5
The Lamb takes the scroll
1 Καὶ εἶδον ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου βιβλίον, γεγραμμένον ἔσωθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν,* κατεσφραγισμένον σφραγῖσιν ἑπτά. 2 Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸν κηρύσσοντα† φωνῇ μεγάλη, «Τίς ἄξιός‡ ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ λῦσαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ;» 3 Καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο§ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ* οὐδὲ† ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ‡ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον οὐδὲ§ βλέπειν αὐτό. 4 Καὶ ἐγὼ* ἔκλαιον πολύ,† ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἄξιος εὑρέθη ἀνοῖξαι καὶ ἀναγνῶναι‡ τὸ βιβλίον, οὔτε βλέπειν αὐτό.
5 Καὶ εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγει μοι· «Μὴ κλαῖε· ἰδού, ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ § ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ, ἀνοῖξαι* τὸ βιβλίον καὶ† τὰς ἑπτὰ σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ.» 6 Καὶ εἶδον‡ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, Ἀρνίον ἑστηκός§—ὡς ἐσφαγμένον, ἔχον* κέρατα ἑπτὰ καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑπτά, ἅ † εἰσιν τὰ ἑπτὰ‡ πνεύματα τοῦ Θεοῦ§ ἀποστελλόμενα* εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. 7 Καὶ ἦλθεν καὶ εἴληφεν† ἐκ τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου.
A new song
8 Καὶ ὅτε ἔλαβεν τὸ βιβλίον τὰ τέσσαρα‡ ζῷα καὶ οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες§ πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσον* ἐνώπιον τοῦ Ἀρνίου, ἔχοντες ἕκαστος κιθάρας,† καὶ φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας θυμιαμάτων, αἵ εἰσιν αἱ‡ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων. 9 Καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες· «Ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἐσφάγης, καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ Θεῷ ἡμᾶς§ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους· 10 καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς* τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς,† καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν‡ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.»
All the angels
11 Καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ὡς§ φωνὴν ἀγγέλων πολλῶν, κύκλῳ* τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων. Καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων, 12 λέγοντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· «Ἄξιόν ἐστιν τὸ Ἀρνίον τὸ ἐσφαγμένον λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ† πλοῦτον καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ εὐλογίαν.»
Every creature
13 Καὶ πᾶν κτίσμα ὅ ἐστιν‡ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς§ καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης (ἅ ἐστιν* καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς)—πάντας† ἤκουσα λέγοντας· «Τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου‡ καὶ τῷ Ἀρνίῳ· ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.»§ 14 (Καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα λέγοντα τὸ* Ἀμήν.) Καὶ οἱ† πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσον‡ καὶ προσεκύνησαν.§
* 5:1 εξωθεν f35 Ma,b,d,e⅔,f,g,h,i CP,RP,HF,OC ¦ οπισθεν Me⅓ (ℵ)A,NU,TR † 5:2 κηρυσσοντα f35 Md,ept,hpt CP,TR ¦ 1 εν Ma,b,ept,f,g,hpt,i ℵA,RP,HF,OC,NU ‡ 5:2 αξιος f35 Mept,h ℵA,CP,NU ¦ 1 εστιν Ma,b,d,ept,f,g,i RP,HF,OC ¦ εστιν 1 TR (Does the absence of the verb emphasize the adjective?) § 5:3 εδυνατο f35 Ma,b,d⅓,e⅖,f,g⅓,hpt,ipt ℵ,CP,RP,HF,OC,NU ¦ ηδυνατο Md⅔,ept,g⅔,hpt,ipt A,TR * 5:3 ουρανω f35 Md,e,h⅔ ℵA,CP,OC,NU,TR ¦ 1 ανω Ma,b,e¼,f,g,h⅓,i RP,HF † 5:3 ουδε f35 Md,ept,g,h,i⅕ A,CP,NU,TR ¦ ουτε Ma,b,ept,f,h¼,i⅔ ℵ,RP,HF,OC ‡ 5:3 ουδε f35 Md,ept,g,h,i⅕ A,CP,NU,TR ¦ ουτε Ma,b,ept,f,h¼,i⅔ RP,HF,OC ¦ — Ma⅙ ℵ § 5:3 ουδε f35 Md,ept,hpt CP,TR ¦ ουτε Ma,b,ept,f,g,hpt,i ℵA,RP,HF,OC,NU * 5:4 εγω rell ¦ — Mept ℵ,NU ¦ A omits the whole verse † 5:4 πολυ rell ¦ πολλα TR ¦ A omits the whole verse ‡ 5:4 και αναγνωναι f35 Md⅕,e,g⅓,i⅓ CP,TR ¦ — Ma,b,d,e⅕,f,g⅔,h,i⅔ ℵ,RP,HF,OC,NU (The clause forces an awkward meaning upon βλεπειν αυτο, which now must really mean ‘look at it’.) § 5:5 ο rell ¦ 1 ων Me¼ TR ¦ — Mh⅔ ℵ * 5:5 ανοιξαι f35 Md,e,g,h ℵA,CP,OC,NU,TR ¦ ο ανοιγων Ma,b,f,i RP,HF † 5:5 και rell ¦ 1 λυσαι ℵ,TR ‡ 5:6 ειδον rell ¦ ιδον [22 assorted mss] ¦ 1 και ιδου Mb CP,TR ¦ ιδου και A § 5:6 εστηκος rell ¦ εστηκως Mb⅖,e⅓,g¼ ℵ * 5:6 εχον rell ¦ εχων Md⅕,e¼,g,h¼ 𝕻24ℵA,NU † 5:6 α f35 Ma,b,d,f,g,i CP,RP,HF,OC ¦ οι Me,h ℵA,NU,TR (The gender agrees with ‘horns’, not ‘eyes’, which is unexpected.) ‡ 5:6 επτα rell [NU] ¦ — Mept A § 5:6 πνευματα του θεου rell ¦ ~ 231 Mept TR * 5:6 αποστελλομενα f35 Ma,b,e¼,f,i¾ CP,RP,HF,OC ¦ τα 1 Me¼,g,i⅕ ¦ τα απεσταλμενα Md¾,ept TR ¦ απεσταλμενα Mhpt 𝕻24ℵ ¦ απεσταλμενοι A,NU † 5:7 ειληφεν rell ¦ 1 το βιβλιον TR ¦ add το βιβλιον at end of verse Mept ‡ 5:8 τεσσαρα f35⅖ Ma,b,d,e,f,gpt,h,i CP,RP,HF,OC,NU,TR ¦ τεσσερα ℵA ¦ δ΄ f35⅗ Mgpt § 5:8 εικοσι τεσσαρες f35¼ Ma⅓,b,dpt,ept,f,gpt,hpt,i ℵA,CP,RP,HF,OC,NU,TR ¦ κδ΄ f35 Ma⅔,dpt,ept,gpt,hpt * 5:8 επεσον rell ¦ επεσαν Ma¼,e¼,g ℵA,OC,NU † 5:8 κιθαρας f35 Md⅓,e,g,ipt CP,TR ¦ κιθαραν Ma,b,d⅔,e¼,f,h,ipt ℵA,RP,HF,OC,NU ‡ 5:8 αι f35 Ma⅙,b⅖,d,e,g,h,ipt A,CP,OC,NU,TR ¦ — Ma,b⅗,e¼,f,g¼,ipt ℵ,RP,HF § 5:9 τω θεω ημας f35 Ma,d,e⅔,f,h,i⅗ ℵ,CP,RP,HF,OC,TR ¦ ~ 312 Mb,g,i⅖ ¦ 3 Me⅓ ¦ 12 A,NU [Why do you suppose NU follows a single MS, of demonstrably inferior quality in Revelation (objectively so), against virtually all others (perhaps six scattered cursives have ‘our’ for ‘us’) plus lat,syr,bo? And why do the editors of modern versions follow their lead? Why? (Hoskier says the word was ‘lost’ in the transition from one column to the next—I don’t have access to a facsimile of the codex to check it, but assuming that Hoskier is correct about the location then the omission was probably inadvertent, one of the many slips that disfigure the MS.)] * 5:10 αυτους rell ¦ ημας TR † 5:10 βασιλεις και ιερεις rell ¦ βασιλειαν 23 Mhpt A,NU ¦ βασιλιαν 2 ιερατειαν ℵ ‡ 5:10 βασιλευσουσιν f35 Mapt,b,d⅗,e⅔,f⅔,g,h⅓,i ℵ,RP,HF,OC,NU ¦ βασιλευουσιν Mapt,d⅖,e⅓,f⅓,g¼,h⅔ A,CP ¦ βασιλευσομεν TR § 5:11 ως f35 Ma,b,d¼,ept,f,g,hpt,i ℵ,CP,RP,HF,OC ¦ — Md,ept,hpt A,NU,TR * 5:11 κυκλω rell ¦ κυκλοθεν TR † 5:12 και f35 Ma⅙,d,e,h ℵA,CP,NU,TR ¦ 1 τον Ma,b,e⅕,f,g,i RP,HF,OC (OC is in small print.) ‡ 5:13 εστιν f35 Mb,d,e,h¼,i⅓ CP,TR ¦ — Ma,f,g,h,i⅔ ℵA,RP,HF,OC,NU § 5:13 επι της γης f35 Ma,b,e,f,g,h,i ℵA,CP,RP,HF,OC,NU ¦ 13 Md,g¼ ¦ εν τη γη Md⅐,e¼ TR * 5:13 α εστιν f35 Ma⅙,d¼,e,h⅓,ipt CP,TR ¦ οσα 2 Mb ¦ 2 Ma,f,g,h⅓,ipt A,RP,HF,OC ¦ — Md,h⅓ ℵ,NU † 5:13 παντας f35 Ma⅔,d¼,ept,fpt,g,hpt,i⅗ CP,RP,HF ¦ και 1 Md⅗ ¦ παντα Ma⅕,ept,fpt,hpt,i⅕ A,OC,NU,TR ¦ παντα και Mb,d⅕ ℵ ‡ 5:13 του θρονου f35 Ma⅓,d,e,g⅓,h,i⅔ ℵ,CP,RP,OC,TR ¦ τω θρονω Ma⅔,b,f,g⅔,i⅓ A,HF,NU § 5:13 αμην f35 Ma,d,e,f,gpt,hpt,i CP,RP,HF ¦ — Mb,e⅙,gpt,hpt ℵA,OC,NU,TR * 5:14 λεγοντα το f35 Ma,f,ipt CP,RP,HF ¦ ελεγεν 2 Mb ¦ ελεγον 2 Mg,i¼ ¦ ελεγον Ma¼,d,e,h ℵA,OC,NU,TR (The participle is controlled by ηκουσα; the article should be read in any case.) † 5:14 οι rell ¦ 1 εικοσι τεσσαρες TR ‡ 5:14 επεσον f35 Ma⅔,d,e⅗,f,h,i CP,RP,HF ¦ επεσαν Ma⅓,b,e⅖,g,h¼,i2/7 ℵA,OC,NU,TR § 5:14 προσεκυνησαν rell ¦ 1 ζωντι εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων TR