1 A nd I saw a messenger coming down out of the heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain over his hand,

Then I saw an angel descending from heaven; he was holding the key of the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and a great chain was in his hand.

2 a nd he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, who is Devil and Adversary, and did bind him a thousand years,

And he gripped and overpowered the dragon, that old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

3 a nd he cast him to the abyss, and did shut him up, and put a seal upon him, that he may not lead astray the nations any more, till the thousand years may be finished; and after these it behoveth him to be loosed a little time.

Then he hurled him into the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and closed it and sealed it above him, so that he should no longer lead astray and deceive and seduce the nations until the thousand years were at an end. After that he must be liberated for a short time.

4 A nd I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them, and the souls of those who have been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God, and who did not bow before the beast, nor his image, and did not receive the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand, and they did live and reign with Christ the thousand years;

Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes for their witnessing to Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years.

5 a nd the rest of the dead did not live again till the thousand years may be finished; this the first rising again.

The remainder of the dead were not restored to life again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

6 H appy and holy he who is having part in the first rising again; over these the second death hath not authority, but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Blessed (happy, to be envied) and holy (spiritually whole, of unimpaired innocence and proved virtue) is the person who takes part (shares) in the first resurrection! Over them the second death exerts no power or authority, but they shall be ministers of God and of Christ (the Messiah), and they shall rule along with Him a thousand years.

7 A nd when the thousand years may be finished, the Adversary shall be loosed out of his prison,

And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his place of confinement,

8 a nd he shall go forth to lead the nations astray, that are in the four corners of the earth -- Gog and Magog -- to gather them together to war, of whom the number as the sand of the sea;

And he will go forth to deceive and seduce and lead astray the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth—Gog and Magog—to muster them for war; their number is like the sand of the sea.

9 a nd they did go up over the breadth of the land, and did surround the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, and there came down fire from God out of the heaven, and devoured them;

And they swarmed up over the broad plain of the earth and encircled the fortress (camp) of God’s people (the saints) and the beloved city; but fire descended from heaven and consumed them.

10 a nd the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages.

Then the devil who had led them astray was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (through the ages of the ages).

11 A nd I saw a great white throne, and Him who is sitting upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven did flee away, and place was not found for them;

Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

12 a nd I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is that of the life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the scrolls -- according to their works;

I saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done '> their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books.

13 a nd the sea did give up those dead in it, and the death and the hades did give up the dead in them, and they were judged, each one according to their works;

And the sea delivered up the dead who were in it, death and Hades ( the state of death or disembodied existence) surrendered the dead in them, and all were tried and their cases determined by what they had done.

14 a nd the death and the hades were cast to the lake of the fire -- this the second death;

Then death and Hades ( the state of death or disembodied existence) were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

15 a nd if any one was not found written in the scroll of the life, he was cast to the lake of the fire.

And if anyone’s was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.