1
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to
his servants what must soon take place. And he made it known by sending
his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and
to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he
who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear,
and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.
4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: grace to you
and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from
the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who
is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the
kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his
blood, 6 and has made us a kingdom and priests to his God and Father, to
him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.
Even so. Amen.
8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is,
and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and
kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island
called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice
like a trumpet, 11 saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to
the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to
Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And
having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the
lampstands one like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe down to the feet
and girded round his chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were
white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire;
15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his
voice was like the sound of many waters; 16 he held in his right hand
seven stars, out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his face
was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he
laid his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the
Last, 18 and the Living One; I was dead, and behold, I am alive for
evermore! And I have the keys of death and Hades. 19 Write, therefore,
what you have seen, what is now and what will take place after this. 20
The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my 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.
2
1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
'These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his
right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your
works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot bear
evil men, but you have tested those who call themselves apostles and are
not, and have found them to be false; 3 I know you have persevered and
have endured for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I
have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember then
from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If
not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless
you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to
eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.'
8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
'These are the words of the First and the Last, who died, and
came to life: 9 I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)
and I know the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may
be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful even until
death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be
hurt at all by the second death.'
12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
'These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:
13 I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And
you hold fast to my name, and did not deny my faith even in the days of
Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan
dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who
hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block
before the sons of Israel, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to practice
sexual immorality. 15 So you also have those who hold to the teaching of
the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore, or else I will soon come to you and
will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna. And I will give him a
white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows
except him who receives it.'
18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
'These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a
flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze: 19 I know your
works, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that your
works are now more than at the first. 20 Nevertheless I have this against
you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess
and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice sexual immorality
and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she
refuses to repent of her immorality. 22 So I will cast her on a sickbed, and
I will throw those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
unless they repent of her ways. 23 And I will strike her children dead.
And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches minds and
hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to
the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not
learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I will not
lay upon you any other burden; 25 only hold fast what you have until I
come. 26 He who overcomes, and keeps my works until the end,
to him I will give power over the nationsó
27 "He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
as when potter's vessels are broken in pieces"
28ójust as I also have received from my Father; and I will give him the
morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches.'
3
1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
'These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God
and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a name of being alive,
but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to
die, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3
Remember therefore what you have received and heard; keep it, and
repent. But if you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will
not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4 Yet you have a few names
in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk
with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be
clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book
of Life; but I will confess his name before my Father and before his
angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.'
7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
'These are the words of him who is holy, who is true,
who has the key of David,
who opens and no one shuts,
and shuts and no one opens:
8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one
can shut it. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my
word, and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the
synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lieólook,
I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and know that I
have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my command to persevere, I
also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole
world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon; hold
fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown. 12 He who
overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall
never go out of it. And I will write on him the name of my God and the
name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out
of heaven from my God. And I will write on him my new name. 13 He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
14 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
'These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of God's creation: 15 I know your works, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot! 16 So then,
because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of
my mouth. 17 You say, "I am rich; I have become wealthy, and have need
of nothing"óand do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor,
blind, and naked, 18 Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined
in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments to clothe you, and to
keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint
your eyes, that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I rebuke and chasten.
So be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any
one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with
him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with
me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his
throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.'"
4
1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in
heaven. And the voice, which I had first heard speaking to me like a
trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place
after this." 2 At once I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was
standing in heaven, with one sitting on the throne. 3 And he who sat there
was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and round the throne was a
rainbow that looked like an emerald. 4 Round the throne were twenty-
four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed
in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne
come flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder. And before
the throne were seven lamps of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; 6
and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
And in the center, around the throne, are four living creatures,
full of eyes in front and behind. 7 The first living creature was like a lion,
the second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like that of a
man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living
creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and
within, and day and night they never cease to sing,
"Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come."
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to
him who sits on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-
four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him
who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne,
saying,
11 "You are worthy, our Lord and our God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
5
1 I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll
written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a
strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the
scroll and break its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under
the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4 And I wept
greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look
into it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; behold, the Lion
of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can
open the scroll and its seven seals."
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and
among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as if it had been slain, with
seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent
out into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the scroll from the right
hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the
Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which
are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals;
for you were slain, and with your blood purchased men for God
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around
the throne and the living creatures and the elders, numbering myriads of
myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!"
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"
14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down
and worshipped.
6
1 Then I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals. And
I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder,
"Come!" 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow;
and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to
conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living
creature say, "Come!" 4 And out came a horse, bright red; its rider was
permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one
another; and to him was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature
say, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and its rider had a
pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what sounded like a voice in the
center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a
denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the
oil and the wine!"
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the
fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and behold, a pale horse;
and its rider's name was Death, and Hades was following him. And they
were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with
famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls
of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the
testimony they had maintained; 10 they cried out with a loud voice, "O
Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge and avenge our
blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then each of them were given
a white robe, and they were told to rest a little longer, until the number of
their fellow servants and their brethren should be completed, who were to
be killed as they had been.
12 I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the
whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the
earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14
The sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and
island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the
great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one,
slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16
and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us
from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the
Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
7
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the
earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind would blow
on the earth or the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascend
from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called
out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to
harm the earth and sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the
trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-
four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one
could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes,
and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud
voice, saying,
"Salvation belongs to our God
who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the
elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the
throne and worshipped God, 12 saying,
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever!
Amen."
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these,
clothed in white robes, and where have they come from?" 14 I said to him,
"Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out
of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore, they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will spread his tent over them.
16 They will hunger no more, nor thirst anymore;
the sun will not beat down on them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water;
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
8
1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand
before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the
altar. And he was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the
saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the
incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the
angel's hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from
the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, voices,
flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
6 The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to
sound them.
7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and
fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of
the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all
the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a
great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of
the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the living creatures in the sea died;
and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star fell from
heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the
springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the
waters became Wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because
they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun
was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of
them darkened. And a third of the day was without light, and also a third
of the night.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven,
saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the
earth, because of the blasts of the other trumpets of the three angels who
are about to sound!"
9
1 And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star which
had fallen from heaven to earth; and he was given the key of the shaft of
the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up
from the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air
were darkened by the smoke from the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke came
locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of
scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth
or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not
the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torture them
for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture
of a scorpion, when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek
death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from
them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle.
On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; and their faces were
like human faces, 8 their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were
like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the
sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots
rushing into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their
power to hurt men for five months lies in their tails. 11 They have as king
over them the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in
Greek he has the name Apollyon.
12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still to come.
13 Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice
from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to
the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are
bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels, who had been
held ready for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill
a third of mankind. 16 The number of the troops of cavalry was two
hundred million; I heard their number. 17 And this was how I saw the
horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of
sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like the heads of
lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulfur. 18 A third
of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke
and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses
is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and
have heads, and with them they do harm.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues,
did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshipping
demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood,
which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 nor did they repent of their
murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
10
1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven,
wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; and his face was like
the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little scroll which was
open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on
the land, 3 and he cried out with a loud voice, like the roar of a lion.
When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the
seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from
heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not
write it down." 5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on
the land
lifted up his right hand to heaven,
6 and swore by him who lives for ever and ever,
who created heaven and the things in it, the earth and the things in it, and
the sea and the things in it, that there will be no more delay, 7 but in the
days of the trumpet of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then
the mystery of God will be finished, as he announced to his servants the
prophets.
8 Then the voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me
again, saying, "Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel
who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9 So I went to the angel,
telling him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, "Take it and eat
it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as
honey." 10 I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it, and in
my mouth it was sweet as honey; but when I had eaten it, my stomach was
made bitter. 11 And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many
peoples and nations and tongues and kings."
11
1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told,
"Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship
there. 2 But leave out the court outside the temple and do not measure it,
for it has been given over to the nations; and they will trample over the
holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant power to my two
witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days,
clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two
lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants
to harm them, fire flows out from their mouth and devours their enemies;
so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These
have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the
days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn
them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they
desire. 7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up
from the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill
them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which
mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was
crucified. 9 For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and
tongues and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them
be placed in a tomb. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice
over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because
these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after
the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they
stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then
they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And
they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. 13 And
at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell;
seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were
terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is coming
soon.
15 Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were
loud voices in heaven, saying,
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell
on their faces and worshipped God, 17 saying,
"We give thanks to you, O Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
18 And the nations raged,
and your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
for rewarding your servants the prophets
and the saints and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was
seen the ark of his covenant; and there were flashes of lightning, voices,
peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
12
1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the
sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars; 2 and she was with child, and she cried out in labor and in pain to
give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great
red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven
diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and
threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was
about to give birth, so that he might devour her child when it was born. 5
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations
with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared
by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty
days.
7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they
were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them
in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole worldóhe
was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with
him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
"Now the salvation, and the power,
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down,
who accuses them before our God
day and night.
11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives even to the death.
12 Rejoice then, O heavens
and you that dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
for the devil has come down to you
in great wrath,
because he knows that his time is short!"
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to
the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14
But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she
might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is to be nourished
for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15
And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the
woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the
woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the
dragon had poured out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged
with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on
those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of
Jesus.
13
1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a
beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten
diadems on his horns, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 The
beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear,
and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his
power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to
have a fatal wound, but its fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth
followed the beast with wonder. 4 Men worshipped the dragon, because
he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast,
saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can make war against him?"
5 And the beast was given a mouth speaking arrogant words and
blasphemies, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two
months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to
blaspheme his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7 Also it was given power to make war on the saints and to conquer them.
And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and
nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose
name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book
of life of the Lamb that was slain.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 If anyone is destined for captivity,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone kills with the sword,
with the sword he must be killed.
Here is the endurance and faith of the saints.
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he
had two horns like a lamb and he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercises all
the authority of the first beast in his presence, and makes the earth and its
inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He
performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth
in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth
because of the signs which he was given power to do in the presence of
the beast. He ordered them to make an image in honor of the beast who
was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was given to him to
give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should
even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the
beast to be killed. 16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and slave, to be given a mark on their right hand or the
forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, which
is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 This calls for
wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the
beast, for it is the number of a man; its number is six hundred and sixty-
six.
14
1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount
Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name
and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 I heard a voice from
heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder,
and the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their
harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four
living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn the song except
the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the
earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for
they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the
Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among men as
first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their
mouth; they are blameless.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an
eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth, and to every
nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice,
"Fear God, and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
come; worship him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and
springs of water."
8 And another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen
is Babylon the great, she who made all the nations drink the wine of her
impure passion."
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud
voice, "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark
on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of God's
wrath, which is poured in full strength into the cup of his anger, and he
will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels
and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes
up for ever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship
the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." 12
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that
they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them."
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the
cloud was one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a
sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple,
crying out with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your
sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the
earth is ripe." 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle over the
earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he
too had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel came out from the altar, the
one who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who
had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters
from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe." 19 So the angel
swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of
the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed
from the wine press, as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of one
thousand six hundred stadia.
15
1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven
angels with seven plagues, which are the last, because with them the
wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass
mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea of glass, those who had been
victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name.
They held harps of God 3 and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of
God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
"Great and marvelous are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."
5 After this I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of
testimony in heaven was opened, 6 and the seven angels who had the
seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright,
and girded around their chests with golden sashes. 7 Then one of the four
living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the
wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled
with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could
enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were
completed.
16
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven
angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of
God."
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth,
and foul and loathsome sores broke out on the people who had the mark
of the beast and worshipped his image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it
became blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea
died.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the
springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the
waters say,
"Righteous are you, who are and who were, O Holy One,
because you judged these things;
6 for they shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink.
They deserve it."
7 And I heard the altar saying,
"Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty,
true and just are your judgments."
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was
given to it to scorch men with fire. 9 Men were scorched by the fierce
heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues,
and they did not repent and give him glory.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the
beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness; men gnawed their
tongues in agony 11 and they cursed the God of heaven because of their
pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river
Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings
from the East. 13 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 like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons,
performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole
world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15
("Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and
keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be
shamefully exposed.") 16 And they gathered them together at the place
which in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of
the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 And
there were flashes of lightning and voices and peals of thunder; and there
was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be
on the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great
city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon
the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of
the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains
were not found. 21 Huge hailstones, about a hundred pounds each, fell
from heaven upon men. And men cursed God for the plague of hail,
because the plague was so terrible.
17
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came
and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot
who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed
fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the
wine of her fornication." 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a
wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of
blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman
was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious
stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations
and of the unclean things of her immorality, 5 And on her forehead was
written a name of mystery,
"BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF
THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and
with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered
greatly. 7 And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you
the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the
seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not,
and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those
who dwell on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of
life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the
beast, because he was and is not and will come. 9 This calls for a mind
with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman
sits. 10 And they are also seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other
has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. 11
The beast who was, and is not, is an eighth. He belongs to the seven and
he goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings,
who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings
with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one purpose and they give
their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war against the
Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because he is Lord of lords and
King of kings, and those who are with him are the called and chosen and
faithful."
15 And he said to me, "The waters you saw where the harlot sits,
are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16 And the ten horns
you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her
desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17
for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of
one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of
God shall be fulfilled. 18 The woman that you saw is the great city which
has dominion over the kings of the earth."
18
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. 2
And he called out with a mighty voice,
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place of demons,
a haunt of every unclean spirit,
a haunt of every unclean
and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk the wine
of her impure passion,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich
with the wealth of her wantonness."
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
"Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins
and receive of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up as high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Pay her back even as she has paid,
and give back to her double according to her deeds;
in the cup which she has mixed,
mix a double portion for her.
7 As she glorified herself and played the wanton,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning;
for she says in her heart,
'A queen I sit,
and I am not a widow,
mourning I will never see.'
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will come,
pestilence and mourning and famine,
and she will be burned with fire;
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and
were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the
smoke of her burning; 10 they will stand far off, in fear of her torment,
and say,
'Woe, woe, the great city,
the mighty city, Babylon!
In one hour has your judgment come.'
11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her,
because no one buys their cargoes any moreó12 cargoes of gold, silver,
precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every
sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood,
bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense,
myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat;
cattle and sheep; horses and chariots; and slaves and human souls.
14 The fruit you longed for
has gone from you,
and all your riches and splendor
have vanished,
never to be recovered.
15 The merchants of these things, who gained wealth from her, will stand
far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying,
'Woe, woe, the great city,
she who was clothed in fine linen
and purple and scarlet,
and adorned with gold
and precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!'
And every shipmaster and all passengers and sailors, and all who
make their living by the sea, stood far off, 18 and cried out as they saw
the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' 19
And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and
mourning, saying,
'Woe, woe, the great city,
where all who had ships at sea
became rich by her wealth,
for in one hour she has been laid waste!'
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
because God has pronounced judgment for you against her!"
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone
and threw it into the sea, saying,
"So will Babylon, the great city,
be thrown down with violence,
and will not be found any longer.
22 And the sound of harpists and musicians
and flute-players and trumpeters
will not be heard in you any longer;
and no craftsman of any craft
will be found in you any longer;
and the sound of a millstone
will not be heard in you any longer;
23 and the light of a lamp
will not shine in you any longer;
and the voice of the bridegroom and bride
will not be heard in you any longer;
for your merchants were the great men of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on the earth."
19
1 After this I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a great
multitude in heaven, crying,
"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just;
he has judged the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her fornication,
and he has avenged on her
the blood of his servants."
3 And again they shouted,
"Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and
worshipped God who is seated on the throne, saying,
"Amen. Hallelujah!"
5 And a voice came from the throne, saying,
"Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both small and great."
6 Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a great multitude, like the
sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder,
crying,
"Hallelujah!
For the Lord
our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him the glory!
For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen,
bright and clean";
for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then the angel said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are
invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These
are true words of God." 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he
said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and
your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He
who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges
and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are
many diadems; and he has a name written on him which no one knows but
himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is
called the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him,
riding on white horses, and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the
nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he treads the wine press
of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 And he has on his robe
and on his thigh a name written,