4:3a

The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian: These verses do not say how God looked like jasper and carnelian. It probably indicates that God shone colorfully and brightly, shining like those stones do. Other ways to translate this clause are:

The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
The one who was sitting there sparkled like precious stones of jasper and carnelian. (Contemporary English Version)

jasper: This name in Greek is spelled iaspis. This word refers to a spotted or veined stone of a variety of colors. It is often a reddish color, but can also be deep green, brown, or deep yellow. It shines brightly in the sun when polished. Light reflects off its surface. Light does not shine through this stone as it does through glass.

People of some languages are not familiar with jasper. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Use the name for a kind of stone similar to how jasper is described above. The important thing is that it should be considered bright and beautiful.

Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

a shiny, spotted/veined stone ⌊named jasper⌋

• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Jasper is a spotted or veined stone that is deep red, green, or yellow. It shines brightly.

carnelian: This word refers to a blood-red stone that shines brightly in the sun when polished. Light reflects off the surface of this stone also.

In some languages people are not familiar with carnelian. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

a shiny, reddish stone ⌊named carnelian⌋

• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Carnelian is a blood-red stone that shines brightly.

4:3b

and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne: These verses do not say how the rainbow resembled an emerald. It probably refers to a ring of green light that circled around the throne. Other ways to translate this clause are:

round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
all around the throne there was a rainbow the color of an emerald (Good News Translation)

emerald: This word refers to a bright green precious stone that shines brightly in the sun. Light shines through this stone as it does through glass.

In some languages people are not familiar with an emerald. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

a clear green stone/gem ⌊named emerald⌋

• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

An emerald is a bright green precious stone that light can shine through.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

6:10a

And they cried out in a loud voice: Here, the phrase cried out refers to speaking loudly in order to cause someone to listen. The souls of the dead believers were calling out to God for his attention. Other ways to translate this clause are:

they shouted in a loud voice (Good News Translation)
-or-
They shouted (New Living Translation (2004))

6:10b–c

How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?: God will one day judge and punish those who dwell upon the earth. The souls under the altar asked how long they had to wait until he does that. The question implies that they wanted him to do it soon. Other ways to translate this question are:

Sovereign, holy, and true Lord, how long before you avenge our deaths, judging those living on earth who shed our blood?
-or-
Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until you judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us? (Good News Translation)
-or-
Master, you are holy and faithful! How long will it be before you judge and punish the people of this earth who killed us? (Contemporary English Version)

6:10b

O Lord, holy and true: This is spoken to God. It describes him as holy and true.

In some languages having this phrase separate from the question is more natural. See the Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version examples above.

O Lord: This is a direct address to God. In some languages having this phrase first is more natural. See the first example in the note above.

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord refers to someone who has complete authority over something. People under the rule of this person are required to follow his decisions. Other ways to translate the Greek word are:

Supreme Ruler
-or-
Great Master/Leader
-or-
Ruler of highest authority

holy and true: The two words holy and true describe the Lord. Place them where it is most natural in your language. For example:

holy and true Lord

holy: Here the word holy indicates that God is perfect and unique. He only does what is right. He is different than all the other beings. Other ways to translate this word are:

pure/perfect ⌊spiritually/morally⌋
-or-
unique/separate

See how you translated this word in 3:7 or 4:8.

true: This word indicates that the Sovereign Lord does not lie. It also indicates that he is always truthful. He will do whatever he said he would do.

6:10c

avenge our blood: The word avenge refers to punishing someone for a wrongdoing. The word blood refers figuratively to death. People killed the believers under the altar because they followed Jesus. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

take revenge on those…who shed our blood (God’s Word)
-or-
punish them for killing us (Good News Translation)
-or-
take vengeance for our death (New Jerusalem Bible)

judge: This word indicates that God will decide if someone is guilty or innocent of wrongdoing. It is implied that the believers under the altar expected God to declare those who killed them to be guilty and then punish them. For example:

pass sentence (New Jerusalem Bible)

those who dwell upon the earth: This phrase refers to all people. The believers under the altar wanted God’s time of judging all people to come quickly. At that time God will judge those who killed them.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

8:11a

Wormwood: Wormwood is a plant with a very bitter taste. The plant is also named “absinthe” or “artemisia.” The name Wormwood does not refer to wood that has been eaten by worms.

The name focuses on the very bitter taste of this plant. The star was called Wormwood because it turned the waters very bitter. You may want to:

• Use the name of a very bitter plant or food in your area.

• Name the star for its bitter taste. For example:

“Bitterness” (Good News Translation)

• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

The name “Wormwood” refers to a plant that is very bitter.

8:11b

A third of the waters: This phrase refers to the same third as the “third of the rivers and…springs” in 8:10c. For example:

⌊That⌋ third of the rivers
-or-
The rivers and springs ⌊that the star fell on⌋

bitter: The taste of bitterness is unpleasant. Unsweetened chocolate, raw coffee beans, and some unripe fruit are bitter. Some medicines, such as quinine, are also very bitter.

8:11c

many people died from the bitter waters: The people died because they drank the bitter water. It was harmful or poisonous.

In some languages it is more natural to explain in the translation that the people drank the bitter water. For example:

many people died from drinking the water that was bitter. (New Century Version)
-or-
many people died from drinking the water, because it had turned bitter. (Good News Translation)
-or-
many people drank this bitter water, and they died.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

10:10a–c

Translate this verse similarly to 10:9.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

12:12a

Therefore: This conjunction introduces what should be done based on the fact that Michael and his angels threw the dragon and his angels down (12:9–10). Other ways to translate this word are:

For this reason, (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Because of that,

rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!: The direct address is after the command. In some languages it is more natural to have the direct address first. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, rejoice!

rejoice: This word is a command. In some languages it is not natural to command people to rejoice. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Change the command to an exhortation. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, let us rejoice

• Change the command to a time clause. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, now is the time to rejoice

• Use the verb “celebrate” (or similar verb) to indicate rejoicing indirectly. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, celebrate

O heavens, and you who dwell in them!: The loud voice speaks to the heavens as though they were people. The phrase you who dwell in them refers to the angels who live with God in heaven.

In some languages it is not natural to speak directly to the heavens. If that is true in your language, you may want to refer to the angels and other beings in the heavens. For example:

everyone ⌊and everything⌋ in the heavens
-or-
all who dwell in heaven

heavens: At that time many people thought that heaven had several layers. Each layer was a different “heaven.” But in the New Testament the plural heavens has the same meaning as the singular “heaven.” In some languages the singular “heaven” is more natural. See the above example.

12:12b

But: The Greek does not have a conjunction here. However, many English versions add But to indicate the contrast between 12:12a and 12:12b.

woe to the earth and the sea: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as woe here means “There will be trouble for (someone).” The word indicates sorrow about the troubles. The speaker was saying that the earth and the sea are to be pitied, for they will soon have great trouble. Other ways to translate this clause are:

how terrible for the earth and the sea (Good News Translation)
-or-
alas for the earth and the sea (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-

⌊great⌋ trouble ⌊comes⌋ to the earth and the sea

the earth and the sea: This phrase refers to the whole world and implies all the creatures that live there.

sea: The word sea refers to a large body of water. A sea is often so large that someone standing on one side cannot see the other side. The word sea is symbolic, so you should not name a particular sea. See how you translated this word in 5:13 or 10:2.

12:12c

The Greek wording of 12:12c begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “because” or “for.” It introduces the reason for the warning to the earth and the sea. For example:

because (New International Version)

Some English versions, like the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate this conjunction, but leave the connection with 12:12b implicit.

with great fury: This clause indicates that the devil is very angry. Other ways to translate this clause are:

He is filled with anger (New Century Version)
-or-
he is very angry (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He is furious

12:12d

the devil has come down to you: This clause indicates that the devil left heaven and went to the earth.

you: Here the pronoun you refers to the earth and the sea (12:12b). In some languages it is more natural to use the pronoun “them.”

12:12e

knowing he has only a short time: The devil knew that he only had a short time left to accomplish his purposes. Other ways to translate this clause are:

knowing that he has little time left (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
he knows that he does not have much time ⌊to do what he wanted to do⌋

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Paragraph 14:8

14:8a

Then a second angel followed: Here the word Then…followed refers to appearing next. In this case, it indicates that the second angel came after the first angel. The word probably implies that the first angel had left. Then the second angel came to the same place where the first angel made his announcement. Other ways to translate this clause are:

A second angel came afterward
-or-
Then a second angel came there

second: The word second refers to the next item after the first one. If counted, this item would be counted as number two. Other ways to translate this word are:

the one after the first
-or-
another

See how you translated this word in 4:7 or 11:14.

14:8b

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great: The Greek words are literally “The great Babylon fell fell.” The verb “fell” is repeated to emphasize its meaning. The Berean Standard Bible puts the verb first in an English poetic style. Some other ways to emphasize the meaning are:

She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! (Good News Translation)
-or-
Babylon the Great has fallen; she/it has fallen indeed!

Fallen: Here the word Fallen refers to God destroying the city (18:20). Your translation should imply that the city fell because it was destroyed.

In some languages the word Fallen here does not imply being destroyed. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

⌊has been destroyed and so⌋ has fallen

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

has been destroyed
-or-
is finished/gone

• Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. For example:

The word “fallen” refers to God destroying the city (18:20).

Babylon the great: The city Babylon is called great because it refers to a city of this time that had a vast empire and great influence. For example:

Great Babylon (Good News Translation)
-or-
the famous Babylon

Babylon: This name is probably a symbol of those who oppose God. The king of Babylon conquered Jerusalem about 600 years before Jesus was on earth. The city was well-known for idol worship. It had a vast empire at that time. But at the time of Jesus and John, Babylon had only a few people living there. So it is a symbol here. It may refer to Rome as in John’s time, or it may refer to a future powerful city. You should use the name Babylon here.

14:8c

14:8c contains metaphors of drinking wine and adultery. They refer to people of the nations participating with Babylon in evil deeds. In the Old Testament God often refers figuratively to such evil deeds as adultery, because the people doing them are seeking things other than God.

who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as passion can mean “sexual desire,” “anger,” or even “insanity.” There are several ways to interpret it here. The main interpretations are:

(1) It means strong sexual desire. For example:

She made all peoples drink her wine—the strong wine of her immoral lust (Good News Translation)

(2) It means anger. It refers to God’s anger with Babylon. For example:

She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (New Revised Standard Version)

(3) It means cause to be insane or make angry. This is the meaning of “maddening” in the New International Version.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The word should then be understood as describing the adulteries: they were passionate or lustful. People desired to participate in the adulteries. For example:

She who made all nations drink the wine of her passionate unfaithfulness (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

drink the wine: Here this phrase refers figuratively to doing something. The nations participated with Babylon in her adulteries.

In some languages the meaning of the metaphor is not clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning of the metaphor in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Here the phrase “drink the wine” is a metaphor for doing something. The nations participated with Babylon in her adulteries.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

participate in the bad deeds

You may then want to give the literal words in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “drink the wine.”

wine: Wine is made from the juice of grapes, a fruit that grows on a vine. The grape juice is allowed to ferment, so wine is an alcoholic beverage. If people drink a lot of it, they become drunk. Here the word wine refers figuratively to Babylon’s evil ways.

In some languages people are not familiar with wine. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

alcoholic beverage of wine

• Use the common alcoholic beverage in your area. You may then use a footnote to explain the literal word. For example:

Literally: “wine.” Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from grapes.

• Use the word from the major language. If the word is not well known, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from grapes. Here the word “wine” refers figuratively to the bad ways of Babylon that the nations followed.

See how you translated this word in 6:6.

immorality: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as immorality refers to sexual relations with someone to whom a person is not married. Other ways to translate this word are:

adulteries (New International Version)
-or-
fornication (New Revised Standard Version)

The word here refers figuratively to doing things that are immoral. Here it may refer to worshiping someone other than God, committing sexually immoral deeds, enticing people to sin, or misusing authority.

In some languages a literal translation will wrongly refer only to adultery. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning of the metaphor in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Here the word “adultery” is a metaphor for doing things that are immoral. It may refer to worshiping someone other than God, doing sexually immoral deeds, enticing people to sin, or misusing authority.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

immoral deeds

You may then want to give the literal word in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “adultery.”

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Paragraph 16:12–14

16:12a

sixth: This refers to the next item after five other things. If counted, this item would be counted as number six. See how you translated this word in 6:12 or 9:13.

great river Euphrates: The Euphrates River flows through today’s nations of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. The word great indicates that the river was important. The river provided many people with water in the dry regions of Syria and Iraq. See how you spelled the name Euphrates in 9:14.

16:12b

its water was dried up: This clause indicates that the water in the river was gone. There was only a dry river bed.

The clause is passive. Some languages must use an active or intransitive clause. For example:

⌊the plague⌋ caused the river to dry up
-or-
The river dried up (Good News Translation)
-or-
the river became dry

Your translation should indicate or imply that the plague caused the river to dry up.

to prepare the way: With the Euphrates River dry, the kings could easily cross the river. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

to provide a way (Good News Translation)
-or-
so that a way was made (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages a verb must be used to indicate what was prepared. For example:

to prepare the way for the kings from the east to come (New Century Version)
-or-
to make the way ready for the kings from the East ⌊to cross it⌋

of the East: The Greek phrase is literally “the rising of the sun.” This phrase is probably a poetic way to refer to the east. See how you translated this phrase in 7:2.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

18:5a

For: This conjunction introduces the reason for the warning in 18:4.

her sins are piled up to heaven: This clause indicates figuratively that Babylon has sinned many times. Her many sins are like a huge pile of something. The pile is so high that it reaches heaven. The clause implies that her sins are numerous and obvious to God. Now he will wait no longer but will punish Babylon for her sins.

In some languages it is not natural to talk about piling or stacking sins. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate the literal meaning and explain it in a footnote. For example:

This saying is a figure of speech. It pictures Babylon’s sins as a huge pile of something that is as high as heaven.

• Translate this clause as a simile. For example:

her sins are ⌊very, very many, like rocks⌋ piled up to heaven

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

she has very, very many sins
-or-
her sins are beyond counting

You may then want to explain the literal Greek words in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “her sins are piled up to heaven.” This saying pictures Babylon’s sins as like something piled up to heaven.

heaven: The Greek word can mean heaven or “sky.” There are two ways to interpret this word:

(1) The word means heaven here. For example:

heaven (Revised Standard Version)

(2) The word means sky here. For example:

sky (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

18:5b

remembered: This word indicates that God thought again about the evil deeds of Babylon. God had not forgotten about these deeds, but had chosen not to punish her until this time.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly imply that God had forgotten about her evil deeds but then later remembered them. If that is true in your language, translate so that it does not imply that God forgot. For example:

taken notice of
-or-
now paid attention to
-or-
did not forget

iniquities: The Greek word is literally “unrighteous deeds.” It refers to deeds that God said were wrong to do. Other ways to translate this word are:

crimes (New International Version)
-or-
wicked ways (Good News Translation)

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.