Revelation 5

The sealed book

¹And I saw in the right hand of Him who is seated on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.^•

²And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?^•³But no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth was able to open the book or to look at it.⁴I was weeping greatly, because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look at it.^•⁵Then one of the elders says to me: Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, to open the book and its seven seals.^•

Worthy is the Lamb

⁶And I saw, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the Seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.^•⁷He came and took it from the right hand of Him who is seated on the throne.^•⁸When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.^•⁹They sing a new song, saying:^•

Worthy are You to take the book^•and to open its seals,^•for You were slain,^•and by Your blood You purchased for God^•those from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation;^•¹⁰and You made them, for our God,^•a kingdom and priests;^•and they will reign on the earth.^•

¹¹And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,^•¹²saying with a loud voice:^•

Worthy is the slain Lamb^•to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom,^•and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.^•

¹³And every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, I heard saying:^•

To Him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb^•be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion,^•forever and ever.^•

¹⁴The four living creatures were saying: Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped.^•

Notes

5:1 “In the right hand”: Gr. ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιάν, lit. “on the right hand”. “On the back”: Gr. ὄπισθεν, lit. “behind”; cf. Ezek 2:9–10. “Sealed with seven seals”: cf. Isa 29:11; Dan 12:4. Variant: the Byzantine text reads “outside” (ἔξωθεν). ↩
5:2 “Strong”: Gr. ἰσχυρός (cf. ἰσχύς, “strength”, 5:12). “Break”: Gr. λῦσαι, lit. “loose”, the same verb as in 1:5 (“freed”). ↩
5:4 Variant: the Textus Receptus reads “to open and to read the book”. ↩
5:5 “The Lion of the tribe of Judah”: cf. Gen 49:9–10. “The Root of David”: cf. Isa 11:1, 10; Rev 22:16. “Has conquered”: Gr. νικάω (cf. 3:21). Variant: the Byzantine text reads “who opens the book”; the Textus Receptus, “to open the book and to loose its seven seals”. ↩
5:6 “Lamb”: Gr. ἀρνίον, a title of Christ in the book (except 13:11). “Slain”: Gr. σφάζω, to slaughter in sacrifice (cf. Isa 53:7, Septuagint σφαγή; Jer 11:19). “Horns”: a symbol of power (cf. Deut 33:17; Ps 89:17). “Seven eyes… sent out into all the earth”: cf. Zech 4:10. ↩
5:7 “Took it”: a dramatic perfect (εἴληφεν), rendered as a simple past; the object, the book, is implied. The Textus Receptus makes it explicit (“took the book”). ↩
5:8 “Fell down”: Gr. πίπτω (cf. 4:10). “Harp”: Gr. κιθάρα, a stringed instrument like the lyre (cf. 14:2; 15:2). “Bowls”: Gr. φιάλαι, the same word as the bowls of wrath (15:7; 16:1). “Prayers of the saints”: cf. Ps 141:2; Rev 8:3–4. ↩
5:9 “New song”: cf. Ps 96:1; Isa 42:10; Rev 14:3. “Purchased”: Gr. ἀγοράζω (cf. 14:3–4). “Those from”: the Greek says only “from” (ἐκ), with no expressed object. Variant: Codex Sinaiticus, the Byzantine text, most manuscripts and the Textus Receptus read “purchased us” (ἡμᾶς); the SBLGNT follows Codex Alexandrinus, which omits it. “Tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation”: a formula repeated in the book (cf. 7:9; 14:6). ↩
5:10 Cf. 1:6; Ex 19:6. “They will reign”: follows the reading βασιλεύσουσιν, of Codex Sinaiticus and other manuscripts (also in the Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine text and in Nestle 1904); the SBLGNT follows Codex Alexandrinus, which reads βασιλεύουσιν, “they reign”. Cf. 20:4, 6; 22:5. Variant: the Byzantine text reads “kings and priests”; the Textus Receptus, “made us kings and priests… and we will reign”. ↩
5:11 “Myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands”: cf. Dan 7:10. ↩
5:12 “Slain Lamb”: a perfect participle (ἐσφαγμένον); the Lamb remains the one who was slain. Seven attributes, governed by a single article in the SBLGNT. “Blessing”: Gr. εὐλογία (cf. 5:13; 7:12). ↩
5:13 “Creature”: Gr. κτίσμα (cf. κτίζω, 4:11). “Dominion”: Gr. κράτος (cf. 1:6). ↩
5:14 Variant: the Textus Receptus reads “the twenty-four elders… and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever”. ↩