Bitter Waters Made Sweet

²² So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of ^(A)Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no ^(B)water. ²³ Now when they came to ^(C)Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called ^[a]Marah. ²⁴ And the people ^(D)complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” ²⁵ So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. ^(E)When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He ^(F)made a statute and an ^[b]ordinance for them, and there ^(G)He tested them, ²⁶ and said, ^(H)“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the ^(I)diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord ^(J)who heals you.”

^27 (K)Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.

Jesus Predicts His Departure

²¹ Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and ^(A)you will seek Me, and ^(B)will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”

²² So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”

²³ And He said to them, ^(C)“You are from beneath; I am from above. ^(D)You are of this world; I am not of this world. ^24 (E)Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; ^(F)for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

²⁵ Then they said to Him, “Who are You?”

And Jesus said to them, “Just what I ^(G)have been saying to you from the beginning. ²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but ^(H)He who sent Me is true; and ^(I)I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”

²⁷ They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.

²⁸ Then Jesus said to them, “When you ^(J)lift^[a] up the Son of Man, ^(K)then you will know that I am He, and ^(L)that I do nothing of Myself; but ^(M)as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. ²⁹ And ^(N)He who sent Me is with Me. ^(O)The Father has not left Me alone, ^(P)for I always do those things that please Him.” ³⁰ As He spoke these words, ^(Q)many believed in Him.

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. ¹⁵ And another angel ^(A)came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ^(B)“Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come ^[a]for You to reap, for the harvest ^(C)of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Reaping the Grapes of Wrath

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, ^(D)who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ^(E)“Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into ^(F)the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And ^(G)the winepress was trampled ^(H)outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, ^(I)up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred ^[b]furlongs.