REV 1:5 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, cyan:dative/indirect object.
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 and from Jesus Christ, “the faithful witness,” “the firstborn” from the dead and “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” To the one loving us and having released us from our sins by his blood

UST May Jesus the Messiah also continue to be kind to you and make you peaceful. He has reliably told us the message from God. He is the first one whom God caused to become alive again after he had died. He is the one who rules the kings of the world. Because he loves us, he shed his blood for us when he died on the cross, and as a result, God has forgiven our sins.

BLB and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To the One loving us and releasing us from our sins through His blood,

AICNT and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth;
¶ To the one {loving}[fn] us and {to the one who set [us][fn] free}[fn] from [our][fn] sins by his blood,

1:5, loving: Later manuscripts read “who loved.” TR

1:5, us: Absent from ℵ(01).

1:5, to the one who set us free: 𝔓18 ℵ(01) A(02) C(04) NA28 SBLGNT THGNT ‖ Later manuscripts read “to the one who washed us.” BYZ TR

1:5, our: Absent from A(02).

OEB and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the Ruler of all the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his own blood –

WEBBE and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood—

WMBB and from Yeshua the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood—

NET and from Jesus Christ – the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood

LSV and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn out of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth; to Him loving us and having released us from our sins in His blood,

FBV and from Jesus Christ the trustworthy witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of earthly kings. To Jesus who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,

TCNT and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
¶ To him who [fn]loves us and [fn]washed us from our sins with his blood

1:5 loves 𝔐^K [54.6%] ¦ loved 𝔐^A,C PCK TR [39.4%]

1:5 washed 𝔐^A−,C,K [67%] ¦ released 𝔐^A+ ECM^† NA SBL TH WH [26.1%]

T4T Jesus Christ is the one who has faithfully told people about God. He is the first one ◄whom God has raised from the dead/who became alive again after being dead►, in order to show that God will raise us who trust in Jesus. Jesus is the one who rules the kings of the earth. He is the one who loves us. He is the one who has erased the record our sins. He did that by shedding his blood when he died on the cross.

LEB and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.To the one who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood

BBE And from Jesus Christ, the true witness, the first to come back from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who had love for us and has made us clean from our sins by his blood;

Moff and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born from the dead, and the prince over the kings of earth; to him who loves us and has loosed us from our sins by shedding his blood--

Wymth and from Jesus Christ, the truthful witness, the first of the dead to be born to Life, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins with His own blood,

ASV and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;

DRA And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

YLT and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born out of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth; to him who did love us, and did bathe us from our sins in his blood,

Drby and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in his blood,

RV and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;
(and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth/loves us, and loosed/released us from our sins by his blood; )

SLT And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the chief of the kings of the earth. To him having loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood,

Wbstr And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

KJB-1769 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

KJB-1611 And from Iesus Christ, who is the faithful witnesse, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth: vnto him that loued vs, and washed vs from our sinnes in his owne blood,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And from Iesus Christe, which is a faythfull witnesse, and first begotten of the dead, and Lorde ouer the kynges of the earth: Unto hym that loued vs, and wasshed vs from our sinnes in his owne blood,
(And from Yesus/Yeshua Christ, which is a faithful witness, and first begotten of the dead, and Lord over the kings of the earth: Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,)

Gnva And from Iesus Christ, which is that faithful witnes, and that first begotten of the dead, and that Prince of the Kings of the earth, vnto him that loued vs, and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood,
(And from Yesus/Yeshua Christ, which is that faithful witness, and that first begotten of the dead, and that Prince of the Kings of the earth, unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood, )

Cvdl and from Iesus Christ which is a faithfull witnes, and first begotten of the deed: & LORDE ouer ye kinges of the earth. Vnto him that loued vs and wesshed vs fro synnes in his awne bloud,
(and from Yesus/Yeshua Christ which is a faithful witness, and first begotten of the deed: and LORD over ye/you_all kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from sins in his own blood,)

TNT and from Iesus Christ which is a faythfull witnes and fyrst begotte of the deed: and Lorde over the kinges of the erth. Vnto him that loved vs and wesshed vs from synnes in his awne bloud
(and from Yesus/Yeshua Christ which is a faithful witness and first begotten of the deed: and Lord over the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from sins in his own blood )

Wycl that is a feithful witnesse, the firste bigetun of deed men, and prince of kingis of the erthe; which louyde vs, and waischide vs fro oure synnes in his blood,
(that is a faithful witness, the first begotten of dead men, and prince of kings of the earth; which loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood,)

Luth und von JEsu Christo, welcher ist der treue Zeuge und Erstgeborne von den Toten und ein Fürst der Könige auf Erden; der uns geliebet hat und gewaschen von den Sünden mit seinem Blut
(and from Yesu Christo, which is the/of_the loyalty witness(n) and Erstgeborne from the killing(n) and a prince/ruler the/of_the king(s) on/in/to earth/land/ground; the/of_the us/to_us/ourselves loved has and washed from the sins(n) with his blood)

ClVg et a Jesu Christo, qui est testis fidelis, primogenitus mortuorum, et princeps regum terræ, qui dilexit nos, et lavit nos a peccatis nostris in sanguine suo,[fn]
(and from Yesu to_Christ/Messiah, who/which it_is testis faithful, firstborn of_the_dead, and prince of_kings of_the_earth/land, who/which he_loved us, and lavit us from sins ours in/into/on blood his_own, )

1.5 Testis fidelis. Dicit hoc propter desperantes de morte Christi ut illi qui dixerunt: Nos putabamus quod ipse esset redempturus Isræl Luc. 24.. Primogenitus mortuorum. Quasi dicat: Vos non terreat, quia surrexit, et est impassibilis. Vel est primus mortificantium se, quia peccatum non fecit. Princeps regum terræ. Princeps terrenarum potestatum, potens eas removere, et ad utilitatem suorum vel sanctorum permittens impios servire.

1.5 Testis faithful. Sayit this because desperantes from/about death of_Christ as them who/which they_said: We putabamus that exactly_that/himself was redempturus Israel Luc. 24.. At_firstgenitus of_the_dead. As_if let_him_say: You(pl) not/no terreat, because rose/got_up, and it_is impassibilis. Or it_is primus mortificantium himself, because sin not/no he_did. Prince of_kings of_the_earth/land. Prince earthlyrum canatum, powerful them removere, and to benefit of_his_own or holy_place permittens wicked to_serve.

UGNT καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς.
¶  τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμᾶς, καὶ λύσαντι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ,
(kai apo Yaʸsou Ⱪristou, ho martus ho pistos, ho prōtotokos tōn nekrōn, kai ho arⱪōn tōn basileōn taʸs gaʸs.
¶  tōi agapōnti haʸmas, kai lusanti haʸmas ek tōn hamartiōn haʸmōn en tōi haimati autou,)

SBL-GNT καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς. Τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμᾶς καὶ ⸀λύσαντι ἡμᾶς ⸀ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ—
(kai apo Yaʸsou Ⱪristou, ho martus ho pistos, ho prōtotokos tōn nekrōn kai ho arⱪōn tōn basileōn taʸs gaʸs. Tōi agapōnti haʸmas kai ⸀lusanti haʸmas ⸀ek tōn hamartiōn haʸmōn en tōi haimati autou—)

RP-GNT καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς. Τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμᾶς, καὶ λούσαντι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ·
(kai apo Yaʸsou ⱪristou, ho martus ho pistos, ho prōtotokos tōn nekrōn, kai ho arⱪōn tōn basileōn taʸs gaʸs. Tōi agapōnti haʸmas, kai lousanti haʸmas apo tōn hamartiōn haʸmōn en tōi haimati autou;)

TC-GNT καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος [fn]τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς.
¶ Τῷ [fn]ἀγαπῶντι ἡμᾶς καὶ [fn]λούσαντι ἡμᾶς [fn]ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ,
(kai apo Yaʸsou Ⱪristou, ho martus ho pistos, ho prōtotokos tōn nekrōn, kai ho arⱪōn tōn basileōn taʸs gaʸs.
¶ Tōi agapōnti haʸmas kai lousanti haʸmas apo tōn hamartiōn haʸmōn en tōi haimati autou, )

1:5 των 𝔐^A−,K [72.5%] ¦ εκ των 𝔐^A+,C PCK TR [27.1%]

1:5 αγαπωντι 𝔐^K [54.6%] ¦ αγαπησαντι 𝔐^A,C PCK TR [39.4%]

1:5 λουσαντι 𝔐^A−,C,K [67%] ¦ λυσαντι 𝔐^A+ ECM^† NA SBL TH WH [26.1%]

1:5 απο 𝔐^C,K [70.2%] ¦ εκ 𝔐^A ECM^† NA SBL TH WH [29.4%]

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:4–8: John greeted the churches and praised Jesus

In this section, John identified himself and indicated to whom the letter was addressed. He greeted them in the usual way that was done in letters at that time. He then praised Jesus and told the readers of this letter what its theme was.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Greetings to the Seven Churches (GNT)

John introduced himself and greeted the seven churches

Greeting and introduction from John

1:5a–c

from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth: The three phrases the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth all describe Jesus.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other people named Jesus Christ and only this one is the faithful witness, and so forth. If that is true in your language, translate these words so that they tell more about Jesus Christ. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:

Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness. He is the firstborn from the dead, and he rules the kings of the earth.

Jesus Christ. Jesus is the faithful witness, the first among those raised from the dead. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. (NCV)

1:5a

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,

and from Jesus Christ, the trustworthy witness,
and from Jesus Christ, who reliably and accurately reports/explains all things.
May you^(plur) also receive kindness/favor and well-being/calm from Jesus Christ. He faithfully confirms all that God has said.

and from Jesus Christ: The word from refers back to the greeting of “Grace and peace to you” (1:4c). It indicates that John also asked Jesus to give grace and peace.

In some languages it is necessary or more natural to repeat the greeting phrase here. For example:

and grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ

May Jesus Christ also give you grace and peace

See other examples in the General Comment on 1:4c–5c.

faithful: Here the Greek word that the BSB translates as faithful refers to being worthy of trust.BDAG (page 820). People can depend on that person. Here the word indicates that Jesus was completely reliable, dependable, and truthful in what he said. Other ways to translate this word are:

dependable

trustworthy (GW)

truthful

witness: This word refers to a person who tells what he has seen, heard, or come to know. The Greek word that means witness is closely related to “testifies” (1:2a) and “testimony” (1:2b). Other ways to translate this word are:

testifier

one who speaks about what he knows

one who reports/explains

1:5b

the firstborn from the dead,

the firstborn raised from the dead,
He is the first person/one who arose from death,

the firstborn from the dead: This phrase also describes Jesus. This phrase uses the word firstborn in a figurative way. It indicates that God resurrected Jesus first, before other people.

This phrase also implies that God will resurrect other people later. Jesus has authority over all believers, just like a Jewish firstborn son had the position of authority over his brothers and sisters.

In some languages, a literal translation would not clearly indicate the figurative meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Explain the figure of speech in your translation. For example:
the firstborn in place/position and time from the dead
the first person to return from the dead permanently/forever and he also has the authority/position of a firstborn
Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
the first to be raised from death (GNT)
was the first to conquer death (CEV)
the first to rise forever from the dead
the first one that God raised from death You may then want to explain the literal word in a footnote. An example footnote is:
Literally: “firstborn.” This word indicates that God resurrected Jesus first, before other people. The word also implies that Jesus has authority over all believers, just like a Jewish firstborn son had the position of authority over his brothers and sisters.

1:5c

and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

and the ruler over the rulers of the world.
and he rules all the kings/rulers on earth.
(reordered) May he who is, and who was, and who is to come, and the seven spirits before his throne, and Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, give grace and peace to you.

the ruler of the kings of the earth: This phrase also describes Jesus. It indicates that Jesus rules kings, chiefs, and all other rulers on earth. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the commander of all the rulers of the world (NLT96)

Jesus rules all the rulers on earth

General Comment on 1:4c–5c

This greeting is complicated. John asked God, the seven spirits, and Jesus to give grace and peace to the believers. He also described God, the seven spirits, and Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to:

First translate the three descriptions, and then translate what John wanted each one to do. For example:
^4dMay he who is, and who was, and who is to come, ^4ethe seven spirits before his throne, ^5aand Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, ^5bthe firstborn from the dead, ^5cand the ruler of the kings of the earth ^4cgive grace and peace to you. You then would need to combine the verse marking for these verses as “4–5.”
Translate the first two descriptions as well as “Jesus Christ,” followed by what John wanted each one to do. Then translate the description of Jesus Christ. For example:
^4dMay he who is, and who was, and who is to come, ^4ethe seven spirits before his throne, ^5aand Jesus Christ, ^4cgive grace and peace to you. ^5aJesus Christ is the faithful witness, ^5bthe firstborn from the dead, ^5cand the ruler of the kings of the earth You then would need to combine the verse marking for these verses as “4–5.”
Repeat the grace and peace blessing for each person/subject. For example:
^4cGrace and peace to you ^4dfrom him who is, and who was, and who is to come. ^4eGrace and peace to you from the seven spirits before his throne. ^5aGrace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, ^5bthe firstborn from the dead, ^5cand the ruler of the kings of the earth.
^4c–dMay he who is, and who was, and who is to come give grace and peace to you. ^4eMay the seven spirits before his throne give grace and peace to you. ^5aAnd may Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, ^5bthe firstborn from the dead, ^5cand the ruler of the kings of the earth give grace and peace to you.
^4cI pray that you will be blessed with kindness and peace ^4dfrom God, who is and was and is coming. ^4eMay you receive kindness and peace from the seven spirits before the throne of God. ^5aMay kindness and peace be yours from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. ^5bJesus was the first to conquer death, ^5cand he is the ruler of all earthly kings. (CEV) You may need to combine the verse marking for these verses as “4–5.”

1:5d–6b

1:5d–1:6b is one long sentence. It includes a long description of Jesus (1:5d–1:6a). At the end of the sentence (1:6b), John described glory and power as belonging to Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to use two or more shorter sentences. For example:

^5d Jesus Christ loves us ^5eand has freed us from our sins by his own blood. ^6aHe has made us to be a kingdom, priests to serve his God and Father. ^6bTo him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

For an example of how to reorder the information in these clauses, see the General Comment at the end of the notes on 1:6b.

1:5d

To Him who loves us

¶ To the one who loves us^(incl)
¶ Jesus Christ loves us,

To Him: The pronoun Him refers to Jesus as is made clear in 1:5e–6a.

loves: The word loves refers to a strong feeling of affection and concern for a person. It also refers to an attitude of actively seeking the good of another. Your language may have a word or idiom for saying this.

1:5e

and has released us from our sins by His blood,

and has freed/released us^(incl) from our sins by shedding/giving his blood,
and by dying as a sacrifice, he has freed us from the punishment of our sins.

has released us from our sins by His blood: There is a textual issue here about the Greek word that the BSB translates as released:

Some Greek manuscripts have freed. For example:
released us from our sins by His blood (BSB, NASB) (BSB, RSV, NIV, GNT, NASB, NABRE, NLT, GW, CEV, NET, REB, ESV, NCV)
Some Greek manuscripts have washed. For example:
washed us from our sins in his own blood (KJV) (KJV, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). The earliest Greek manuscripts support “freed/released.”

has released us from our sins: This phrase indicates that Jesus has released believers from their sins. They are no longer guilty in God’s eyes and no longer have to suffer God’s anger.

Some commentators suggest that the phrase also refers to believers no longer being under the power of sin. If possible, translate in a way that allows both meanings. For example:

has freed us from our sins and their power

released us from our sins (NASB)

by His blood: Here the word blood refers figuratively to Jesus’ death. The phrase by His blood indicates that Jesus’ death was the way to free believers from their sins. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

by shedding his blood (NLT)

by his sacrificial death (GNT)

through his life/shed blood

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί ἀπό Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καί ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς Τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμάς καί λύσαντι ἡμάς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ)

The first half of this verse continues the sentence from the previous verse. It may be helpful to indicate this by repeating some of the information from the previous verse. It may also be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: [And may grace and peace also be to you from Jesus Christ]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks

ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς

the witness ¬the faithful the firstborn ˱of˲_the dead the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί ἀπό Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καί ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς Τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμάς καί λύσαντι ἡμάς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ)

In this verse, John is alluding several times to Psalm 89. In that psalm, God speaks of King David as his “firstborn” and says that he will make him “the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” God also says that he will establish David’s throne forever like the moon, “the faithful witness” in the sky. Psalm 89 as a whole is a meditation on the promises that God gave to David in [2 Samuel 7](../2sa/07/01.md). So all of these allusions indicate that Jesus Christ is the one who fulfills God’s promises to David. You may want to explain this in a footnote. You may also want to mark the phrases that are Old Testament allusions by putting them in quotation marks, as the ULT does.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν

the ¬the the firstborn ˱of˲_the dead

John is speaking as if Jesus was literally “born” when he became alive again after he died. Since Jesus was the first person to do this, John says that he is the firstborn. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the first person to become alive again after dying]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

τῶν νεκρῶν

˱of˲_the dead

John is using the adjective dead as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [from among people who have died]

Note 5 topic: translate-versebridge

A new sentence begins here that continues through the rest of the next verse. This sentence praises Jesus. To make this clear for your readers, you could create a verse bridge for verses 5–6 and begin with John’s wish that would Jesus receive glory and power. A verse bridge might say something like this: “May the glory and the power forever be to Jesus because he is the one who loves us and who has released us from our sins by his blood and who has made us a kingdom, priests for his God and Father. Amen.”

Note 6 topic: writing-pronouns

τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμᾶς

the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί ἀπό Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καί ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς Τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμάς καί λύσαντι ἡμάς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ)

Here, the one refers to Jesus Christ. If this is not clear to your readers, you can say this explicitly. Alternate translation: [To Jesus Christ, who loves us]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἡμᾶς & ἡμᾶς & ἡμῶν

By us and our, John means both himself and his readers. So use the inclusive form of those words in your translation if your language marks that distinction.

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

λύσαντι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν

˓having˒_released (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί ἀπό Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καί ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς Τῷ ἀγαπῶντι ἡμάς καί λύσαντι ἡμάς ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ)

John is speaking of sins as if they were something that had held him and his readers captive and from which they needed to be released. He means that Jesus obtained forgiveness from God for people’s sins. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the one having obtained forgiveness for us for our sins]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ

in the blood ˱of˲_him

John is using the word blood to refer by association to the sacrificial death of Jesus, since Jesus shed his blood when he died for our sins. Alternate translation: [by his sacrificial death]

Parallel REV 1:5