Revelation 22

Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life. It was clear as crystal, and it flowed out from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Note"The Lamb" is the title used for Jesus throughout Revelation, drawn from the lamb killed at Passover and the lambs offered in the temple. "Water of life" means water that gives life, not water that is alive; the same construction lies behind "tree of life" in the next verse.

2In the middle of the city's street, and on both sides of the river, stood the tree of life, which grew twelve kinds of fruit and produced a fresh crop every month. The leaves of the tree were for healing the nations.

2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

NoteThe tree of life comes from the garden in Genesis 2 and 3, where the first humans are shut away from it. "Nations" renders a Greek word (ethne) meaning the peoples of the world, everyone outside Israel; it is not about modern nation states. The Greek phrase "in the midst of the street" sits between the two sentences and can be read either way: the river flowing down the middle of the street, or the tree standing in the middle of the street. Translations have to pick one.

3There will be no curse anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Note"Curse" translates a word for something placed under a ban and devoted to destruction. A first reader would hear the curse laid on the ground in Genesis 3 being lifted.

4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

NoteIn the ancient world slaves, soldiers and the devotees of a god could be branded or tattooed to show whose they were. Earlier in Revelation the followers of the beast carry a mark on the forehead or the hand; this is the counterpart mark.

5There will be no night there. They will not need a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.

5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

NoteThe King James "candle" means an oil lamp: a small clay dish of oil with a wick floating in it. Wax candles are not in view.

6Then the angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord God, the God of the holy prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon."

6And 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.

Note"Shortly" translates a phrase (en tachei) that can mean either soon in time or swiftly once it begins; the Greek leaves both open. The manuscripts also differ in this verse: some read "the God of the holy prophets," as the King James has it, and others "the God of the spirits of the prophets."

7"Look, I am coming soon. Blessed is the person who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book."

7Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Note"Blessed" renders makarios, the word behind the beatitudes in the gospels. It is a formula of congratulation, closer to "fortunate is the one who" than to a wish or a benediction. "Quickly" is the same word discussed in verse 6, meaning soon or suddenly.

8I, John, am the one who saw these things and heard them. When I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me.

8And 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.

NoteFalling at someone's feet was the ordinary gesture of reverence toward a superior in the ancient world, used for kings as well as for gods, which is why John's action and the angel's refusal of it are both worth recording.

9But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you, and with your brothers the prophets, and with all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"

9Then 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.

Note"Fellowservant" translates a Greek word meaning fellow slave: the angel is claiming to be another member of the same household staff, not a colleague of equal rank.

10Then he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy in this book, because the time is near."

10And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

NoteA scroll was sealed shut with wax or clay so that its contents stayed closed until the proper moment. Daniel was told to seal up his visions until the time of the end; John is told to do the opposite, because in his case the time has already come near.

11"Let the person who does wrong keep on doing wrong. Let the filthy person stay filthy. Let the person who does right keep on doing right. Let the holy person stay holy."

11He 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.

NoteThese are third person imperatives in Greek, the form used for official pronouncements rather than for advice. They read as a verdict that the time for changing course has run out, not as permission to go on doing wrong. "Filthy" translates a word for being defiled or unclean, not for being physically dirty.

12"Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me. I will pay back each person according to what he has done."

12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Note"Reward" translates misthos, the wages owed to a worker at the end of a job. It means pay that is due, not a prize or a bonus.

13"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

NoteAlpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, so the phrase works like saying "A to Z."

14Blessed are those who do his commands. They will have the right to the tree of life, and they may go through the gates into the city.

14Blessed 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.

NoteThe manuscripts differ here. The Greek copies available to the King James translators read "do his commandments"; the older copies read "wash their robes," which is why modern translations print that instead.

15For outside are the dogs, and those who practice magic, and those who are sexually immoral, and murderers, and those who worship idols, and everyone who loves a lie and tells it.

15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Note"Dogs" was a term of contempt: dogs in that world were scavengers, not pets, and the word was used for outsiders and the ritually unclean, and in Deuteronomy for a male prostitute attached to a shrine. "Sorcerers" translates pharmakoi, from the word for drugs and potions, covering spells, poisons and magic together. "Whoremongers" in the King James is not limited to men who visit prostitutes; it renders a general word for the sexually immoral.

16"I, Jesus, sent my angel to tell you these things for the churches. I am the root of David and his descendant, and the bright morning star."

16I 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.

NoteIsaiah spoke of the coming king as a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse, David's father. To be both the root and the offspring of David is to claim to be his source and his descendant at once. The morning star is the planet Venus, the last bright light in the sky before dawn; Numbers 24:17 speaks of a star rising out of Jacob as an image for a king.

17The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the person who hears say, "Come!" Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wants it take the water of life as a free gift.

17And 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.

NoteThe bride is the holy city, presented as a bride in the previous chapter. "Athirst" is simply the older English for thirsty, and "whosoever will" means whoever wants to. "Freely" translates a word meaning without payment, as a gift.

18I give this warning to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy in this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues written in this book.

18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

NoteWarnings against adding or removing words were a standard safeguard attached to ancient documents, since every copy was made by hand and a copyist could quietly alter the text. Deuteronomy 4:2 carries the same formula. "Plagues" here means afflictions or blows generally, not disease specifically.

19And if anyone takes anything away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the book of life, and in the holy city, and in the things written in this book.

19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

NoteA "book of life" was pictured on the model of a city's register of citizens: to be struck from the roll was to lose your standing and your share in the place. The wording of this verse is also disputed. The older Greek manuscripts read "the tree of life," not "the book of life." The last verses of Revelation were missing from the single Greek manuscript used for the first printed Greek New Testament in 1516, so its editor translated them back into Greek from Latin, and "book" entered the text there and passed into the King James.

20The one who gives this testimony says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Note"Amen" is a Hebrew word carried over untranslated, meaning roughly "truly" or "so be it," used to endorse what has just been said. "Come, Lord Jesus" appears to render an Aramaic prayer of the earliest churches, marana tha, "our Lord, come," which Paul quotes in the same form at the end of 1 Corinthians.

21May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Note"Grace" translates charis, generosity freely given to someone who has no claim on it; the same word covered a favor done by a patron. The manuscripts differ on the closing words: some read "with you all," some "with all the saints," and some simply "with all."