Zion’s Happy Future

35 The (A)wilderness and the desert will rejoice,
And the [a](B)desert will shout for joy and blossom;
Like the crocus
It will (C)blossom profusely
And (D)rejoice with joy and jubilation.
The (E)glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of (F)Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the (G)glory of the Lord,
The majesty of our God.
(H)Strengthen the [b]exhausted, and make the [c]feeble strong.
Say to those with (I)anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with (J)vengeance;
The (K)retribution of God will come,
But He will (L)save you.”
Then the (M)eyes of those who are blind will be opened,
And the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped.
Then those who (N)limp will leap like a deer,
And the (O)tongue of those who cannot speak will shout for joy.
For waters will burst forth in the (P)wilderness,
And streams in the [d]desert.
The [e]scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground (Q)springs of water;
In the (R)haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
(S)A highway will be there, (T)a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of (U)Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for the one who walks that way,
And (V)fools will not wander on it.
No (W)lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious animal go up on it;
[f]They will not be found there.
But (X)the redeemed will walk there,
10 And (Y)the redeemed of the Lord will return
And come to Zion with joyful shouting,
And everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And (Z)sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 35:1 Or Arabah
  2. Isaiah 35:3 Lit slack hands
  3. Isaiah 35:3 Lit tottering knees
  4. Isaiah 35:6 Or Arabah
  5. Isaiah 35:7 Or mirage
  6. Isaiah 35:9 Lit It

Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert(A) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(B)
Like the crocus,(C) it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(D)
The glory of Lebanon(E) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel(F) and Sharon;(G)
they will see the glory(H) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.(I)

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees(J) that give way;
say(K) to those with fearful hearts,(L)
    “Be strong, do not fear;(M)
your God will come,(N)
    he will come with vengeance;(O)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save(P) you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(Q)
    and the ears of the deaf(R) unstopped.
Then will the lame(S) leap like a deer,(T)
    and the mute tongue(U) shout for joy.(V)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams(W) in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground(X) bubbling springs.(Y)
In the haunts where jackals(Z) once lay,
    grass and reeds(AA) and papyrus will grow.

And a highway(AB) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;(AC)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(AD) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion(AE) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;(AF)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(AG) will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued(AH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(AI)
    everlasting joy(AJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness(AK) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(AL)

Now go, (A)write it on a tablet in their presence
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may [a]serve in the time to come
[b]As a witness forever.
For this is a (B)rebellious people, (C)false sons,
Sons who [c]refuse to (D)listen
To the [d]instruction of the Lord;
10 Who say to the (E)seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not (F)prophesy the truth to us.
(G)Speak to us [e]pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
11 Get out of the way, (H)turn aside from the path,
(I)Stop speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel!”

12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

(J)Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in (K)oppression and crookedness, and have relied on them,
13 Therefore this (L)wrongdoing will be to you
Like a (M)breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose collapse comes (N)suddenly in an instant,
14 Whose collapse is like the smashing of a (O)potter’s jar,
[f]So ruthlessly shattered
That a shard will not be found among its pieces
To [g]take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”

15 For this is what the Lord [h]God, the Holy One of Israel, has said:

“In [i]repentance and (P)rest you will be saved,
In (Q)quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on (R)horses!”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses!”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 (S)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left like a signal post on a mountain top,
And like a flag on a hill.

God Is Gracious and Just

18 Therefore the Lord [j](T)longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [k]waits on (U)high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a (V)God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [l](W)long for Him.

19 [m]For, you people in Zion, (X)inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will (Y)weep no longer. He will certainly be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will (Z)answer you. 20 Although the Lord has given you (AA)bread of deprivation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer (AB)hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the (AC)way, walk in it,” whenever you (AD)turn to the right or to the left.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 30:8 Lit be
  2. Isaiah 30:8 As in most ancient versions; MT Forever and ever
  3. Isaiah 30:9 Lit are not willing
  4. Isaiah 30:9 Or Law
  5. Isaiah 30:10 Lit smooth things
  6. Isaiah 30:14 Lit Crushed, it will not be spared
  7. Isaiah 30:14 Lit snatch up
  8. Isaiah 30:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  9. Isaiah 30:15 Lit returning
  10. Isaiah 30:18 Lit waits
  11. Isaiah 30:18 Lit is on high
  12. Isaiah 30:18 Lit wait
  13. Isaiah 30:19 MT For a people will inhabit Zion, Jerusalem

Go now, write it on a tablet(A) for them,
    inscribe it on a scroll,(B)
that for the days to come
    it may be an everlasting witness.(C)
For these are rebellious(D) people, deceitful(E) children,
    children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.(F)
10 They say to the seers,(G)
    “See no more visions(H)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,(I)
    prophesy illusions.(J)
11 Leave this way,(K)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting(L) us
    with the Holy One(M) of Israel!”

12 Therefore this is what the Holy One(N) of Israel says:

“Because you have rejected this message,(O)
    relied on oppression(P)
    and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
    like a high wall,(Q) cracked and bulging,
    that collapses(R) suddenly,(S) in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,(T)
    shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
    for taking coals from a hearth
    or scooping water out of a cistern.”

15 This is what the Sovereign(U) Lord, the Holy One(V) of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest(W) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust(X) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.(Y)
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee(Z) on horses.’(AA)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five(AB)
    you will all flee(AC) away,
till you are left(AD)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner(AE) on a hill.”

18 Yet the Lord longs(AF) to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.(AG)
For the Lord is a God of justice.(AH)
    Blessed are all who wait for him!(AI)

19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.(AJ) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!(AK) As soon as he hears, he will answer(AL) you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread(AM) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers(AN) will be hidden(AO) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice(AP) behind you, saying, “This is the way;(AQ) walk in it.”

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The Judgment

31 “But when (A)the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then (B)He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be (C)gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, (D)just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep (E)on His right, but the goats (F)on the left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, (G)inherit the kingdom prepared for you (H)from the foundation of the world. 35 For (I)I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; (J)I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 (K)naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you (L)visited Me; (M)I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And (N)the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, (O)to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘(P)Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the (Q)eternal fire which has been prepared for (R)the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not [a]take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ 46 These will go away into (S)eternal punishment, but the righteous into (T)eternal life.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 25:44 Or serve

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.(B) 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.(D) 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.(F) 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,(G) 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,(H) I was sick and you looked after me,(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’(J)

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(K)

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,(L) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire(M) prepared for the devil and his angels.(N) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’(O)

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.(P)(Q)

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13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘(A)Blessed are the dead who (B)die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” (C)says the Spirit, “so that they may (D)rest from their labors, for their (E)deeds follow with them.”

The Harvest

14 Then I looked, and behold, a (F)white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one (G)like [a]a son of man, with a golden (H)crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 And another angel (I)came out of the [b]temple, calling out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “[c](J)Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the (K)harvest of the earth [d]is ripe.” 16 Then He who sat on the cloud [e]swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel (L)came out of the [f]temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, (M)the one who has power over fire, came out from (N)the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “[g](O)Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters [h]from the vine of the earth, (P)because her grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel [i]swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into (Q)the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 And (R)the wine press was trampled (S)outside the city, and (T)blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, [j]for a distance of [k]1,600 stadia.

A Scene of Heaven

15 Then I saw (U)another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, (V)seven angels who had (W)seven plagues, which are (X)the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

And I saw something like a (Y)sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who (Z)were victorious [l]over the (AA)beast and (AB)his image and the (AC)number of his name, standing on the (AD)sea of glass, holding (AE)harps of God. And they *sang the (AF)song of Moses, (AG)the bond-servant of God, and the (AH)song of the Lamb, saying,

(AI)Great and marvelous are Your works,
(AJ)Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
(AK)King of the [m]nations!
(AL)Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For (AM)all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your [n](AN)righteous acts have been revealed.”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 14:14 Or the Son of Man
  2. Revelation 14:15 Or sanctuary
  3. Revelation 14:15 Lit Send forth
  4. Revelation 14:15 Lit has become dry
  5. Revelation 14:16 Lit cast
  6. Revelation 14:17 Or sanctuary
  7. Revelation 14:18 Lit Send forth
  8. Revelation 14:18 Lit of
  9. Revelation 14:19 Lit cast
  10. Revelation 14:20 Lit from
  11. Revelation 14:20 Possibly about 184 miles or 296 km; a Roman stadion perhaps averaged 607 ft. or 185 m
  12. Revelation 15:2 Lit from
  13. Revelation 15:3 Two early mss ages
  14. Revelation 15:4 Or judgments

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord(A) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,(B) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,(C) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[a](D) with a crown(E) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple(F) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle(G) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest(H) of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.(I) 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar(J) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle(K) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.(L) 20 They were trampled in the winepress(M) outside the city,(N) and blood(O) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.[b]

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:(P) seven angels(Q) with the seven last plagues(R)—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass(S) glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious(T) over the beast(U) and its image(V) and over the number of its name.(W) They held harps(X) given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant(Y) Moses(Z) and of the Lamb:(AA)

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,(AB)
    Lord God Almighty.(AC)
Just and true are your ways,(AD)
    King of the nations.[c]
Who will not fear you, Lord,(AE)
    and bring glory to your name?(AF)
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,(AG)
for your righteous acts(AH) have been revealed.”[d]

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 14:14 See Daniel 7:13.
  2. Revelation 14:20 That is, about 180 miles or about 300 kilometers
  3. Revelation 15:3 Some manuscripts ages
  4. Revelation 15:4 Phrases in this song are drawn from Psalm 111:2,3; Deut. 32:4; Jer. 10:7; Psalms 86:9; 98:2.