< Revelation 19 >
1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God;
After these things I heard [what sounded] like a huge crowd in heaven. They were shouting things like, “(Hallelujah!/Praise our God!)” “He has saved us!” “He is glorious and mighty!”
2 for his judgments are true and righteous. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”
“Praise him because he judges truly and justly!” “He has punished the very evil cities that are like a prostitute, because their people persuaded the other people of earth [MTY] to act immorally and idolatrously like they do.” “Praise him because he has punished them for murdering his servants [MTY]!”
3 A second said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up for the ages (aiōn ) of the ages (aiōn )."
[The crowd] shouted a second time saying: (Hallelujah!/Praise God!) The smoke of the fire that is burning the cities will rise forever! (aiōn )
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen! Hallelujah!”
The 24 elders and the four living [creatures] (prostrated themselves/knelt down) and worshipped God, who sits on the throne. Then they said, “[It] is true! (Hallelujah!/Praise God!)”
5 A voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!”
Someone spoke from the throne and said, “All you who are our God’s servants, praise him! All you who reverence him, [whether you are socially] significant or insignificant, praise him! [Everyone]!”
6 I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!
I heard something like the noise of a huge crowd [of people], like the sound of a huge waterfall (OR, a great/wide river of rushing water), and like the sound of loud thunder. They were shouting: (Hallelujah!/Praise God!) Because the Lord God, the Almighty One, reigns!
7 Let’s rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let’s give the glory to him. For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.”
We should rejoice, we should be extremely glad, and we should honor him, because it is now time for Jesus, the one who is like a lamb, to be united permanently with his people, which will be like a man [MET] marrying his bride, and because those who belong to him have prepared themselves to be united with him.
8 It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
God has permitted them to be completely pure, like a bride who [MET] dresses in fine linen that is bright and clean. Fine [bright and clean] linen represents the righteous acts of God’s people.
9 He said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.’” He said to me, “These are true words of God.”
Then the angel said to me, “Write [this: God will abundantly] bless the people who are {whom [he] has} invited to the feast [that celebrates Jesus, the one who is like a] lamb, [permanently uniting with his people, like someone] [MET] [marrying a wife].” He also said [to me]: “These words that God [declares] are true!”
10 I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Do not do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
I [immediately] (prostrated myself/knelt down) at his feet in order to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not [worship me]! I am [just] your [(sg)] fellow servant and the fellow servant of your [(sg)] fellow believers who tell people about Jesus. God is the one whom you should worship, because it is the Spirit of God who gives people the power to tell others about Jesus (OR, [those who tell others about] Jesus are [truly] declaring [the words that the Spirit of God has given them])!”
11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.
[In the vision] I saw heaven opened {open}, and I was surprised to see a white horse. [Jesus], the one who was riding on the horse, is called ‘Trustworthy and Genuine/True’. He judges [all people according to] what is right, and fights righteously [against his enemies].
12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.
His eyes [shone like] [MET] a flame of fire. There were many royal crowns on his head. A name had been written [on him]. Only he knows [the meaning of that name].
13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.”
The robe he was wearing was drenched with blood. His name is [also] “(The one who expresses what God is like/The Word of God).”
14 The armies which are in heaven, clothed in white, pure, fine linen, followed him on white horses.
The armies of heaven were following him. [They were also] riding on white horses. They were wearing clothes [made of] clean white linen.
15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
[The words] that Jesus speaks [are like] [MTY] a sharp sword with which he will strike [the rebellious people of] the nations. He himself will rule them [powerfully, as though he had] [MET] an iron rod. He will crush [his enemies just like] [MET] [a person crushes grapes in a] winepress. [He will do this for] God Almighty, who is extremely angry [with them because of their sins].
16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
On his cloak close to his thigh a name had been written {[he] had written a name}, which is “King who [rules over all other] kings and Lord who [rules over all other] lords.”
17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God,
I saw an angel who was standing in [the light of] [MTY] the sun. He called loudly to all the [flesh-eating] birds flying high in the sky, “Come and gather for the wonderful feast that God [is providing for you]!
18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, small and great.”
[Come] and eat the flesh of all [God’s enemies who are dead—] the flesh of kings, army commanders, [people who fought] powerfully, horses and the [soldiers] who rode them, [and the flesh of all other kinds of people], whether [they were] free or slaves, [socially] insignificant or significant. [All kinds]!”
19 I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.
Then I saw the beast and the kings of earth with their armies gathered together to fight against the Rider on the horse, and against his army.
20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire (Limnē Pyr ) that burns with sulfur.
The beast and the false prophet were captured {[He] captured the beast and the false prophet}. The false prophet is the one who had performed miracles in the beast’s presence. By doing that he had deceived the people who had accepted the beast’s mark [on their foreheads] and who worshipped its image. The beast and the false prophet were thrown {[He] threw the beast and the one who falsely said that he spoke messages that came directly from God} alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. (Limnē Pyr )
21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. So all the birds were filled with their flesh.
The rider on the horse killed the rest [of their armies] just by [speaking words], [which were like] [MTY] a sword that extended from his mouth. All those birds gorged themselves on the flesh of [the people whom he had killed].