4:11a

Worthy are You, our Lord and God: In some languages it is more natural to address God first. For example:

Our Lord and God, you are worthy

Worthy are You: The word Worthy indicates that God deserves to receive all glory, and honor, and power. It is right and proper that the elders should give him their respect, honor him, and acknowledge his power and glory. For example:

you deserve (God’s Word)

Worthy: In the Greek, the word Worthy is emphasized. If possible, emphasize it in your language. For example:

Worthy are You (Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible)
-or-
You are indeed worthy

4:11b

to receive glory and honor and power: This phrase refers to anyone praising and honoring God. God accepts that praise and honor. The living creatures, the elders, and others praise God’s glory and power. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

for ⌊people/everyone⌋ to glorify you and honor you and praise your power
-or-
that we acknowledge your majesty and your power and we revere you
-or-
that ⌊all beings⌋ praise your greatness and show you respect and praise you as the powerful/mighty one

receive…power: Here this phrase refers to being praised for one’s power. People praise God for being the all powerful God.

glory and honor: See how you translated glory and honor in 4:9.

4:11c

for: This conjunction introduces the basis for saying that God is worthy of praise. Another way to translate this word is:

because (God’s Word)

You created all things: This clause indicates that God made all things in the universe. For example:

you made the whole universe (New Jerusalem Bible)

4:11d

In some languages it is more natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:

You chose to create them and they have their existence ⌊according to that choice⌋ .

by Your will: This phrase indicates that God chose to create all things. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

by your decision (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
as you willed/chose

they exist and came to be: God created all beings and helps them to continue to exist. Other ways to translate these words are:

they were created and continued to exist
-or-
they were created and live
-or-
you created them, and ⌊you cause them to⌋ remain/continue living
-or-
you made them and sustain them

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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