New Heavens and a New Earth

²⁴ It will also come to pass that before they call, I will ^(O)answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. ²⁵ The ^(P)wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the ^(Q)lion will eat straw like the ox; and ^(R)dust will be the serpent’s food. They will ^(S)do no evil or harm on all My ^(T)holy mountain,” says the Lord.

Cheer for Prostrate Zion

³ For this is what the Lord says: “You were ^(H)sold for nothing, and you will be ^(I)redeemed ^(J)without money.” ⁴ For this is what the Lord ^[a]God says: “My people ^(K)went down to Egypt first to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without reason. ⁵ And now, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without reason?” Again the Lord declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My ^(L)name is continually reviled all day long. ⁶ Therefore, My people shall ^(M)know My name; therefore on that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”

Other Appearances

³⁶ Now while they were telling these things, ^(A)Jesus Himself suddenly stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be to you.” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened, and thought that they were looking at ^(B)a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why are doubts arising in your ^[a]hearts? ^39 (C)See My hands and My feet, that ^[b]it is I Myself; ^(D)touch Me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you plainly see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ While they still ^[c](E)could not believe it because of their joy and astonishment, He said to them, “^(F)Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They served Him a piece of broiled fish; ⁴³ and He took it and ^(G)ate it in front of them.

⁴⁴ Now He said to them, “^(H)These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the ^(I)Law of Moses and the Prophets and ^(J)the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then He ^(K)opened their ^[d]minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “^(L)So it is written, that the ^[e]Christ would suffer and ^(M)rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and that ^(N)repentance ^[f]for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed ^[g]in His name to ^(O)all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are ^(P)witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, ^(Q)I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but ^(R)you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

⁵⁰ And He led them out as far as ^(S)Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple ^[h]praising God.

Unity of the Spirit

4 Therefore I, ^(A)the prisoner of the Lord, ^(B)urge you to ^(C)walk in a manner worthy of the ^(D)calling with which you have been ^(E)called, ² with all ^(F)humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another ^(G)in love, ³ being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the ^(H)bond of peace. ⁴ There is ^(I)one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one ^(J)hope of your calling; ^5 (K)one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all ^(L)who is over all and through all and in all.

⁷ But ^(M)to each one of us ^(N)grace was given ^(O)according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore ^[a]it says,

⁹ (Now this expression, “He ^(R)ascended,” what ^[b]does it mean except that He also ^[c]had descended into ^(S)the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is Himself also He who ascended ^(T)far above all the heavens, so that He might ^(U)fill all things.) ¹¹ And He ^(V)gave ^(W)some as apostles, some as prophets, some as ^(X)evangelists, some as ^[d]pastors and ^(Y)teachers, ^12 (Z)for the equipping of the ^[e]saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of ^(AA)the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to ^(AB)the unity of the faith, and of the ^[f](AC)knowledge of the Son of God, to a ^(AD)mature man, to the measure of the stature ^[g]which belongs to the ^(AE)fullness of Christ. ^14 [h]As a result, we are ^(AF)no longer to be children, ^(AG)tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by ^(AH)craftiness ^[i]in ^(AI)deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but ^[j]speaking the truth ^(AJ)in love, ^[k]we are to ^(AK)grow up in all aspects into Him who is the ^(AL)head, that is, Christ, ¹⁶ from whom ^(AM)the whole body, being fitted and held together ^[l]by what every joint supplies, according to the ^[m]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself ^(AN)in love.