9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was ^sin the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice ^tlike a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and ^usend it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw ^vseven golden ^wlampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands ^xone like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and ^ywith a golden sash around his chest. 14 ^zThe hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. ^aHis eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like ^bburnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was ^clike the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, ^dfrom his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and ^ehis face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I ^ffell at his feet as though dead. ^gBut he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, ^hI am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have ⁱthe keys ^jof Death and Hades. 19 ^kWrite therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.