The Watchman and His Message

33 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, speak to ^(A)the children of your people, and say to them: ^(B)‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their ^(C)watchman, ³ when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, ⁴ then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does ^(D)not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, ^(E)his blood shall be on his own head. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will ^[a]save his life. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, ^(F)he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

^7 (G)“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. ⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have ^[b]delivered your soul.

¹⁰ “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we ^(H)pine^[c] away in them, ^(I)how can we then live?” ’ ¹¹ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ^(J)‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked ^(K)turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For ^(L)why should you die, O house of Israel?’

The Reign of Jesse’s Offspring^(A)

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and behold, ^[a]a ^(A)Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him ^(B)one hundred and forty-four thousand, ^[b]having His Father’s name ^(C)written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a voice from heaven, ^(D)like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of ^(E)harpists playing their harps. ³ They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song ^(F)except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who were not defiled with women, ^(G)for they are virgins. These are the ones ^(H)who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These ^(I)were ^[c]redeemed from among men, ^(J)being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. ⁵ And ^(K)in their mouth was found no ^[d]deceit, for ^(L)they are without fault ^[e]before the throne of God.

The Proclamations of Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel ^(M)flying in the midst of heaven, ^(N)having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—^(O)to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— ⁷ saying with a loud voice, ^(P)“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; ^(Q)and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”