seven churchesi in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to youj from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,k and from the seven spiritsa l before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,m the firstborn from the dead,n and the ruler of the kings of the earth.o

To him who loves usp and has freed us from our sins by his blood,q 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priestsr to serve his God and Fathers—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.t

7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”b u

and “every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him”;v

and all peoples on earth “will mournw because of him.”c

So shall it be! Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”x says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come,y the Almighty.”z

John’s Vision of Christ

9 I, John,a your brother and companion in the sufferingb and kingdomc and patient enduranced that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of Gode and the testimony of Jesus.f 10 On the Lord’s Dayg I was in the Spirit,h and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,i 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you seej and send it to the seven churches:k to Ephesus,l Smyrna,m Pergamum,n Thyatira,o Sardis,p Philadelphiaq and Laodicea.”r