In this verse the writer congratulates the person who will read and those who will hear the book being read; they are to be congratulated indeed if they obey the book’s message, for all the things reported in the book will take place in the near future.
Blessed: the word is used in six other passages: 14.13; 16.15; 19.9; 20.6; 22.7, 14 (see especially 22.7, “Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book”). The word, known especially from its use in the Beatitudes of Matt 5.3-11, is in Greek an adjective, not the passive participle of the verb “to bless.” The Greek makarios is the equivalent of the Hebrew ʾashrey (see Psa 1.1). It is not only a statement, “Such a person is happy,” but expresses also a wish, “May such a person be happy.” So in some languages it will need to be expressed as “May (or, Let) happiness come to the person who….” This word indicates God’s, or a person’s, approval of someone. In English, at least, Blessed (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Revised, Moffatt, An American Translation) is not the best word to use, since it means (or should mean) “God has blessed (or, will bless) such a person.” “Happy” is used by a number of translations (Good News Translation, Phillips, Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) but seems somewhat inadequate. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “Fortunate,” Barclay “God’s joy (will come to)…,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Happiness without end (belongs to)….” Perhaps the best equivalent in English is “How fortunate is the person who…!”
He who reads aloud: the pronoun he (Good News Translation “the one”) in many languages will be rendered as “the person.” The phrase who reads aloud refers to the person who will read the book to the people assembled in church to worship. Translators in many languages will need to render this phrase in a similar way to Revised Standard Version, by employing a word or expression that means “reading in public”; for example, “read with a loud voice,” “read so everyone can hear,” or even “read this book to the congregation (or, to the assembled believers).”
The words of the prophecy: this literal translation fails to indicate that the author means the book itself (to which what is written therein refers). See the same phrase in 22.7, 10, 18, and a similar one in 22.19. The phrase means “these prophetic words,” “this prophetic message.” Modern translations have rendered it in similar ways: Good News Translation “the words of this prophetic message”; Revised English Bible “the words of this prophecy”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “this prophetic word.” In this context the noun “prophecy” does refer to things in the future, but not exclusively so; the inspired interpretation of present events is also included (see 1.19, which refers to “what is [now] and what is to take place”). Perhaps some readers in English will understand the word prophecy in this context to have a present and future meaning, but many others will not. Translators in many other languages will need an expression such as “listen to the words of this message about present and future events,” to carry the meaning of prophecy in this context.
Those who hear, and who keep: this is one group of people, not two. Good News Translation “those who listen … and obey”; New International Version “those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it”; Revised English Bible “… and happy those who listen if they take to heart what is here written.” The latter is a legitimate rendering of the phrase, inasmuch as only those who do obey the message are to be congratulated, and not simply those who hear but do not obey.
The verb “to keep” means “to pay attention to,” “to heed,” “to obey” (see its use in 3.8, 10a; 12.17; 14.12; 22.7, 9).
The time is near: the Greek word that appears here (kairos) is regularly used in the New Testament of a time, or occasion, that God chooses to act on behalf of his people; see 11.18, and in 22.10 see the exact same statement. Here it means the time when the events foretold in the book will take place. Bible en français courant has “the chosen moment,” New American Bible, Revised “the appointed time,” Revised English Bible “the time of fulfillment.” Something like “The time is near when all these things will take place” may be the best way to translate this. Or, more extensively, “Before long, at the time that God has already chosen, all these things will happen” or “The time that God has already chosen for all these things to happen is coming very soon.”
An alternative translation model is:
• Happy is the person who reads to the congregation this message (that came) from God, and happy are those who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time when God will make all these things happen is very near.
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 .