Behold: see 1.7. New Revised Standard Version now has “Beware, I am throwing her on a bed,” which is a rather strange use of the verb “Beware.” Probably “Look now” or “Pay attention” would be better. However, in English and many other languages, it will be stylistically more natural to omit an attention-getting word or phrase in this context and say something like Good News Translation, “And so,” “Therefore,” or something similar.

I will throw her on a sickbed: the Greek text says only “I throw her on a bed,” but this is obviously a punishment in the form of an illness; Revised English Bible translates “a bed of pain.” The Greek present tense of the verb “to throw” indicates that this will happen soon. It may be better to translate “I will punish her with an illness” or “I will make her sick.”

And those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation: in the Greek text the verb “to throw” is not repeated but is clearly implied. As the Revised Standard Version literal equivalence shows, the text may be read as two separate actions: “I will throw her on a bed and (I will throw) into great suffering those who commit adultery with her.” But it is possible that the text means that Christ will inflict the same punishment on Jezebel and on those who commit adultery with her. So Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “Look, I throw her on a bed of sharp distress, as well as her partners in adultery” (so also Good News Translation, Phillips). In other languages this will be expressed as “I will make her sick, and I will cause the ones who commit adultery with her to suffer terribly” or “I will throw both her and those who sleep with her onto a sleeping mat where they will suffer terribly.”

Again, it is possible that commit adultery here is worship of idols (as the related Greek word translated “practice sexual immorality” in 2.14 can mean); but the translation must be “commit adultery.” For the word translated tribulation see 1.9; it means suffering or distress.

Unless they repent of her doings: for repent see 2.5. The text, strictly speaking, refers only to Jezebel’s lovers, and they are told to repent of her evil doings. It is impossible for one person to repent of another’s sin. Her doings here refers to what they, at her bidding, are doing with her. So Barclay translates “unless they realize how wrong her conduct is, and stop participating in it.”

Alternate translation models for this verse are:

• Look! I will throw her on a bed (or, sleeping mat) where she will become ill. And I will cause those who commit adultery with her to suffer terribly, unless they are willing to stop (or, repent of) the evil things they are doing (with her).

Or:

• Therefore, I will cause her to become ill, and those who sleep with her to suffer terribly unless they repent of the evil things….

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .