4:1 After these things I looked, and there was ¹  a door standing open in heaven! ²  And the first voice I had heard speaking to me ³  like a trumpet ⁴  said: “Come up here so that ⁵  I can show you what must happen after these things.” 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, ⁶  and ⁷  a throne was standing ⁸  in heaven with someone seated on it! 4:3 And the one seated on it was like jasper ⁹  and carnelian ¹⁰  in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald ¹¹  encircled the throne. 4:4 In ¹²  a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were ¹³  dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns ¹⁴  on their heads. 4:5 From ¹⁵  the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring ¹⁶  and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, ¹⁷  were burning in front of the throne 4:6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. ¹⁸ 

In ¹⁹  the middle of the throne ²⁰  and around the throne were four living creatures ²¹  full of eyes in front and in back. 4:7 The ²²  first living creature was like a lion, the ²³  second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings ²⁴  and was full of eyes all around and inside. ²⁵  They never rest day or night, saying: ²⁶ 

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, ²⁷ 

Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”

4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, ²⁸  and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 4:10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground ²⁹  before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns ³⁰  before his ³¹  throne, saying:

4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

since you created all things,

and because of your will they existed and were created!” ³² 

5:1 Then ³³  I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back ³⁴  and sealed with seven seals. ³⁵  5:2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 5:3 But ³⁶  no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 5:4 So ³⁷  I began weeping bitterly ³⁸  because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5:5 Then ³⁹  one of the elders said ⁴⁰  to me, “Stop weeping! ⁴¹  Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; ⁴²  thus he can open ⁴³  the scroll and its seven seals.”

5:6 Then ⁴⁴  I saw standing in the middle of the throne ⁴⁵  and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. ⁴⁶  He had ⁴⁷  seven horns and seven eyes, which ⁴⁸  are the seven ⁴⁹  spirits of God ⁵⁰  sent out into all the earth. 5:7 Then ⁵¹  he came and took the scroll ⁵²  from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, 5:8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground ⁵³  before the Lamb. Each ⁵⁴  of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). ⁵⁵  5:9 They were singing a new song: ⁵⁶ 

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals

because you were killed, ⁵⁷ 

and at the cost of your own blood ⁵⁸  you have purchased ⁵⁹  for God

persons ⁶⁰  from every tribe, language, ⁶¹  people, and nation.

5:10 You have appointed ⁶²  them ⁶³  as a kingdom and priests ⁶⁴  to serve ⁶⁵  our God, and they will reign ⁶⁶  on the earth.”