4. John, to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne,
5. and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,
6. who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. Amen.
7. Look, he is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. This is so. Amen.
8. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "the one who is and was and is coming, the Almighty."
9. I, John, your brother who shares with you in the hardship, kingdom, and endurance that we have in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and my witness about Jesus.
10. I was in a Spirit-inspired trance on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet.
11. It said, "Write down on a scroll whatever you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
12. I turned to see who was speaking to me, and when I turned, I saw seven oil lamps burning on top of seven gold stands.
13. In the middle of the lampstands I saw someone who looked like the Human One. He wore a robe that stretched down to his feet, and he had a gold sash around his chest.
14. His head and hair were white as white wool—like snow—and his eyes were like a fiery flame.
15. His feet were like fine brass that has been purified in a furnace, and his voice sounded like rushing water.
16. He held seven stars in his right hand, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His appearance was like the sun shining with all its power.