American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of {Or, the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life &c.}the Lamb,
in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was {Or, a tree}the tree of life, bearing twelve {Or, crops of fruit}manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be {Or, no more anything accursed}no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his {Greek: bondservants.}servants shall serve him;
and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.
And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for ever and ever.
And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show unto his {Greek: bondservants.}servants the things which must shortly come to pass.
And behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.
And I John am he that heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things.
And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren the prophets, and with them that keep the words of this book: {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship God.
And he saith unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand.
He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness {Or, yet more}still: and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy {Or, yet more}still: and he that is righteous, let him do righteousness {Or, yet more}still: and he that is holy, let him be made holy {Or, yet more}still.
Behold, I come quickly; and my {Or, wages}reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have {Or, the authority over Compare chapter 6:8}the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the {Greek: portals.}gates into the city.
Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and {Or, doeth}maketh a lie.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things {Greek: over.}for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star.
{Or, Both}And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely.
I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add {Greek: upon.}unto them, God shall add {Greek: upon.}unto him the plagues which are written in this book:
and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are {Or, even from the things which are written}written in this book.
He who testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus {Some ancient authorities add Christ.} be {Two ancient authorities read with all.}with the saints. Amen
O Jehovah, thou God to whom vengeance belongeth,Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth.
Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth:Render to the proud their desert.
Jehovah, how long shall the wicked,How long shall the wicked triumph?
They prate, they speak arrogantly:All the workers of iniquity boast themselves.
They break in pieces thy people, O Jehovah,And afflict thy heritage.
They slay the widow and the sojourner,And murder the fatherless.
And they say, {Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah will not see,Neither will the God of Jacob consider.
Consider, ye brutish among the people;And ye fools, when will ye be wise?
He that planted the ear, shall he not hear?He that formed the eye, shall he not see?
He that {Or, instructeth}chastiseth the nations, shall not he correct,Even he that teacheth man knowledge?
Jehovah knoweth the thoughts of man, {Or, For}That they are {Hebrew: a breath.}vanity.
Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O {Hebrew: Jah.}Jehovah,And teachest out of thy law;
That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity,Until the pit be digged for the wicked.
For Jehovah will not cast off his people,Neither will he forsake his inheritance.
For judgment shall return unto righteousness;And all the upright in heart shall follow it.
Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers?Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Unless Jehovah had been my help,My soul had soon dwelt in silence.
When I said, My foot slippeth;Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, held me up.
In the multitude of my {Or, doubts}thoughts within meThy comforts delight my soul.
Shall the {Or, seat}throne of wickedness have fellowship with thee,Which frameth mischief by statute?
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous,And condemn the innocent blood.
But Jehovah hath been my high tower,And my God the rock of my refuge.
And he hath brought upon them their own iniquity,And will cut them off in their own wickedness;Jehovah our God will cut them off.
That thou mayest crush them, dipping thy foot in blood,That the tongue of thy dogs may have its portion from thine enemies.
For that nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of {Or, the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life &c.}the Lamb,
in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was {Or, a tree}the tree of life, bearing twelve {Or, crops of fruit}manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be {Or, no more anything accursed}no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his {Greek: bondservants.}servants shall serve him;
and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.
And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for ever and ever.
And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show unto his {Greek: bondservants.}servants the things which must shortly come to pass.
And behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.
And I John am he that heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things.
And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren the prophets, and with them that keep the words of this book: {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship God.
And he saith unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand.
He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness {Or, yet more}still: and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy {Or, yet more}still: and he that is righteous, let him do righteousness {Or, yet more}still: and he that is holy, let him be made holy {Or, yet more}still.
Behold, I come quickly; and my {Or, wages}reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have {Or, the authority over Compare chapter 6:8}the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the {Greek: portals.}gates into the city.
Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and {Or, doeth}maketh a lie.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things {Greek: over.}for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star.
{Or, Both}And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely.
I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add {Greek: upon.}unto them, God shall add {Greek: upon.}unto him the plagues which are written in this book:
and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are {Or, even from the things which are written}written in this book.
He who testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus {Some ancient authorities add Christ.} be {Two ancient authorities read with all.}with the saints. Amen
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must {Or, come to pass. After these things straightway & c.}come to pass hereafter.
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;
and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.
And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
and before the throne, as it were a {Or, glassy sea}sea of glass like unto crystal; and in the midst {Or, before See chapter 7:17; compare 5:6}of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.
And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
And the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying,Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and {Or, who cometh}who is to come.
And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for ever and ever,
the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.
and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
Doth not wisdom cry,And understanding put forth her voice?
On the top of high places by the way,Where the paths meet, she standeth;
Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:
Unto you, O men, I call;And my voice is to the sons of men.
O ye simple, understand prudence;And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.
Hear, for I will speak excellent things;And the opening of my lips shall be right things.
For my mouth shall utter truth;And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth {Or, are righteousness}are in righteousness;There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.
They are all plain to him that understandeth,And right to them that find knowledge.
Receive my instruction, and not silver;And knowledge rather than choice gold.
For wisdom is better than rubies;And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.
I wisdom have made prudence my dwelling,And find out {Or, knowledge of witty inventions}knowledge and discretion.
The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil:Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,And the perverse mouth, do I hate.
Counsel is mine, and {Or, effectual working}sound knowledge:I am understanding; I have might.
By me kings reign,And princes decree justice.
By me {Or, rulers}princes rule,And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
I love them that love me;And those that seek me {Or, early}diligently shall find me.
Riches and honor are with me;Yea, {Or, ancient}durable wealth and righteousness.
My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;And my {Or, increase}revenue than choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,In the midst of the paths of justice;
That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance,And that I may fill their treasuries.
Jehovah {Or, formed}possessed me {Or, as}in the beginning of his way, {Or, The first of}Before his works of old.
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,Before the earth was.
When there were no depths, I was brought forth,When there were no fountains abounding with water.
Before the mountains were settled,Before the hills was I brought forth;
While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,Nor the {Or, sum}beginning of the dust of the world.
When he {Or, prepared}established the heavens, I was there:When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,
When he made firm the skies above,When the fountains of the deep became strong,
When he gave to the sea {Or, his decree}its bound,That the waters should not transgress his commandment,When he {Or, appointed}marked out the foundations of the earth;
Then I was by him, as a master workman;And I {Or, had delight continually}was daily his delight, {Or, Sporting}Rejoicing always before him,
{Or, Sporting}Rejoicing in his habitable earth;And my delight was with the sons of men.
Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me;For blessed are they that keep my ways.
Hear instruction, and be wise,And refuse it not.
Blessed is the man that heareth me,Watching daily at my gates,Waiting at the posts of my doors.
For whoso findeth me findeth life,And shall {Hebrew: draw forth.}obtain favor of Jehovah.
But he that {Or, misseth me}sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:All they that hate me love death.
For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of David.O Jehovah, our Lord,How excellent is thy name in all the earth,Who hast set thy glory {Or, above}upon the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength,Because of thine adversaries,That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?And the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him but little lower than {Or, the angels Hebrew: Elohim.}God,And crownest him with glory and honor.
Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;Thou hast put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen,Yea, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
O Jehovah, our Lord,How excellent is thy name in all the earth!
If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken),
Nevertheless ye shall die like men,And fall like one of the princes.
And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.
Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.
Then spake the Chaldeans to the king {Or, in Aramaic.}in the Syrian language, {Chapter 2:4-7, 28 is in Aramaic.}O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, {Or, The word is gone forth from me}The thing is gone from me: if ye make not known unto me the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
But if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof.
They answered the second time and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
The king answered and said, I know of a certainty that ye would {Aramaic: buy the time.}gain time, because ye see {Or, the word is gone forth from me: that if &c.}the thing is gone from me.
But if ye make not known unto me the dream, there is but one law for you; for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof.
The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter, forasmuch as no king, {Or, be he never so great and powerful, hath &c.}lord, or ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is no other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
So the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;
he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
And Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would {Or, give him time}appoint him a time, {Or, that he might}and he would show the king the interpretation.
Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his.
And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that have understanding;
he revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee; for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.
Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus unto him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king;
but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:
as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets hath made known to thee what shall come to pass.
But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart.
Thou, O king, sawest, and, behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the aspect thereof was terrible.
As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass,
its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay.
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces.
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great {Or, rock}mountain, and filled the whole earth.
This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory;
and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all: thou art the head of gold.
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush.
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with {Or, earthenware}miry clay.
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly {Or, brittle}broken.
And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with {Or, earthenware}miry clay, they shall mingle themselves {Or, by}with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.
And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him.
The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.
Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.
And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel was {Or, at the king's court}in the gate of the king.
And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs:
And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the {Or, sanctuary}temple, from the throne, saying, It is done:
They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves {Or, in the}to go unto the gardens, behind {Or, one tree (or, Asherah; see Deuteronomy 16:21)}one in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah.
But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts,
ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also came to be.
But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, {Or, stedfastness}patience,
persecutions, sufferings; what things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: and out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of {Greek: what persons.}whom thou hast learned them;
and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
{Or, Every scripture is inspired of God, and profitable}Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for {Or, discipline}instruction which is in righteousness:
that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: {Greek: saying.}and one said, Rise, and measure the {Or, sanctuary}temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
And the court which is without the {Or, sanctuary}temple {Greek: cast without.}leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the {Or, Gentiles}nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees and the two {Greek: lampstands.}candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth.
And if any man desireth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man shall desire to hurt them, in this manner must he be killed.
These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they shall desire.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.
And their {Greek: carcase.}dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their {Greek: carcase.}dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.
And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them.
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they went up into heaven in the cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake {Greek: names of men, seven thousand. Compare chapter 3:4.}seven thousand persons: and the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second Woe is past: behold, the third Woe cometh quickly.
And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said,The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign {Greek: unto the ages of the ages}for ever and ever.
And the four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God,
saying,We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign.
And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy {Greek: bondservants}servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth.
And there was opened the {Or, sanctuary}temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his {Or, sanctuary}temple the ark of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.
{Or, See whether}Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the {Or, elements See Galatians 4:3 margin}rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day:
Let no man rob you of your prize {Or, of his own mere will, by humility &c.}by a voluntary humility and {The Greek word denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to a creature, or to the Creator.}worshipping of the angels, {Or, taking his stand upon}dwelling in the things which he hath {Many authorities, some ancient, insert not.}seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no gods:
but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly {Or, elements See verse 3.}rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again?
Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years.
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you {Some ancient authorities read as thieves.}as a thief:
for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness;
so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, that, whether we {Or, watch}wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Wherefore {Or, comfort chapter 4:18.}exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.
But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.
See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
Quench not the Spirit;
despise not prophesyings;
{Many ancient authorities insert but.}prove all things; hold fast that which is good;
abstain from every form of evil.
And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the {Or, presence}coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.
Brethren, pray for us {Some ancient authorities add also.}.
Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.
I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the {Many ancient authorities insert holy.}brethren.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.