Revelation 1

1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John;

1This is the revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must happen soon. Christ sent his angel to make these things known to his servant John,

2who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw.

2who reports everything he saw. This is his record of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand.

3God blesses the person who reads this prophecy out loud, and he blesses those who listen to it and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne;

4From John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia: May you have grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; and from the seven spirits who are before his throne;

5and from Jesus Christ, who isthe faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;

5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from the dead, and the ruler over all the kings of the earth. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his own blood.

6and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

6He has made us a kingdom of priests for God his Father. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

7Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen.

7Look! He is coming with the clouds. Everyone will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the people of the earth will cry out in deep sorrow because of him. Yes, Amen!

8I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

8'I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,' says the Lord God. 'I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.'

9I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patiencewhich arein Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

9I am John, your brother. Because I belong to Jesus, I share with you in the suffering, the kingdom, and the patient endurance. I was exiled to the island of Patmos because I preached the word of God and told people about Jesus.

10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet

10It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, sounding like a trumpet blast.

11saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

11It said, 'Write down in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.'

12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;

12When I turned around to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven golden lampstands.

13and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle.

13And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone who looked like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe that reached to his feet and a gold sash across his chest.

14And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

14His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire.

15and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters.

15His feet glowed like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like the sound of a rushing waterfall. his voice sounded like the roar of many waters.

16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the sun at noon.

17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, 'Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.'

18and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

18'I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.'

19Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter;

19'Write down what you have seen—both the things that are happening now and the things that will happen later.'

20the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches.

20'This is the secret meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches themselves.'