3:1 “To 7 the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: 8
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 9 the one who holds 10 the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation 11 that you are alive, but 12 in reality 13 you are dead.
8:7 The 20 first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that 21 a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8:12 Then 22 the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day 23 and for a third of the night likewise.
1 tn The words “is this” are supplied to make a complete sentence in English.
2 tn Or perhaps “the messengers.”
3 tn Grk “is about to throw some of you,” but the force is causative in context.
4 tn Or “tempted.”
5 tn Or “experience persecution,” “will be in distress” (see L&N 22.2).
6 tn Grk “crown of life,” with the genitive “of life” (τῆς ζωῆς, th" zwh") functioning in apposition to “crown” (στέφανον, stefanon): “the crown that consists of life.”
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
6 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
7 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.
8 tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).
9 tn Grk “a name.”
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
11 tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.
7 tn Grk “behold” (L&N 91.13).
8 sn See the note on synagogue in 2:9.
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast between what these people claimed and what they were.
10 tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew), but in this context it has virtually the same meaning as δίδωμι (didwmi) used at the beginning of the verse. Stylistic variation like this is typical of Johannine literature.
11 tn The verb here is προσκυνήσουσιν (proskunhsousin), normally used to refer to worship.
12 tn Or “and know,” “and recognize.”
9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” because what follows has the logical force of a result clause.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
12 tn Grk “the day did not shine [with respect to] the third of it.”
13 tn Or “authority.”
14 tn Grk “the days.”
15 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
16 tn Or “authority.”