1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show to His servants the things that are ordained to come to pass shortly; and He made it known, having sent it by His angel to His servant John; 2Who gave witness to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and all the things he saw. 3Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and who keep the things that are written therein; for the time is at hand.

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace and peace be to you from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come; and from the seven spirits that are 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 loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6And has made us kings and priests to God and His Father; to Him be the glory and the sovereignty into the ages of eternity. Amen. 7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.

8"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending," says the Lord, "Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come--the Almighty."

9I, John, who am also your brother and joint partaker in the tribulation and in the kingdom and endurance of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10I was in the Spirit on the day of the Lord; and I heard a loud voice like a trumpet behind me, 11Saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last"; and, "What you see, write in a book, and send it to the churches that are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

12And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands; 13And in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of man, clothed in a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about the chest with a golden breastplate. 14And His head and hair were like white wool, white as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15And His feet were like fine brass, as if they glowed in a furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16And in His right hand He had seven stars, and a sharp two-edged sword went out of His mouth, and His countenance was as the sun shining in its full power.

17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead; but He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last, 18Even the One Who is living; for I was dead, and behold, I am alive into the ages of eternity. Amen. And I have the keys of the grave and of death. 19Write the things that you saw, and the things that are, and the things that shall take place hereafter. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands that you saw are the seven churches."