The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God {Or, gave unto him, to show unto his servants the things &c.}gave him to show unto his {Greek: bondservants.}servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified {Or, them}it by his angel unto his servant John;
who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw.
Blessed 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.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and who was and {Or, who cometh}who is to come; and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne;
and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and {Many authorities, some ancient, read washed. Hebrews 9:14; compare chapter 7:14.}loosed us from our sins {Greek: in.}by his blood;
and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto {Or, God and his Father}his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion {Greek: unto the ages of the ages. Many ancient authorities omit of the ages.}for ever and ever. Amen.
Behold, 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.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, {Or, he who}who is and who was and {Or, he who}who is to come, the Almighty.
I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and {Or, stedfastness}patience which are in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet
saying, 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.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;
and in the midst of the {Greek: lampstands.}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.
And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters.
And 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.
And 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,
and the Living one; and I {Greek: became.}was dead, and behold, I am alive {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
Write therefore the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter;
the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden {Greek: lampstands.}candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven {Greek: lampstands.}candlesticks are seven churches.
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And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
and in the midst of the {Greek: lampstands.}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.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden {Greek: lampstands.}candlesticks:
And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have seen, and, behold, a candlestick all of gold, with its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; {The Septuagint Version and Vulgate have, and seven pipes to the lamps.}there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are upon the top thereof;
And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to the rest in parables; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
And 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.
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things saith the first and the last, who {Greek: became.}was dead, and lived again:
Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house.
And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword:
Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like unto burnished brass:
that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as {Greek: luminaries. Wisd. 13:2; compare Revelation 21:11}lights in the world,
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead.
holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain.
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth:
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly;
but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know {Or, how thou oughtest to behave thyself}how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and {Or, stay}ground of the truth.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; {The word God, in place of He who, rests on no sufficient ancient evidence. Some ancient authorities read which.}He who was manifested in the flesh,Justified in the spirit,Seen of angels,Preached among the {Or, Gentiles}nations,Believed on in the world,Received up in glory.
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.