Prologue

1 The revelation of a Jesus Christ that God gave Him to show His * slaves b what must quickly c take place. d He sent it and signified it e through His angel f to His slave John, g 2 who testified to God’s word and to the testimony h about Jesus Christ, i in all he saw. j 3 The one who reads this is blessed, k and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep l what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near!

4 John:

To the seven churches in * Asia.

Grace and peace m to you from n the One who is, who was, and who is coming; o from the seven spirits p q before His throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, r the firstborn from the dead s and the ruler of the kings of the earth. t

To Him who loves us and has set us free u from our sins by His blood, v 6 and made us a kingdom, w priests x y to His God and Father—the glory and dominion are His forever and ever. * Amen. z

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds, a

and every eye will see Him,

including those who pierced b Him.

And all the families of the earth c d e

will mourn over Him. f g h

This is certain. Amen.

8 “I am the * Alpha and the Omega,” i says the Lord God, “the One who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.”

John’s Vision of the Risen Lord

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation, j kingdom, k and endurance l that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus. m n 10 I was in the Spirit o p q on the Lord’s day, r and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet s 11 saying, “Write t on a scroll u what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12 I turned to see whose voice v it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, w 13 and among the lampstands was One like the * Son of Man, x y dressed in a long robe z and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest. a 14 His head and hair were white like wool—white as snow b—and His eyes like a fiery flame. c 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, d and His voice like the sound of cascading e waters. f 16 He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, g and His face was shining like the sun at midday. hi

17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. j He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, k 18 and the Living One. l I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, m and I hold the keys n of death and * Hades. 19 Therefore write what you have seen, o what is, and what will take place after this. 20 The * secret p of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven gold lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels q of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands r are the seven churches. s