Jesus Testifies to the Churches

12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and (A)My reward is with Me, (B)to give to every one according to his work. 13 (C)I am the Alpha and the Omega, the [a]Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

14 (D)Blessed are those who [b]do His commandments, that they may have the right (E)to the tree of life, (F)and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 [c]But (G)outside are (H)dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

16 (I)“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. (J)I am the Root and the Offspring of David, (K)the Bright and Morning Star.”

17 And the Spirit and (L)the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” (M)And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

A Warning

18 [d]For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: (N)If anyone adds to these things, [e]God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, (O)God[f] shall take away his part from the [g]Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

I Am Coming Quickly

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be [h]with you all. Amen.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 22:13 NU, M First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
  2. Revelation 22:14 NU wash their robes,
  3. Revelation 22:15 NU, M omit But
  4. Revelation 22:18 NU, M omit For
  5. Revelation 22:18 M may God add
  6. Revelation 22:19 M may God take away
  7. Revelation 22:19 NU, M tree of life
  8. Revelation 22:21 NU with all; M with all the saints

Epilogue: Invitation and Warning

12 “Look, I am coming soon!(A) My reward is with me,(B) and I will give to each person according to what they have done.(C) 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega,(D) the First and the Last,(E) the Beginning and the End.(F)

14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes,(G) that they may have the right to the tree of life(H) and may go through the gates(I) into the city.(J) 15 Outside(K) are the dogs,(L) those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus,(M) have sent my angel(N) to give you[a] this testimony for the churches.(O) I am the Root(P) and the Offspring of David,(Q) and the bright Morning Star.”(R)

17 The Spirit(S) and the bride(T) say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.(U)

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll:(V) If anyone adds anything to them,(W) God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.(X) 19 And if anyone takes words away(Y) from this scroll of prophecy,(Z) God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life(AA) and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

20 He who testifies to these things(AB) says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”(AC)

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.(AD)

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.(AE) Amen.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 22:16 The Greek is plural.

The Words of King Lemuel’s Mother

31 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:

What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, (A)son of my vows?
(B)Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways (C)to that which destroys kings.

(D)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
(E)Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all [a]the afflicted.
(F)Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

(G)Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are [b]appointed to die.
Open your mouth, (H)judge righteously,
And (I)plead the cause of the poor and needy.

The Virtuous Wife

10 (J)Who[c] can find a [d]virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 (K)She also rises while it is yet night,
And (L)provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [e]her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 (M)She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 (N)Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:5 Lit. sons of affliction
  2. Proverbs 31:8 Lit. sons of passing away
  3. Proverbs 31:10 Vv. 10–31 are an alphabetic acrostic in Hebrew; cf. Ps. 119
  4. Proverbs 31:10 Lit. a wife of valor, in the sense of all forms of excellence
  5. Proverbs 31:16 Lit. the fruit of her hands

Sayings of King Lemuel

31 The sayings(A) of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.

Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
    Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!(B)
Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
    your vigor on those who ruin kings.(C)

It is not for kings, Lemuel—
    it is not for kings to drink wine,(D)
    not for rulers to crave beer,
lest they drink(E) and forget what has been decreed,(F)
    and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine(G) for those who are in anguish!
Let them drink(H) and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

Speak(I) up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.(J)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 [b]A wife of noble character(K) who can find?(L)
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband(M) has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.(N)
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.(O)
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.(P)
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders(Q) of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.(R)
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise(S) at the city gate.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
  2. Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.