Revelation · Free Bible Version
Revelation 1 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
FBV Free Bible Version
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
PT1904 Patriarchal Text 1904 (accented, eBible edition)
1 This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what will happen soon. He sent his angel to reveal it to his servant John
1 This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,
1 Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἣν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός, δεῖξαι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει, καὶ ἐσήμανεν ἀποστείλας διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννῃ,
2 who confirmed everything he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
2 who testified to God’s word and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, about everything that he saw.
2 ὃς ἐμαρτύρησε τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅσα εἶδε.
3 Anyone who reads this is blessed, as are those who hear these prophetic words and pay attention to what's written, because the time is near.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is near.
3 μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα· ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς.
4 This letter comes from John and is sent to the seven churches in the province of Asia. May you have grace and peace from the one who was, who is, and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits before his throne,
4 John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
4 Ἰωάννης ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις ταῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ [Θεοῦ], ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπτὰ πνευμάτων, ἃ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ,
5 and from Jesus Christ the trustworthy witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of earthly kings. To Jesus who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood—
5 καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς. τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμᾶς καὶ λούσαντι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ,
6 who made us into his kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to Jesus be glory and authority for ever and ever. Amen.
6 and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
6 καὶ ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς βασιλείαν, ἱερεῖς τῷ Θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ, αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.
7 Look, he is coming surrounded by clouds, and everybody shall see him, even those who killed him. All the peoples of the earth will weep because of him. May it be so! Amen.
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.
7 Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ ὄψεται αὐτὸν πᾶς ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ οἵτινες αὐτὸν ἐξεκέντησαν, καὶ κόψονται ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς. ναί, ἀμήν.
8 “I am the Beginning and the End,” says the All-powerful Lord God, who was, who is, and who is to come.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
8 Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Α καὶ τὸ Ω, λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεός, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ παντοκράτωρ.
9 I am John, your brother who shares with you in the suffering and in the kingdom and in the patient waiting that are our experience in Jesus. I was detained on the island of Patmos for sharing the word of God and the truth as revealed by Jesus.
9 I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
9 Ἐγὼ Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ συγκοινωνὸς ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ὑπομονῇ ἐν Ἰησοῦ [Χριστῷ], ἐγενόμην ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ καλουμένῃ Πάτμῳ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
10 I was filled by the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet
10 ἐγενόμην ἐν πνεύματι ἐν τῇ κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ὀπίσω μου μεγάλην ὡς σάλπιγγος
11 It told me, “Write down in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
11 saying, “What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
11 λεγούσης· ὃ βλέπεις γράψον εἰς βιβλίον καὶ πέμψον ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις, εἰς Ἔφεσον καὶ εἰς Σμύρναν καὶ εἰς Πέργαμον καὶ εἰς Θυάτειρα καὶ εἰς Σάρδεις καὶ εἰς Φιλαδέλφειαν καὶ εἰς Λαοδίκειαν.
12 I turned round to see who was speaking to me. When I turned I saw seven golden candlesticks,
12 I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands.
12 Καὶ [ἐκεῖ] ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις ἐλάλει μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ· καὶ ἐπιστρέψας εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς,
13 and standing among the candlesticks was someone who looked like a Son of man. He was wearing a robe that reached down to his feet with a golden sash across his chest.
13 And among the lamp stands was one like a son of man, clothed with a robe reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash around his chest.
13 καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑπτὰ λυχνιῶν ὅμοιον υἱῷ ἀνθρώπου, ἐνδεδυμένον ποδήρη καὶ περιεζωσμένον πρὸς τοῖς μαστοῖς ζώνην χρυσῆν·
14 His hair looked like white wool, and his eyes like flaming fire.
14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire.
14 ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες λευκαὶ ὡς ἔριον λευκόν, ὡς χιών, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός,
15 His feet looked like polished brass that had been refined in a furnace. His voice sounded like a thundering waterfall.
15 His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters.
15 καὶ οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ, ὡς ἐν καμίνῳ πεπυρωμένοι, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ ὡς φωνὴ ὑδάτων πολλῶν,
16 He was holding seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun at its brightest.
16 He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
16 καὶ ἔχων ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ἀστέρας ἑπτά, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ῥομφαία δίστομος ὀξεῖα ἐκπορευομένη, καὶ ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος φαίνει ἐν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ.
17 When I saw him I fell down at his feet as if I were dead. But he touched me with his right hand and said, “Don't be afraid, I am the first and the last,
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last,
17 Καὶ ὅτε εἶδον αὐτόν, ἔπεσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὡς νεκρός, καὶ ἔθηκε τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ [χεῖρα] ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ λέγων· μὴ φοβοῦ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος
18 the living one. I was dead, but look! Now I am alive for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and the grave.
18 and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
18 καὶ ὁ ζῶν, καὶ ἐγενόμην νεκρός, καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶν εἰμι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου.
19 So write down what you've seen—what's happening in the present and what will happen in the future.
19 Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will happen hereafter.
19 γράψον οὖν ἃ εἶδες, καὶ ἅ εἰσι καὶ ἃ μέλλει γίνεσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα·
20 The meaning of the seven stars that you saw me holding in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches.”
20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven assemblies. The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies.
20 τὸ μυστήριον τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀστέρων ὧν εἶδες ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς μου, καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ λυχνίας τὰς χρυσᾶς. οἱ ἑπτὰ ἀστέρες ἄγγελοι τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησιῶν εἰσι, καὶ αἱ λυχνίαι αἱ ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαι εἰσίν.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
John
The servant of Jesus Christ who received the revelation, writing from the island of Patmos to the seven churches of Asia. The text names him only as John; the Orthodox Church,…
Cited in the guide: Revelation 1:1; Revelation 1:4; Revelation 1:9
Places
Patmos
A place of Roman banishment. The exiled apostle John recorded the visions of Revelation here, addressed to seven churches on the nearby mainland.
Cited in the guide: Revelation 1:9
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Revelation 22:6; Revelation 22:16; Amos 3:7; Galatians 1:12; Daniel 2:28–29
- 2 John 19:35; 1 Corinthians 1:6; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 1:19; John 21:24
- 3 Luke 11:28; Revelation 22:10; Romans 13:11; Proverbs 8:34; 1 Peter 4:7
- 4 Isaiah 11:2; John 1:1; Hebrews 13:8; Psalm 90:2; Revelation 5:6
- 5 Psalm 89:27; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 17:14; Colossians 1:18
- 6 Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6; Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:5–9; Isaiah 61:6
- 7 Matthew 24:30; Zechariah 12:10; Daniel 7:13; John 19:37; Mark 14:62
- 8 Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 22:13; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 48:12; Revelation 21:6
- 9 Acts 14:22; Revelation 3:10; John 16:33; Revelation 1:2; Revelation 13:10
- 10 Revelation 21:10; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4; Revelation 4:1–2; Revelation 17:3; Revelation 10:3–8
- 11 Revelation 3:1; Jeremiah 30:2; Colossians 4:15–16; Habakkuk 2:2; Revelation 2:12
- 12 Zechariah 4:2; Exodus 25:37; Revelation 1:20–2:1; Revelation 1:13; Ezekiel 43:5–6
- 13 Daniel 7:13; Daniel 10:5–6; Daniel 10:16; Exodus 28:6–8; Revelation 15:6
- 14 Daniel 10:6; Daniel 7:9; Revelation 2:18; Revelation 19:12; Matthew 28:3
- 15 Ezekiel 43:2; Daniel 10:6; Revelation 14:2; Revelation 19:6; Psalm 93:4
- 16 Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 2:12; Revelation 19:15; Revelation 2:16; Ephesians 6:17
- 17 Isaiah 44:6; Daniel 10:8–10; Revelation 22:13; Daniel 8:17–18; Isaiah 48:12
- 18 Romans 6:9; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 14:8–9; Psalm 68:20; Revelation 3:7
- 19 Revelation 4:1–11; Revelation 1:11–2:3
- 20 Revelation 2:1; Revelation 3:1; Revelation 1:16; Zechariah 4:2; Revelation 3:7
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
And the prophet, too, indicates the same, saying, "instead of fathers, children have been born unto thee." For the Lord, having been born "the First-begotten of the dead," and receiving into His bosom the ancient fathers, has regenerated them into the life of God, He having been made Himself the beginning of those that live, as Adam became the beginning …
For which reason also the Apostle John writes to the seven churches, showing in that way that he writes to the totality of the one Church; and in the Proverbs of Solomon it is said aforetime, prefiguring this, "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath strengthened her seven pillars." For the city of God was barren in all nations before …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
"The Lord rained down fire from the Lord;" and "A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy Kingdom;" and "Which is and was and is to come, the Almighty" --all which are clearly spoken of the Son, with all the other passages of the same force, none of which is an afterthought, or added later to the Son or …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
On this account also does John declare in the Apocalypse, "And His voice as the sound of many waters." For the Spirit [of God] is truly [like] many waters, since the Father is both rich and great.
The Apocalypse is a book of St. John the Evangelist; and he writes "to seven Churches." Be ye hungered; own ye these baskets.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)