Prologue

1The revelation of† Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants† what must soon take place.† He made it known by sending his angel† to his servant John,d 2who testified to the word of God and to the testimony† of Jesus Christ,† whatever he saw.† 3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy,† and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep† what is written in it, because the time is near.

4John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace† to you from† the one who is, who was, and who is to come,† and from the seven spirits† † before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,† the firstborn from the dead† and the ruler of the kings of the earth.†

To him who loves us and has set us free† from our sins by his blood,d 6and made us a kingdom,† priests† † to his God and Father — to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.†

7Look, he is coming with the clouds,†

and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him.

And all the tribes† of the earth† †

will mourn over him.† d e

So it is to be. Amen.

8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”† says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John’s Vision of the Risen Lord

9I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction,† kingdom,† and endurance† that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.d 10I was in the Spirit† † on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet† 11saying, “Write† on a scroll† what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12Then I turned to see whose voice† it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,† 13and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,† † dressed in a robe† and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.† 14The hair of his head was white as wool — white as snow† — and his eyes like a fiery flame.† 15His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace,† and his voice like the sound of cascading† waters.† 16He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth,† and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.†

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man.† He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last,† 18and the Living One.† I was dead, but look — I am alive forever and ever,† and I hold the keys† of death and Hades. 19Therefore write what you have seen,† what is, and what will take place after this. 20The mystery† of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels† of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands† are the seven churches.†

The Letters to the Seven Churches