1 The revelation of Jesus Christ {Iesous Christos, Faithful Revealer}, which God {Theos, Sovereign Giver} gave to Him so He could show His servants the events that must happen soon; and He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John.
2 Who testified {emarturesen: gave solemn witness} to the word {logos: divine message content} of God {Theos, Source of Revelation} and to the testimony of Jesus Christ {Iesous Christos, Faithful Witness}, as many things as he saw.
3 Blessed {makarios: deeply favored} is the one who reads aloud, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things written in it, for the time {kairos: divinely appointed moment} is near.
4 John, to the seven churches {ekklesiais: gathered congregations} in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him {Theos, Eternal Covenant Lord} who is, who was, and who is coming, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne.
5 And from Jesus Christ {Iesous Christos, Faithful Redeeming Lord}—the faithful witness, the firstborn {prototokos: supreme in rank} from the dead, and sovereign over the kings of the earth—to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.
6 And He {Iesous, Redeeming King} formed us into a kingdom {basileia: royal people} and priests to His God and Father; to Him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, He {Iesous, Returning King} comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—also those who pierced Him—and all the tribes {phylai: clans among nations} of the earth will mourn because of Him. Yes, Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God {Kyrios ho Theos, Lord Over Time}, “the One who is, who was, and who is coming—the Almighty {pantokrator: absolute ruler}.”
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and endurance that are in Jesus {Iesous, Lord of Shared Suffering} was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God {Theos, Source of Proclamation} and the testimony of Jesus
10 On the Lord’s {Kyrios, Ruler of the Day} day, while I was in the Spirit, I heard behind me a great voice {phōnḗn: powerful proclamation} like a trumpet.
11 Saying, “Write what you see in a book and send {pempson: dispatch message} it to the seven churches {ekklesia: called-out gathering}: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice {phonen: speaking sound} speaking with me, and when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands {lychnias: lamp-bearing stands}.
13 Among the lampstands {lychnion: churches as lights} stood One like a Son of Man, wearing a long robe and bound around His {Christos, Glorious High Priest} chest with a golden sash.
14 But His {Christos, Glorified Judge} head and His hairs were white like white wool, like snow, and His eyes were like a flame of fire {phlox puros: blazing piercing vision}.
15 And His {Christos, Exalted Son} feet were like bronze alloy, as if heated in a furnace {kamino: intense refining fire}, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
16 And He {Christos, Sovereign Holder} held seven stars in His right hand; from His mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword {rhomphaia: great judgment weapon}; and His face shone like the sun in its power.
17 When I saw Him{Iesous, Exalted Lord}, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid{phobou: stop being terrified}; I am the first and the last.”
18 And the Living One. I {Iesous, Death-Conquering Lord} became dead, and behold, I am living for the ages {aionas: unending eras} of the ages, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
19 Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is {eisin: present realities}, and what will take place after these things {meta tauta: subsequent matters}.
20 The mystery {mysterion: symbolic revelation} of the seven stars which you saw in My {Iesous, Lord of Churches} 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.