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Revelation 22

1He showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the city's main street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, producing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3Nothing accursed will be there any longer. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his slaves will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5Night will be no more. They have no need of lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will shine upon them, and they will reign forever and ever.

6He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his slaves what must happen soon.” 7“And look! I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this scroll.”

8I, John, am the one who hears and sees these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9He says to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow slave of yours and of your brothers the prophets and of those who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” 10He says to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and let the filthy one still be filthy, and let the righteous one still do righteousness, and let the holy one still be holy.”

12“Look! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay each person according to their deeds. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city through the gates. 15Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16“I, Jesus, sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the assemblies. I am the Root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”

17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the thirsty come; let whoever wishes take the water of life without cost.

18I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues written in this scroll. 19If anyone takes away from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are written about in this scroll.

20The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Translation notes 5

22:1–5 — River, tree, and face. The draft follows the base's punctuation, placing the river in the middle of the street; another punctuation places the tree there. The singular tree stands on both sides of the river, an image not reduced to one botanical arrangement. Twelve crops corresponds to monthly fruit; twelve kinds is another possible rendering. “Nothing accursed” may also mean no curse. The singular pronouns after God and the Lamb are retained without supplying a new named subject.

22:6–13 — Speakers and urgency. The angel's explanation, Jesus' coming promises, and John's testimony alternate rapidly. Quotation marks identify a provisional division, since the Greek has no original quotation marks. “Soon” and “near” retain the urgency that opened the book. Verse 11 leaves its difficult imperatives intact; in context they confront settled conduct as judgment approaches, rather than endorsing wrongdoing.

22:14–15 — Washing and exclusion. The base reads “wash their robes”; another Greek reading says “do his commandments.” “Dogs” is a disparaging image for the excluded, not a statement about household animals; its precise historical target is uncertain. The following list is not silently made a definition of that one word.

22:16–20 — Come and testimony. The first calls to come most naturally address Jesus, as in verse 20; the invitation then calls thirsty hearers to receive life. The warning against adding or taking away refers immediately to this prophecy. “Tree of life” in verse 19 follows the Greek base, where the KJV has “book of life” from a different textual history.

22:21 — Closing blessing. The base has “Lord Jesus” and “with all,” without adding “Christ,” “the holy ones,” or a final “Amen.” Those expansions occur in other textual forms. The preceding verse's Amen is retained.