6And he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bondservants the things that must come to pass with speed.' [22:7] 'And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one keeping the words of the prophecy of this book.' [22:8] And I, John, am the one hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who is showing me these things. [22:9] And he says to me, 'See that you do not — I am a fellow bondservant of yours and of your brothers the prophets and of those keeping the words of this book. Worship God.' [22:10] And he says to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. [22:11] The one being unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still, and the one who is filthy, let him be defiled still, and the one who is righteous, let him practice righteousness still, and the one who is holy, let him be made holy still.' [22:12] 'Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one as his work is. [22:13] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.' [22:14] Blessed are those washing their robes, so that their right to the tree of life will be, and they may enter into the city by the gates. [22:15] Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. [22:16] 'I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.' [22:17] And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.
REV 22:6-17
Jesus Is Coming
In the world it was spoken into
In the first-century Greco-Roman world, the declaration 'I am coming quickly' would have resonated deeply with an audience familiar with imperial proclamations and the urgency of divine intervention. The Roman Empire often framed its rulers as saviors bringing swift justice or order, but here the claim is subverted: the true 'coming' belongs to the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets. The term (slave) underscores the audience’s identity as those wholly owned by God, contrasting with Roman societal hierarchies where slaves were property of human masters. The warning against worshiping the angel reflects Jewish and early Christian concerns about idolatry and the proper focus of devotion. The mention of 'dogs' evokes cultural associations with impurity and exclusion, likely referencing those outside the covenant community. The call to 'come' and 'take the water of life' echoes Jewish eschatological hopes of restoration and the Greco-Roman ritual of libations, reframed as an invitation to divine sustenance.
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How other translations render this
REV 22:6
- KJV
- And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
- BSB
- Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.”
- Koinōnos
- And he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bondservants the things that must come to pass with speed.
REV 22:7
- KJV
- Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
- BSB
- “Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.”
- Koinōnos
- And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one keeping the words of the prophecy of this book.
REV 22:8
- KJV
- And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
- BSB
- And I, John, amd the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things.
- Koinōnos
- And I, John, am the one hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who is showing me these things.
REV 22:9
- KJV
- Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
- BSB
- But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
- Koinōnos
- And he says to me, 'See that you do not — I am a fellow bondservant of yours and of your brothers the prophets and of those keeping the words of this book. Worship God.
REV 22:10
- KJV
- And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
- BSB
- Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.
- Koinōnos
- And he says to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
REV 22:11
- KJV
- He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
- BSB
- Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”
- Koinōnos
- The one being unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still, and the one who is filthy, let him be defiled still, and the one who is righteous, let him practice righteousness still, and the one who is holy, let him be made holy still.
REV 22:12
- KJV
- And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
- BSB
- “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done.
- Koinōnos
- Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one as his work is.
REV 22:13
- KJV
- I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
- BSB
- I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
- Koinōnos
- I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
REV 22:14
- KJV
- Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
- BSB
- Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.
- Koinōnos
- Blessed are those washing their robes, so that their right to the tree of life will be, and they may enter into the city by the gates.
REV 22:15
- KJV
- For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
- BSB
- But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
- Koinōnos
- Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
REV 22:16
- KJV
- I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
- BSB
- “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
- Koinōnos
- I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.
REV 22:17
- KJV
- And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
- BSB
- The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.
- Koinōnos
- And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
REV 22:6
- servants:The word translated 'servants' here refers to a 'douloi' or bondservant, someone who is legally bound to another, often for life, implying complete submission and ownership.
REV 22:11
- being unrighteous:The phrase 'being unrighteous' describes someone actively engaged in injustice or wrongdoing, not merely someone who has committed a single wrong act, but whose character is marked by it.
- filthy:The word translated 'filthy' here carries a strong sense of moral impurity and sordidness, not just physical dirtiness, but a defilement of character.
REV 22:15
- the:The term used here for 'dog' often referred to scavengers or wild, unclean animals, and was sometimes used metaphorically to describe morally impure or contemptible people.