Judah’s King Jehoahaz

36 Then^(A) the common people^[a] took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

² Jehoahaz^[b] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³ The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land seventy-five hundred pounds^[c] of silver and seventy-five pounds^[d] of gold.

Judah’s King Jehoiakim

⁴ Then King Neco of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.^(B)

⁵ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.^{(C) 6} Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him^(D) and bound him in bronze^(E) shackles to take him to Babylon.^{(F) 7} Also Nebuchadnezzar took some of the articles of the Lord’s temple to Babylon and put them in his temple in Babylon.^(G)

⁸ The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim,^(H) the detestable actions he committed, and what was found against him, are written in the Book of Israel’s Kings. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

Judah’s King Jehoiachin

⁹ Jehoiachin was eighteen^[e] years old^(I) when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. ¹⁰ In the spring^[f](J) Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon along with the valuable articles of the Lord’s temple. Then he made Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.^(K)

Judah’s King Zedekiah

¹¹ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old^(L) when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹² He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God and did not humble himself^(M) before the prophet Jeremiah at the Lord’s command.^{(N) 13} He also rebelled against^(O) King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. He became obstinate^[g](P) and hardened his heart against returning to the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ All the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the detestable practices of the nations, and they defiled the Lord’s temple that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

¹⁵ But the Lord, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again,^(Q) for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers,^(R) despising his words,^(S) and scoffing at his prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.^{(T) 17} So he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans,^(U) who killed their fit young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He had no pity on young men or young women, elderly or aged; he handed them all over to him. ¹⁸ He took everything to Babylon—all the articles of God’s temple, large and small, the treasures of the Lord’s temple, and the treasures of the king and his officials. ¹⁹ Then the Chaldeans burned God’s temple.^(V) They tore down Jerusalem’s wall, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all its valuable articles.

²⁰ He deported those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the rise of the Persian^[h] kingdom.^{(W) 21} This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Jeremiah,^(X) and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation^(Y) until seventy years were fulfilled.

The Decree of Cyrus

²² In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia,^(Z) in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through^[i] Jeremiah,^(AA) the Lord roused the spirit of King Cyrus^(AB) of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing:

²³ This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord his God be with him.

The Source of Life

22 Then he showed me the river^[a] of the water of life,^(A) clear as crystal,^(B) flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb^{(C) 2} down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month.^(D) The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations,^{(E) 3} and there will no longer be any curse.^(F) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face,^(G) and his name will be on their foreheads.^{(H) 5} Night will be no more;^(I) people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light,^(J) and they will reign forever and ever.

The Time Is Near

⁶ Then he said to me, “These words are faithful^[b] and true.^(K) The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,^[c] has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”^(L)

⁷ “Look, I am coming soon!^(M) Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”^(N)

⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. ⁹ But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” ^(O)

¹⁰ Then he said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.^{(P) 11} Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy still be filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; let the holy still be holy.”^(Q)

¹² “Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me^(R) to repay each person according to his work.^{(S) 13} I am the Alpha and the Omega, ^(T) the first and the last,^(U) the beginning and the end.^(V)

¹⁴ “Blessed ^(W) are those who wash their robes,^[d] so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, ^(X) the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.^(Y)

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root^(Z) and descendant of David,^(AA) the bright morning star.”^(AB)

¹⁷ Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.^(AC)

¹⁸ I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, 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, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book.^(AD)

²⁰ He who testifies about these things^(AE) says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!^(AF)

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus^[e] be with everyone.^[f] Amen.^[g]

The Day of the Lord

4 “For look, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says the Lord of Armies, “not leaving them root or branches. ² But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings,^(A) and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.^{[a] 3} You will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the Lord of Armies.

A Final Warning

⁴ “Remember the instruction of Moses my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb^(B) for all Israel. ⁵ Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah^(C) before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.^{(D) 6} And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.^(E) Otherwise, I will come and strike the land^[b] with a curse.”

Jesus’s Third Appearance to the Disciples

21 After this, Jesus revealed^(A) himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.^[a](B) He revealed himself in this way:

² Simon Peter,^(C) Thomas^(D) (called “Twin”^[b]), Nathanael^(E) from Cana of Galilee,^(F) Zebedee’s^(G) sons, and two others of his disciples were together.

³ “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.

“We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.^(H)

⁴ When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus.^{(I) 5} “Friends,”^[c] Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did,^[d] and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. ⁷ The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” ^(J)

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea. ⁸ Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards^[e](K) away), the other disciples came in the boat,^(L) dragging the net full of fish.

⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. ¹⁰ “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. ¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.^(M)

¹² “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time^(N) Jesus appeared^[f](O) to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus’s Threefold Restoration of Peter

¹⁵ When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,^[g] do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Feed my lambs,” he told him. ¹⁶ A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love^(P) me?”^(Q)

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Shepherd^(R) my sheep,”^(S) he told him.

¹⁷ He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love^(T) me?”

Peter was grieved^(U) that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything;^(V) you know that I love you.”

“Feed^(W) my sheep,” Jesus said. ¹⁸ “Truly I tell you,^(X) when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” ¹⁹ He said this to indicate by what kind of death^(Y) Peter would glorify God.^(Z) After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”^(AA)

Correcting a False Report

²⁰ So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved^(AB) following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray you?” ^{(AC) 21} When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

²² “If I want him to remain until I come,”^(AD) Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

²³ So this rumor^[h] spread to the brothers and sisters^(AE) that this disciple would not die.^(AF) Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

Epilogue

²⁴ This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books^[i] that would be written.^(AG)