Getting Rid of Idols and False Prophets

13 In the future there will be a fountain, where David's descendants and the people of Jerusalem can wash away their sin and guilt.

² The Lord All-Powerful says:

When that time comes, I will get rid of every idol in the country, and they will be forgotten forever. I will also do away with their prophets and those evil spirits that control them. ³ If any such prophets ever appear again, their own parents must warn them that they will die for telling lies in my name—the name of the Lord. If those prophets don't stop speaking, their parents must then kill them with a sword.

⁴ Those prophets will be ashamed of their so-called visions, and they won't deceive anyone by dressing like a true prophet. ⁵ Instead, they will say, “I'm no prophet. I've been a farmer all my life.”^[a]

⁶ And if any of them are asked why they are wounded,^[b] they will answer, “It happened at the house of some friends.”

A Wounded Shepherd and Scattered Sheep

^7 (A) The Lord All-Powerful said:

War and Victory

14 The Lord will have his day. And when it comes, everything that was ever taken from Jerusalem will be returned and divided among its people. ² But first, he will bring many nations to attack Jerusalem—homes will be robbed, women raped, and half of the population dragged off, though the others will be allowed to remain.

³ The Lord will attack those nations like a warrior fighting in battle. ⁴ He will take his stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and the mountain will split in half, forming a wide valley that runs from east to west. ⁵ Then you people will escape from the Lord's mountain, through this valley, which reaches to Azal.^[c] You will run in all directions, just as everyone did when the earthquake struck^[d] in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. Afterwards, the Lord my God will appear with his holy angels.

⁶ It will be a bright day that won't turn cloudy or cold.^{[e] 7} And the Lord has decided when it will happen—this time of unending day.

^8 (B) In both summer and winter, life-giving streams will flow from Jerusalem, half of them to the Dead Sea in the east and half to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁹ Then there will be only one Lord who rules as King and whose name is worshiped everywhere on earth.

^10-11 (C) From Geba down to Rimmon^[f] south of Jerusalem, the entire country will be turned into flatlands, with Jerusalem still towering above. Then the city will be full of people, from Benjamin Gate, Old Gate Place, and Hananel Tower in the northeast part of the city over to Corner Gate in the northwest and down to King's Wine Press in the south. Jerusalem will always be secure and will never again be destroyed.

¹² Here is what the Lord will do to those who attack Jerusalem: While they are standing there, he will make their flesh rot and their eyes fall from their sockets and their tongues drop out. ¹³ The Lord will make them go into a frenzy and start attacking each other, ^14-15 until even the people of Judah turn against those in Jerusalem.^[g] This same terrible disaster will also strike every animal nearby, including horses, mules, camels, and donkeys. Finally, everything of value in the surrounding nations will be collected and brought to Jerusalem—gold, silver, and piles of clothing.

^16 (D) Afterwards, the survivors from those nations that attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the King, the Lord All-Powerful, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. ¹⁷ No rain will fall on the land of anyone in any country who refuses to go to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord All-Powerful. ^18-19 This horrible disaster will strike the Egyptians and everyone else who refuses to go there for the celebration.

^20-21 At that time the words “Dedicated to the Lord” will be engraved on the bells worn by horses. In fact, every ordinary cooking pot in Jerusalem will be just as sacred to the Lord All-Powerful as the bowls used at the altar. Any one of them will be acceptable for boiling the meat of sacrificed animals, and there will no longer be a need to sell special pots and bowls.^[h]

The New Heaven and the New Earth

21 ^(A) I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and so had the sea. ^2 (B) Then I saw New Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God in heaven. It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband.

^3 (C) I heard a loud voice shout from the throne:

God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. ^4 (D) He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.

⁵ Then the one sitting on the throne said:

I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted. ^6 (E) Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega,^[a] the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty. ^7 (F) All who win the victory will be given these blessings. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

⁸ But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty-minded or who murders or is sexually immoral or uses witchcraft or worships idols or tells lies. They will be thrown into that lake of fire and burning sulfur. This is the second death.^[b]

The New Jerusalem

⁹ I saw one of the seven angels who had the bowls filled with the seven last terrible troubles. The angel came to me and said, “Come on! I will show you the one who will be the bride and wife of the Lamb.” ^10 (G) Then with the help of the Spirit, he took me to the top of a very high mountain. There he showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down from God in heaven.

¹¹ The glory of God made the city bright. It was dazzling and crystal clear like a precious jasper stone. ^12 (H) The city had a high and thick wall with twelve gates, and each one of them was guarded by an angel. On each of the gates was written the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³ Three of these gates were on the east, three were on the north, three more were on the south, and the other three were on the west. ¹⁴ The city was built on twelve foundation stones. On each of the stones was written the name of one of the Lamb's twelve apostles.

^15 (I) The angel who spoke to me had a gold measuring stick to measure the city and its gates and its walls. ¹⁶ The city was shaped like a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel measured the city, it was about 2,400 kilometers high and 2,400 kilometers wide. ¹⁷ Then the angel measured the wall, and by our measurements it was about 60 meters high.

^18 (J)(K) The wall was built of jasper, and the city was made of pure gold, clear as crystal. ¹⁹ Each of the twelve foundations was a precious stone. The first was jasper,^[c] the second was sapphire, the third was agate, the fourth was emerald, ²⁰ the fifth was onyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst. ²¹ Each of the twelve gates was a solid pearl. The streets of the city were made of pure gold, clear as crystal.

²² I did not see a temple there. The Lord God All-Powerful and the Lamb were its temple. ^23 (L) And the city did not need the sun or the moon. The glory of God was shining on it, and the Lamb was its light.

^24 (M) Nations will walk by the light of that city, and kings will bring their riches there. ^25 (N) Its gates are always open during the day, and night never comes. ²⁶ The glorious treasures of nations will be brought into the city. ^27 (O) But nothing unworthy will be allowed to enter. No one who is dirty-minded or who tells lies will be there. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life^[d] will be in the city.