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But nobody in heaven could open the book and look inside it. Neither could anyone on the earth or anyone under the earth open it.[a]

I wept much because there was nobody who was good enough. Nobody was so good that they could open the book. Nobody could look inside it. Then one of the leaders said to me, ‘Do not weep! Look! There is someone who can break the seven seals and then open the book. His name is the Lion from Judah's tribe. He is called the Root of King David. He has won over all his enemies.’[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 5:3 The place ‘under the earth’ means where dead people are. The Jews called this place Hades.
  2. 5:5 Jesus was born on the earth into David's family. So King David was his ancestor. But Jesus is called the Root of David. He belongs to David's family, but he is greater than David. He has always been alive and he made everything and everyone. See also Revelation 22:16.

But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion(A) of the tribe of Judah,(B) the Root of David,(C) has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

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