Prologue
1The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw – that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Greetings and doxology
4John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit before his throne, 5and 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, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’1:7 Daniel 7:13
and ‘every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him’;
and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’1:7 Zech. 12:10
So shall it be! 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.’
John’s vision of Christ
9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.’
12I turned round to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,1:13 See Daniel 7:13. dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash round his chest. 14The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed 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, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
19‘Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: the seven stars are the angels1:20 Or messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
1以下是上帝赐给耶稣基督的启示，让祂把将来要发生的事指示祂的众奴仆。因此，祂差遣天使告诉祂的奴仆约翰。 2约翰便为自己所看见的一切——上帝的道和耶稣基督做见证。 3那位宣读这预言的人和那些听见并遵守其中内容的人有福了，因为日期近了。
问候七教会
4-5我约翰写信给你们亚细亚的七间教会。愿昔在、今在、以后永在的上帝，祂宝座前的七灵1:4-5 “七灵”指的就是圣灵，数字七代表完全，不是说有七个灵。和耶稣基督赐给你们恩典和平安。耶稣基督是忠心的见证人，是首先从死里复活的，是世上君王的首领。祂爱我们，用自己的血救我们脱离罪恶， 6使我们成为祭司的国度1:6 “成为祭司的国度”或译“成为国度，做祭司”。来事奉祂的父上帝。愿祂得到一切荣耀和权柄，一直到永永远远。阿们！
7看啊！祂要驾云降临，世人都要看见祂，包括曾经刺祂的人。地上的万族都必因祂而哀哭。这事必定实现。阿们！
8主上帝说：“我是阿拉法，我是俄梅加1:8 “阿拉法”和“俄梅加”分别是希腊文第一个和最后一个字母，故此句意即“我是始，我是终”。，我是昔在、今在、以后永在的全能者。”
基督的显现
9我约翰是你们的弟兄，在耶稣里和你们患难与共、同享国度、一起忍耐。我因传扬上帝的道、为主耶稣做见证而到了拔摩海岛上。 10主日，我被圣灵感动，听见身后有号角般响亮的声音说： 11“把你所看见的写在书上，然后送给以弗所、士每拿、别迦摩、推雅推喇、撒狄、非拉铁非和老底嘉七间教会。”
12我转身看究竟是谁在对我说话，我看见七个金灯台， 13有一位好像人子耶稣的站在这些灯台中间。祂长袍垂脚，金带围胸， 14头与发白如羊毛、洁白如雪，眼睛像火焰， 15双脚像炉中冶炼过的铜一样光亮，声音如同洪涛之声。 16祂右手拿着七颗星，口中吐出一把两刃的利剑，面貌如烈日放光。
17我一看见祂，便扑倒在祂脚前，像死了一样。祂把右手按在我身上，说：“不要害怕！我是首先的，我是末后的， 18我是永活者。我曾经死过，但看啊，我永永远远活着。我掌握死亡和阴间的钥匙。 19所以，你要将所看见的一切——现在和将来要发生的事都记录下来。 20你所看见在我右手中的七颗星和七个金灯台的奥秘是，七颗星代表七间教会的天使1:20 “天使”或译“信使”或“使者”，下同，可能指教会的守护天使，或者是教会的领袖。，七个灯台代表七间教会。
