Revelation 10
New English Translation
The Angel with the Little Scroll
10 Then[a] I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped[b] in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire.[c] 2 He held[d] in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. 3 Then[e] he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded their voices. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but[f] just then[g] I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.” 5 Then[h] the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, and the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will be no more delay![i] 7 But in the days[j] when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed,[k] just as he has[l] proclaimed to his servants[m] the prophets.” 8 Then[n] the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak[o] to me[p] again,[q] “Go and take the open[r] scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So[s] I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He[t] said to me, “Take the scroll[u] and eat it. It[v] will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10 So[w] I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste[x] as sweet as honey in my mouth, but[y] when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 Then[z] they[aa] told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations,[ab] languages, and kings.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 10:1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 10:1 tn Or “clothed.”
- Revelation 10:1 tn Or “like fiery pillars,” translating πυρός (puros) as an attributive genitive.
- Revelation 10:2 tn Grk “and having.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”
- Revelation 10:3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 10:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
- Revelation 10:4 tn The words “just then” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
- Revelation 10:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 10:6 tn On this phrase see BDAG 1092 s.v. χρόνος.
- Revelation 10:7 tn Grk “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel.”
- Revelation 10:7 tn The aorist ἐτελέσθη (etelesthē) has been translated as a proleptic (futuristic) aorist (ExSyn 564 cites this verse as an example).
- Revelation 10:7 tn The time of the action described by the aorist εὐηγγέλισεν (euēngelisen) seems to be past with respect to the aorist passive ἐτελέσθη (etelesthē). This does not require that the prophets in view here be OT prophets. They may actually refer to the martyrs in the church (so G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 129).
- Revelation 10:7 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
- Revelation 10:8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 10:8 tn The participle λαλοῦσαν (lalousan) has been translated as “began to speak.” The use of πάλιν (palin) indicates an ingressive idea.
- Revelation 10:8 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
- Revelation 10:8 tn Grk “again, saying.” The participle λέγουσαν (legousan) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
- Revelation 10:8 tn The perfect passive participle ἠνεῳγμένον (ēneōgmenon) is in second attributive position and has been translated as an attributive adjective.
- Revelation 10:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the voice.
- Revelation 10:9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 10:9 tn The words “the scroll” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
- Revelation 10:9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 10:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the angel.
- Revelation 10:10 tn Grk “it was.” The idea of taste is implied.
- Revelation 10:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
- Revelation 10:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 10:11 tn The referent of “they” is not clear in the Greek text.
- Revelation 10:11 tn Grk “and nations,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the next item since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
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