The Revelation Is Given
1This is the revelation from Jesus Christ. God gave it to him to show those who serve God what will happen soon. God made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. 2John is a witness to everything he saw. What he saw is God’s word and what Jesus Christ has said. 3Blessed is the one who reads out loud the words of this prophecy. Blessed are those who hear it and think everything it says is important. The time when these things will come true is near.
Greetings and Praise to God
4I, John, am writing this letter.
I am sending it to the seven churches in Asia Minor.
May grace and peace come to you from God. He is the one who is, and who was, and who will come. May grace and peace come to you from the seven spirits. These spirits are in front of God’s throne. 5May grace and peace come to you from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness, so what he has shown can be trusted. He was the first to rise from the dead. He rules over the kings of the earth.
Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ who loves us! He has set us free from our sins by pouring out his blood for us. 6He has made us members of his royal family. He has made us priests who serve his God and Father. Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ for ever and ever! Amen.
7“Look! He is coming with the clouds!” (Daniel 7:13)
“Every eye will see him.
Even those who pierced him will see him.”
All the nations of the earth “will mourn because of him.” (Zechariah 12:10)
This will really happen! Amen.
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord God. “I am the God who is, and who was, and who will come. I am the Mighty One.”
John’s Vision of Christ
9I, John, am a believer like you. I am a friend who suffers like you. As members of Jesus’ royal family, we can put up with anything that happens to us. I was on the island of Patmos because I taught God’s word and what Jesus said. 10The Holy Spirit gave me a vision on the Lord’s Day. I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet. 11The voice said, “Write on a scroll what you see. Send it to the seven churches in Asia Minor. They are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
12I turned around to see who was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. 13In the middle of them was someone who looked “like a son of man.” (Daniel 7:13) He was dressed in a long robe with a gold strip of cloth around his chest. 14The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze metal glowing in a furnace. His voice sounded like rushing waters. 16He held seven stars in his right hand. Coming out of his mouth was a sharp sword with two edges. His face was like the sun shining in all its brightness.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. Then he put his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One. I was dead. But now look! I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Hell.
19“So write down what you have seen. Write about what is happening now and what will happen later. 20Here is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand. They are the angels of the seven churches. And the seven golden lampstands you saw stand for the seven churches.
Utangulizi Na Salamu
11:1 Ufu 22:16; Dan 2:28, 29; Yn 12:49; 17:8, 19; Ufu 22:6Ufunuo wa Yesu Kristo aliopewa na Mungu ili awaonyeshe watumishi wake mambo ambayo ni lazima yatukie hivi karibuni. Alijulisha mambo haya kwa kumtuma malaika wake kwa Yohana mtumishi wake, 21:2 1Kor 1:6; Ufu 6:9; Ebr 4:12; Ufu 12:17; 19:10ambaye anashuhudia kuhusu kila kitu alichokiona, yaani, Neno la Mungu na ushuhuda wa Yesu Kristo. 31:3 Lk 11:28; Ufu 22:7; Rum 13:11Amebarikiwa yeye asomaye maneno ya unabii huu, na wamebarikiwa wale wanaoyasikia na kuyatia moyoni yale yaliyoandikwa humo, kwa sababu wakati umekaribia.
Salamu Kwa Makanisa Saba
41:4 Isa 11:2; Rum 1:7; Ufu 4:8; 11:17; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6Yohana, kwa makanisa saba yaliyoko Asia:
Neema na amani iwe kwenu kutoka kwake aliyeko, aliyekuwako na atakayekuja, na kutoka kwa wale roho saba walioko mbele ya kiti chake cha enzi, 51:5 Isa 55:4; Kol 1:18; Ufu 17:14na kutoka kwa Yesu Kristo ambaye ni yule shahidi mwaminifu, mzaliwa wa kwanza kutoka kwa wafu, mtawala wa wafalme wa dunia.
Kwake yeye anayetupenda na ambaye ametuweka huru kutoka dhambi zetu kwa damu yake, 61:6 1Pet 2:5; Rum 11:36akatufanya sisi kuwa ufalme na makuhani, tumtumikie Mungu wake ambaye ni Baba yake. Utukufu na uwezo ni vyake milele na milele! Amen.
71:7 Dan 7:13; Zek 12:10Tazama! Anakuja na mawingu,
na kila jicho litamwona,
hata wale waliomchoma;
na makabila yote duniani
yataomboleza kwa sababu yake.
Naam, ndivyo itakavyokuwa! Amen.
81:8 Ufu 22:6; 4:8; 21:6; 22:13; 15:3; Kut 3:14; Isa 41:4; Ufu 21:6“Mimi ni Alfa na Omega,” asema Bwana Mungu, “aliyeko, aliyekuwako na atakayekuja, Mwenyezi.”
Maono Ya Kristo
91:9 Mdo 14:22; 2Tim 2:12Mimi, Yohana, ndugu yenu ninayeshiriki pamoja nanyi mateso katika Yesu na katika ufalme na uvumilivu katika saburi, nilikuwa katika kisiwa cha Patmo kwa ajili ya neno la Mungu na ushuhuda wa Yesu. 101:10 Ufu 17:3; 3:1Katika siku ya Bwana, nilikuwa katika Roho na nikasikia sauti kubwa kama ya baragumu nyuma yangu 111:11 Ufu 2:8; 22:13; Mdo 18:19; Kol 2:1; Mdo 16:14ikisema, “Andika kwenye kitabu haya yote unayoyaona, kisha uyapeleke kwa makanisa saba, yaani: Efeso, Smirna, Pergamo, Thiatira, Sardi, Filadelfia na Laodikia.”
121:12 Zek 1:2; Ufu 3:1Ndipo nikageuka ili nione ni sauti ya nani iliyokuwa ikisema nami. Nami nilipogeuka, nikaona vinara saba vya taa vya dhahabu, 131:13 Eze 1:26; Ufu 14:14; Dan 10:5; Ufu 15:6na katikati ya vile vinara vya taa, alikuwamo mtu kama Mwana wa Adamu, akiwa amevaa joho refu, na mkanda wa dhahabu ukiwa umefungwa kifuani mwake. 141:14 Dan 7:9; Ufu 19:12Kichwa chake na nywele zake zilikuwa nyeupe kama sufu, nyeupe kama theluji, nayo macho yake yalikuwa kama mwali wa moto. 151:15 Eze 1:7; 43:2; Ufu 2:18; 19:6Nyayo zake zilikuwa kama shaba inayongʼaa, katika tanuru ya moto, nayo sauti yake ilikuwa kama mugurumo ya maji mengi. 161:16 Ufu 3:1; Isa 1:20; Ebr 4:12Katika mkono wake wa kuume alishika nyota saba, na kinywani mwake ulitoka upanga mkali wenye makali kuwili. Uso wake ulikuwa kama jua likingʼaa kwa nguvu zake zote.
171:17 Eze 1:28; Dan 8:17, 18; Isa 48:12; Ufu 22:13Nilipomwona, nilianguka miguuni pake kama aliyekufa. Ndipo akauweka mkono wake wa kuume juu yangu na kusema: “Usiogope, Mimi ndiye wa Kwanza na wa Mwisho. 181:18 Rum 6:9; Kum 32:40; Ufu 9:1Mimi ni Yeye Aliye Hai, niliyekuwa nimekufa, na tazama, ni hai milele na milele! Nami ninazo funguo za mauti na kuzimu.1:18 Kuzimu linalotokana na neno Hades la Kiyunani au Sheol kwa Kiebrania; maana yake ni mahali pa mateso kwa watu waliopotea.
191:19 Ufu 1:11; Hab 2:2“Basi andika mambo uliyoyaona, yaliyopo na yale yatakayotukia baada ya haya. 201:20 Zek 4:2; Mt 5:14, 15Kuhusu siri ya zile nyota saba ulizoziona katika mkono wangu wa kuume na vile vinara saba vya taa vya dhahabu ni hii: Zile nyota saba ni malaika wa yale makanisa saba, navyo vile vinara saba ni hayo makanisa saba.
