Revelation 1:3

1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this ¹  prophecy aloud, ²  and blessed are ³  those who hear and obey ⁴  the things written in it, because the time is near! ⁵ 

Revelation 22:7

22:7 (Look! I am coming soon!

Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.) ⁶ 

Revelation 22:12

22:12 (Look! I am coming soon,

and my reward is with me to pay ⁷  each one according to what he has done!

Revelation 22:20

22:20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Zephaniah 1:14

1:14 The Lord’s great day of judgment ⁸  is almost here;

it is approaching very rapidly!

There will be a bitter sound on the Lord’s day of judgment;

at that time warriors will cry out in battle. ⁹ 

Philippians 4:5

4:5 Let everyone see your gentleness. ¹⁰  The Lord is near!

James 5:9

5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, ¹¹  so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates! ¹² 

¹ tn The word “this” is used to translate the Greek article τῆς (ths), bringing out its demonstrative force.

² tn The word “aloud” has been supplied to indicate that in the original historical setting reading would usually refer to reading out loud in public rather than silently to oneself.

³ tn The words “blessed are” are repeated from the beginning of this verse for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

⁴ tn Grk “keep.” L&N 36.19 has “to continue to obey orders or commandments – ‘to obey, to keep commandments, obedience.’”

⁵ sn The time refers to the time when the things prophesied would happen.

⁶ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator.

⁷ tn The Greek term may be translated either “pay” or “pay back” and has something of a double meaning here. However, because of the mention of “wages” (“reward,” another wordplay with two meanings) in the previous clause, the translation “pay” for ἀποδοῦναι (apodounai) was used here.

⁸ tn Heb “The great day of the Lord.” The words “of judgment” are supplied in the translation here and later in this verse for clarity. See the note on the expression “day of judgment” in v. 7.

⁹ tn Heb “the sound of the day of the Lord, bitter [is] one crying out there, a warrior.” The present translation does four things: (1) It takes מַר (mar, “bitter”) with what precedes (contrary to the accentuation of the MT). (2) It understands the participle צָרַח (tsarakh, “cry out in battle”) as verbal with “warrior” as its subject. (3) It takes שָׁם (sham, “there”) in a temporal sense, meaning “then, at that time.” (4) It understands “warrior” as collective.

¹⁰ tn Grk “let your gentleness be seen by all.” The passive voice construction has been converted to active voice in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

¹² sn The term gates is used metaphorically here. The physical referent would be the entrances to the city, but the author uses the term to emphasize the imminence of the judge’s approach.