[1:9] I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed.
[1:10] On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me.
[1:11] It said, “Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
[1:12] I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands,
[1:13] and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest.
[1:14] His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire;
[1:15] his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall.
[1:16] He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun.
[1:17] When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last.
[1:18] I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.
[1:19] Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the things that will happen afterward.
[1:20] Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars that you see in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.