Revelation 1
1
Greetings
1A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. Christ made it known by sending it through his angel to his servant John, 2who bore witness to the word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, including all that John saw. 3Favored is the one who reads the words of this prophecy out loud, and favored are those who listen to it being read, and keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
4John, to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne, 5and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. Amen.
7Look, he is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. This is so. Amen. 8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and was and is coming, the Almighty.”
Christ appears to John
9I, John, your brother who shares with you in the hardship, kingdom, and endurance that we have in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and my witness about Jesus. 10I was in a Spirit-inspired trance on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet. 11It said, “Write down on a scroll whatever you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12I turned to see who was speaking to me, and when I turned, I saw seven oil lamps burning on top of seven gold stands. 13In the middle of the lampstands I saw someone who looked like the Human One.#1.13 Or Son of Man He wore a robe that stretched down to his feet, and he had a gold sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white as white wool—like snow—and his eyes were like a fiery flame. 15His feet were like fine brass that has been purified in a furnace, and his voice sounded like rushing water. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His appearance was like the sun shining with all its power.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. But he put his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m the first and the last, 18and the living one. I was dead, but look! Now I’m alive forever and always. I have the keys of Death and the Grave. 19So write down what you have seen, both the scene now before you and the things that are about to unfold after this. 20As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands, here is what they mean: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Currently Selected:
Revelation 1: CEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Revelation 1
1
The Revelation Is Given
1This is the revelation from Jesus Christ. God gave it to him to show those who serve God what will happen soon. God made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. 2John is a witness to everything he saw. What he saw is God’s word and what Jesus Christ has said. 3Blessed is the one who reads out loud the words of this prophecy. Blessed are those who hear it and think everything it says is important. The time when these things will come true is near.
Greetings and Praise to God
4I, John, am writing this letter.
I am sending it to the seven churches in Asia Minor.
May grace and peace come to you from God. He is the one who is, and who was, and who will come. May grace and peace come to you from the seven spirits. These spirits are in front of God’s throne. 5May grace and peace come to you from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness, so what he has shown can be trusted. He was the first to rise from the dead. He rules over the kings of the earth.
Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ who loves us! He has set us free from our sins by pouring out his blood for us. 6He has made us members of his royal family. He has made us priests who serve his God and Father. Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ for ever and ever! Amen.
7“Look! He is coming with the clouds!” (Daniel 7:13)
“Every eye will see him.
Even those who pierced him will see him.”
All the nations of the earth “will mourn because of him.” (Zechariah 12:10)
This will really happen! Amen.
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord God. “I am the God who is, and who was, and who will come. I am the Mighty One.”
John’s Vision of Christ
9I, John, am a believer like you. I am a friend who suffers like you. As members of Jesus’ royal family, we can put up with anything that happens to us. I was on the island of Patmos because I taught God’s word and what Jesus said. 10The Holy Spirit gave me a vision on the Lord’s Day. I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet. 11The voice said, “Write on a scroll what you see. Send it to the seven churches in Asia Minor. They are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
12I turned around to see who was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. 13In the middle of them was someone who looked “like a son of man.” (Daniel 7:13) He was dressed in a long robe with a gold strip of cloth around his chest. 14The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze metal glowing in a furnace. His voice sounded like rushing waters. 16He held seven stars in his right hand. Coming out of his mouth was a sharp sword with two edges. His face was like the sun shining in all its brightness.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. Then he put his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One. I was dead. But now look! I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Hell.
19“So write down what you have seen. Write about what is happening now and what will happen later. 20Here is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand. They are the angels of the seven churches. And the seven golden lampstands you saw stand for the seven churches.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.