1 This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. God gave him this revelation in order to show to his servants what must happen very soon. Christ made these things known to his servant John by sending his angel to him, 2 and John has told all that he has seen. This is his report concerning the message from God and the truth revealed by Jesus Christ. 3 Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey what is written in this book! For the time is near when all these things will happen.
Greetings to the Seven Churches
4 From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the ruler of the kings of the world.
He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins 6 and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father. To Jesus Christ be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
7 Look, he is coming on the clouds! Everyone will see him, including those who pierced him. All peoples on earth will mourn over him. So shall it be!
8 “I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come.
A Vision of Christ
9 I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed. 10 On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me. 11 It said, “Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, 13 and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest. 14 His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; 15 his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun. 17 When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last. 18 I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead. 19 Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the things that will happen afterward. 20 Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars that you see in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Matama e kutanga
1 Eyi i zumbunulo ya Jesu Kirisiti yaakapiwa nge Ndzimu kulakidza balanda bawo tjinowoshingikala tjinyolotjo. Jesu kaizibisa nge kutuma ntumwa uwe we kudzimu kuyizibisa nlanda uwe Johani. 2 Johani kapa butendeki ngekwe dama le Ndzimu negwe tjakashingwa ndi Jesu Kirisiti, kaleba tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaakabona. 3 Wakakombolegwa nge unobalila pezhugwi matama e bulebesambeli igogu ne banohwa matama iyawo bakakombolegwa ne banolondolodza tjakakwagwa muguli ngobe tjibaka tjasedzela.
Dumiliso ku makubungano ali kutendeka
4 Ndimi Johani, ndokwalila makubungano ali kutendeka mu ntuthu we Ezhiya:
Ngoni ngadzibe namwi ne kunyalala kunodwa ku Ndzimu iwo wakabepo, nangwenu uyapo, kakale utjawozha, nenge kunodwa ku meya ili kutendeka imbeli kwe tjigalo tje bushe gwe Ndzimu, 5 ne kuna Jesu Kirisiti iye ntendeki unogalikabgwe, mbano muna bakamusiwa mu bafi, kakale ali mbusi wa bomambo be shango.
Kunli iye unotida, kakale akatisunungula mu zwibi zwedu nge malopa awe, 6 katithama kuti tibe bushe ne bapirisiti be Ndzimu uwe, ibo tate babe. Kuna Jesu Kirisiti ngakube ne gudzo nenge simba nge kusingapele kose. Ngakujalo.
7 Bonani, unozha nge makole, ngono mesho wose anowombona, kose na ibabo bakambhaya ne njudzi dzose dze shango dzowolila nge kukwe. Ngakujalo.
8 “Ndimi bhalule kakale bhelelo,” kolebeleka She Ndzimu, iwo uyapo, kakale wakabe yapo, kakale utjawozha, iwo Masimbawose.
Mbono ya Johani ebona Kirisiti
9 Ndimi Johani ikamu tjenyu, imi ndakashanganyila namwi muna Jesu kudziyidziwa nenge bushe ne moyonlefu mu kudzikitadza, ndakabe ndili mu tjigwizi tje Patimosi ngekwe dama le Ndzimu nenge butendeki gwa Jesu. 10 Ndakabe mu Meya nge zhuba la She, ngono ahwa hwi gulu linonga nsindo we lunyanga gunolidziwa shule kwangu, 11 liti, “Kwala mu lukwalo tjaunobona, ngono ugutumilile ku makubungano ali kutendeka, mu nzi we Efeso newe Simirina newe Pegamo newe Tiyatira newe Sadisi newe Filadelifiya newe Laodikeya.”
12 Ipapo atendebuka alinga shule kuti ndibone unolebeleka nami, ngono abona zwigadziko zwe mavone ali kutendeka zwakathamiwa nge golide, 13 ngono pakati kwazo kwakabe kuna mmwe unonga Nkololo we Nthu, akaambala hazu ndefu, akazwisunga pa ifuba nge mwandabula we golide. 14 Nsholo uwe ne mavudzi awe akabe ali matjena se lungudze, ali matjena enga makaa e vula, ngono mesho awe enga nthuto we moto, 15 makumbo awe epenya se phangula yakapholitjiwa, yakapisiwa mu vutho ikakuyungiwa, ngono hwi lile lakabe linga nsindo we vula njinji. 16 Wakabe akabhata nyenyedzi dzili kutendeka mu luboko gugwe gwe luji, ngono mu nlomo uwe kukabhuda bukanu gunopitsha guna mahali mabili. Buso gugwe gwakabe gupenya se zhuba linopenya nge masimba wose. 17 Ndakati ndimbona awila pasi mbeli kwe makumbo awe ndinga ndafa, wakabiga luboko gugwe gwe luji pezhugwi kwangu, ebe eti, “Usitje, ndimi we kutanga kakale we bupelo. 18 Ndimi unotjila, ndakabe ndafa, ngono bona ndotjila nge kusingapele kose. Ndina simba pezhugwi kwe lufu ne bugalo gwe bafi. 19 Ndizo kwala zwithu zwaunobona, zwithu zose zwiyapo sangwenu ne zwithu zwinowoshingikala shule kwa ipapa. 20 Akuli ngekwe masazibgwe e nyenyedzi dzili kutendeka dzawabona mu luboko gwangu gwe luji ne zwigadziko zwe mavone zwe golide zwili kutendeka, nyenyedzi idzedzi dzili kutendeka batumwa be kudzimu mu makubungano ali kutendeka. Zwigadziko zwe mavone zwe golide zwili kutendeka makubungano ali kutendeka.”