THE LETTER TO SARDIS

3 “Write to the angel* of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of Goda and the seven stars:b I know your works;c you have a reputationB for being alive, but you are dead.d 2 Be alerte and strengthenC what remains, which is about to die,D for I have not found your works complete before my God. 3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will comeE like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.f 4 But you have a few peopleF in Sardis who have not defiledG their clothes,g and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.

5 “In the same way, the one who conquersh will be dressed in white clothes,i and I will never erase his name from the book of lifej but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.k

6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listenl to what the Spirit saysm to the churches.

THE LETTER TO PHILADELPHIA

7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one,n the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens:o 8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.p 9 Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet,q and they will know that I have loved you.r 10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testings that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.t 11 I am coming soon.u Hold on to what you have,v so that no one takes your crown.w

12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillarx in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem,y which comes down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.z

13 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

THE LETTER TO LAODICEA

14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen,aa the faithful and true witness, the originatorH,ab of God’s creation: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomitI you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ac and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich,ad white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed,ae and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.af So be zealous and repent. 20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.ag

21 “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,ah just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

22 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”

THE THRONE ROOM OF HEAVEN

4 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpetai said, “Come up here,aj and I will show you what must take place after this.”ak

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit,al and there was a throne in heavenam and someone was seated on it. 3 The one seatedJ there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone.an A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne.ao

4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four eldersap dressed in white clothes,aq with golden crowns on their heads.ar

5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne.as Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.a 6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne.b

Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side. 7 The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like an ox; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.c 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings;d they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and nighte they never stop,A saying,

Holy, holy, holy,

Lord God, the Almighty,

who was, who is, and who is to come.f

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever,g 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throneh and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne and say,

11 Our Lord and God,B

you are worthyi to receive

glory and honor and power,j

because you have created all things,k

and by your will

they exist and were created.

THE LAMB TAKES THE SCROLL

5 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals.l 2 I also saw a mighty angelm proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to openC the scroll or even to look in it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah,n the Root of David,o has conqueredp so that he is able to open the scroll andD its seven seals.”

6 Then I saw one like a slaughtered lambq standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of Godr sent into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll out of the right hand of the one seated on the throne.

THE LAMB IS WORTHY

8 When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harps and golden bowlst filled with incense,u which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:v

You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slaughtered,

and you purchasedE peopleF

for God by your blood

from every tribe and language

and people and nation.w

10 You made them a kingdomG

and priests to our God,x

and they will reign on the earth.

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands.y 12 They said with a loud voice,

Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered

to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and blessing!

13 I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth,z on the sea, and everything in them say,aa

Blessing and honor and glory and power

be to the one seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

THE FIRST SEAL ON THE SCROLL

6 Then I saw the Lamb open one of the sevenH seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder,ab “Come!” 2 I looked, and there was a white horse.ac Its rider held a bow;ad a crownae was given to him, and he went out as a conqueror in order to conquer.I

THE SECOND SEAL

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse went out, a fiery red one,af and its rider was allowed to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.a

THE THIRD SEAL

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse.b Its rider held a set of scales in his hand.c 6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius,A and three quarts of barley for a denarius,d but do not harm the oil and the wine.”e

THE FOURTH SEAL

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and there was a pale greenB horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following after him.f They wereC given authorityg over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.h

THE FIFTH SEAL

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given.D,i 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “Lord,E the one who is holy and true,j how long until you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?k” 11 So they were each given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters, who were going to be killed just as they had been.

THE SIXTH SEAL

12 Then I saw him openF the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred;l the sun turned black like sackclothm made of hair; the entire moonG became like blood;n 13 the starsH of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; 14 the sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up;o and every mountain and island was moved from its place.p

15 Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.q 16 And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide usr from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 because the great day of theirI wrath has come! And who is able to stand?”s