Revelation 1

Introduction and Benediction

1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, ^awhich God gave Him to show His servants—things which must ¹shortly take place. And ^bHe sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, ^2cwho bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things ^dthat he saw. ^3eBlessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for ^fthe time is near.

Greeting the Seven Churches

⁴John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him ^gwho is and ^hwho was and who is to come, ⁱand from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, ^jthe faithful ^kwitness, the ^lfirstborn from the dead, and ^mthe ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him ⁿwho ²loved us ^oand washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶and has ^pmade us ³kings and priests to His God and Father, ^qto Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

⁷Behold, He is coming with ^rclouds, and every eye will see Him, even ^sthey who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

^8t“I am the Alpha and the Omega, ⁴the Beginning and the End,” says the ⁵Lord, ^u“who is and who was and who is to come, the ^vAlmighty.”

Vision of the Son of Man

⁹I, John, ⁶both your brother and ^wcompanion in the tribulation and ^xkingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. ^10yI was in the Spirit on ^zthe Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me ^aa loud voice, as of a trumpet, ¹¹saying, ⁷“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches ⁸which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

¹²Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned ^bI saw seven golden lampstands, ^13cand in the midst of the seven lampstands ^dOne like the Son of Man, ^eclothed with a garment down to the feet and ^fgirded about the chest with a golden band. ¹⁴His head and ^ghair were white like wool, as white as snow, and ^hHis eyes like a flame of fire; ¹⁵ⁱHis feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and ^jHis voice as the sound of many waters; ^16kHe had in His right hand seven stars, ^lout of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, ^mand His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. ¹⁷And ⁿwhen I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But ^oHe laid His right hand on me, saying ⁹to me, “Do not be afraid; ^pI am the First and the Last. ^18qI am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, ^rI am alive forevermore. Amen. And ^sI have the keys of ¹Hades and of Death. ¹⁹²Write the things which you have ^tseen, ^uand the things which are, ^vand the things which will take place after this. ²⁰The ³mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are ^wthe ⁴angels of the seven churches, and ^xthe seven lampstands ⁵which you saw are the seven churches.