REV 16:15 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT (“Behold! I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one watching and keeping his garments so that he might not walk around naked and they see his indecency.”)

UST (I heard the Lord Jesus say, “You must listen carefully to me: I am coming unexpectedly, like a thief. It will be good for people who stay alert and keep on living in the right way. They will not feel shame when I return. They will be just like a person who keeps his clothes on so that he does not feel shame in front of other people.”)

BSB “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed [is] the [one who] remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and {let} his shame be exposed.”

BLB "Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one watching and keeping his garments, so that he should not walk naked and they might see his shame."

AICNT Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, so that he may not walk naked and they see his shame.

OEB (“I am coming like a thief! Happy will he be who is on the watch, and keeps his clothing at hand, so that he will not have to walk about unclothed and let men see his nakedness.”)

WEBBE “Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his clothes, so that he doesn’t walk naked, and they see his shame.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET (Look! I will come like a thief!
⇔ Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition be seen.)

LSV (“Behold, I come as a thief; blessed [is] he who is watching, and keeping his garments, that he may not walk naked, and they may see his unseemliness.”)

FBV (Pay attention! I will come like a thief.[fn] Blessed are those who keep watch, and have their clothes ready so that they don't have to go out naked and be embarrassed.)

16:15 That is, unexpectedly.

TCNT (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his garments on, so that he will not walk around naked and have people see his shame.”)

T4T 15-16 The evil spirits will gather the rulers at a place that is called in the Hebrew language Armageddon.
¶ I heard the Lord Jesus say, “You must listen carefully to me: I am coming unexpectedly [SIM], like a thief. So, I will be happy with those who stay alert and keep on living righteously so that they will not be ashamed, just like [MET] a person keeps his clothes on so that he will not be ashamed like a person who is naked.”

LEB (Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is on the alert and who keeps his clothing, so that he does not walk around naked and they see his shamefulness!)

BBE (See, I come as a thief. Happy is he who is watching and keeps his robes, so that he may not go unclothed, and his shame be seen.)

Moff (Lo, I am coming like a thief; blessed be he who keeps awake and holds his raiment fast, not to go naked and have the shame of exposure!)

Wymth ("I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the man who keeps awake and guards his raiment for fear he walk about ill-clad, and his uncomeliness become manifest.")

ASV (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.)

DRA Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

YLT 'lo, I do come as a thief; happy [is] he who is watching, and keeping his garments, that he may not walk naked, and they may see his unseemliness,' —

Drby (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watches and keeps his garments, that he may not walk naked, and that they [may not] see his shame.)

RV (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.)
((Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth/keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.) )

SLT (Behold, I come as a thief. Happy he watching, and keeping his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.)

Wbstr Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

KJB-1769 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
(Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth/keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. )

KJB-1611 Behold, I come as a thiefe. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, least hee walke naked, and they see his shame.
(Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth/keeps his garments, least he walk naked, and they see his shame.)

Bshps Beholde, I come as a theefe. Happie is he that watcheth and kepeth his garmentes, lest he walke naked, and men see his fylthynesse.
(Behold, I come as a thief. Happy is he that watcheth and keepeth/keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and men see his filthiness.)

Gnva (Beholde, I come as a theefe. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, least hee walke naked, and men see his filthines)
((Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth/keeps his garments, least he walk naked, and men see his filthines) )

Cvdl Beholde, I come as a thefe. Happy is he that watcheth and kepeth his garmentes, lest he be founde naked, and men se his filthynes.
(Behold, I come as a thief. Happy is he that watcheth and keepeth/keeps his garments, lest he be found naked, and men see his filthiness.)

TNT Beholde I come as a thefe. Happy is he that watcheth and kepeth his garmentes Lest he be founde naked and men se his filthynes.
(Behold I come as a thief. Happy is he that watcheth and keepeth/keeps his garments Lest he be found naked and men see his filthiness. )

Wycl Lo! Y come, as a niyt theefe. Blessid is he that wakith, and kepith hise clothis, that he wandre not nakid, and that thei se not the filthhed of hym.
(Lo! I come, as a night thief. Blessed is he that waketh/wakes, and keepeth/keeps his clothes, that he wander not naked, and that they see not the filthhed of him.)

Luth Siehe, ich komme wie ein Dieb! Selig ist, der da wachet und hält seine Kleider, daß er nicht bloß wandele, und man nicht seine Schande sehe.
(See/Look, I come as/like a thief! Blessed is, the/of_the there watch(v) and holds his clothes, that he not just walk, and man not his shame/dishonour see.)

ClVg Ecce venio sicut fur. Beatus qui vigilat, et custodit vestimenta sua, ne nudus ambulet, et videant turpitudinem ejus.
(Behold I_cameo like fur. Blessed who/which watch, and keeps/guards clothes his_own, not naked ambulet, and let_them_see ugliness his. )

UGNT (ἰδοὺ, ἔρχομαι ὡς κλέπτης; μακάριος ὁ γρηγορῶν καὶ τηρῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ γυμνὸς περιπατῇ, καὶ βλέπωσιν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ.)
((idou, erⱪomai hōs kleptaʸs; makarios ho graʸgorōn kai taʸrōn ta himatia autou, hina maʸ gumnos peripataʸ, kai blepōsin taʸn asⱪaʸmosunaʸn autou.))

SBL-GNT Ἰδοὺ ἔρχομαι ὡς κλέπτης. μακάριος ὁ γρηγορῶν καὶ τηρῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ γυμνὸς περιπατῇ καὶ βλέπωσιν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ—
(Idou erⱪomai hōs kleptaʸs. makarios ho graʸgorōn kai taʸrōn ta himatia autou, hina maʸ gumnos peripataʸ kai blepōsin taʸn asⱪaʸmosunaʸn autou—)

RP-GNT Ἰδού, ἔρχομαι ὡς κλέπτης. Μακάριος ὁ γρηγορῶν καὶ τηρῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ γυμνὸς περιπατῇ, καὶ βλέπωσιν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ -
(Idou, erⱪomai hōs kleptaʸs. Makarios ho graʸgorōn kai taʸrōn ta himatia autou, hina maʸ gumnos peripataʸ, kai blepōsin taʸn asⱪaʸmosunaʸn autou -)

TC-GNT Ἰδού, ἔρχομαι ὡς κλέπτης. Μακάριος ὁ γρηγορῶν καὶ τηρῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ γυμνὸς περιπατῇ καὶ βλέπωσι τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ.
(Idou, erⱪomai hōs kleptaʸs. Makarios ho graʸgorōn kai taʸrōn ta himatia autou, hina maʸ gumnos peripataʸ kai blepōsi taʸn asⱪaʸmosunaʸn autou. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 16:1–21: The angels poured the seven bowls

In this section, each of the seven angels in turn poured God’s wrath from his bowl. Each angel caused a different plague to happen on the earth. The people of the earth suffered greatly from the plagues, but they refused to repent.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

The seven angels poured God’s wrath from seven bowls

The seven bowls of God’s anger

16:15a–b

This verse interrupts the story of the sixth angel. The verse was probably placed here in response to talking about the “great day of God Almighty.” Jesus wants his followers to be ready for that day.

Therefore, you may want to:

Indicate that the verse interrupts the narrative. The BSB and GNT use a separate paragraph for this verse. The RSV puts this whole verse in parentheses. The NJB puts a long dash before and after this verse. The NET uses an indented paragraph and parentheses. Almost all the English versions on Translator’s Workplace include this in quotation marks to show that it is Jesus interrupting what John saw. For example:
(“See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.”) (NRSV)
¹⁴…on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.
¹⁵“Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”
¹⁶And the demonic spirits gathered… (NLT)
Indicate in your translation that Jesus spoke. For example:
Suddenly Jesus spoke, “Look, I will come like a thief! Favored is the one who remains alert and keeps his clothes on, so that he will not be naked and people see his shame/nakedness.”
Jesus interrupted, “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Put this verse after 16:16 and name the combined verses 16:15–16. You may then want to make clear that the warning refers to the “great day of God Almighty.” For example:
Regarding the great day of God Almighty, the Lamb said, “Behold, I come…

This verse is a warning from Jesus. It warns believers to be ready.

16:15a

“Behold, I am coming like a thief.

¶ “Look/Hey, I will come unexpectedly, like a thief!
¶ Suddenly Jesus spoke, “Listen/Wow, I will come unexpectedly!

Behold: This word means “look.” The word emphasizes or calls attention to the words that follow. It is not a command to look at something. Other ways to translate this word are:

Indeed/Hey

Look (NJB)

Listen! (GNT)

I am coming like a thief: This clause indicates that Jesus will come unexpectedly, as thieves do. The phrase like a thief does not mean that he will come to steal. It has the same meaning as in 3:3. See how you translated it there.

16:15b

Blessed is the one who remains awake

Favored is the one who remains alert
In a good place in God’s eyes are the people who remain on guard

Blessed: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Blessed describes a person who is in a good situation. In the Bible, the good situation results from God showing favor/kindness to the person.

This word does not primarily refer to a feeling. However, a person in this good situation will frequently have good feelings like happiness and joy. Do not use a word that only refers to material prosperity or physical health.

Other ways to translate this word are:

Favored

How good it is

In a good/desirable position in God’s eyes

Shown kindness by God

See how you translated this word in 1:3 or 14:13.

16:15c

and clothed,

and keeps his clothes nearby,
and have their clothes next to them.

16:15b–c

the one who remains awake and clothed: These words refer figuratively to a believer being prepared and ready for something to happen.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer only to being awake and keeping clothes nearby. It would not refer to being prepared and ready for something to happen. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. For example:
These words refer figuratively to a believer being prepared and ready for something to happen.
Translate literally and explain its meaning in your translation. For example:
being prepared/ready like the person who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him
Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
he who is prepared and ready You may then want a footnote to explain the literal words. For example:
Literally: “he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him.”

the one: The words the one refers to anyone, man or woman.

remains awake: The Greek word here can mean “be awake” (as in the RSV, NIV, and GNT) or “be on watch” (as in the NJB). Translate this phrase so that it clearly refers to a believer remaining strong in his faith.

clothed: The Greek words are literally “keeping his clothes.” It probably implies wearing and guarding the clothes. Other ways to translate these words are:

has kept his clothes on (NJB)

guards his clothes (GNT)

16:15d

so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

so that he will not walk around naked and people see his shame/nakedness.”
In that way, they will not be naked in public and ashamed.”

go naked: The Greek words are literally “walk naked.” It refers to being naked in public. For example:

walk around naked (GNT)

let his shame be exposed: The Greek clause is literally “they see his shame” (as in the KJV). The pronoun “they” is general and refers to anyone.

The word “shame” refers to the feeling of being naked in public, which would cause him shame. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

be ashamed in public (GNT)

people see his shame/nakedness

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

In this verse, Jesus breaks into John’s narrative of his vision to address the believers who are listening to it or reading it. ULT puts the verse in parentheses to show this. There may be a comparable convention in your language that you can use in your translation. You can also state explicitly that the Lord Jesus said this, as UST does.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

ἔρχομαι ὡς κλέπτης

˱I˲_˓am˒_coming like ˓a˒_thief

The point of this comparison is that Jesus is coming at a time when people will not be expecting him, just as a thief comes when people are not expecting him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [I am coming at a time when you are not expecting me]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τηρῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ γυμνὸς περιπατῇ, καὶ βλέπωσιν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ

keeping (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού ἔρχομαι ὡς κλέπτης Μακάριος ὁ γρηγορῶν καί τηρῶν τά ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἵνα μή γυμνός περιπατῇ καί βλέπωσιν τήν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ)

As the General Introduction to Revelation discusses, here the term “keeping” means “preserving,” that is, maintaining the garments in good repair. This represents living in a way that pleases God. Walking around naked similarly stands for living in a way that displeases God, that is, committing sins. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [continuing to live in a way that pleases God and not committing sins that others can see]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

τηρῶν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ

This expression means to keep one’s garments on, that is, to continue to wear clothes. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [continuing to wear clothes]

Note 5 topic: writing-pronouns

καὶ βλέπωσιν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού ἔρχομαι ὡς κλέπτης Μακάριος ὁ γρηγορῶν καί τηρῶν τά ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἵνα μή γυμνός περιπατῇ καί βλέπωσιν τήν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ)

The pronoun they is an indefinite pronoun that does not refer to anyone in the immediate context. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: [so that people can see his indecency]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of indecency, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [indecent behavior]