New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “For behold, (A)I create new heavens
    and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
    or come into mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
    in that which I create;
for behold, (B)I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
    and her people to be a gladness.
19 (C)I will rejoice in Jerusalem
    and be glad in my people;
(D)no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
    and the cry of distress.
20 No more shall there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for (E)the young man shall die a hundred years old,
    and (F)the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 (G)They shall build houses and inhabit them;
    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 (H)They shall not build and another inhabit;
    they shall not plant and another eat;
(I)for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
    and my chosen shall long enjoy[a] the work of their hands.
23 (J)They shall not labor in vain
    (K)or bear children for calamity,[b]
for (L)they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
    and their descendants with them.
24 (M)Before they call I will answer;
    (N)while they are yet speaking I will hear.
25 (O)The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
    the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
    and (P)dust shall be the serpent's food.
(Q)They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:22 Hebrew shall wear out
  2. Isaiah 65:23 Or for sudden terror

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.(A)
The former things will not be remembered,(B)
    nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(C) forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(D) to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(E) over Jerusalem
    and take delight(F) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(G)
    will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it
    an infant(H) who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;(I)
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(J) and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(K)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(L)
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(M)
    so will be the days(N) of my people;
my chosen(O) ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(P)
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(Q)
for they will be a people blessed(R) by the Lord,
    they and their descendants(S) with them.
24 Before they call(T) I will answer;(U)
    while they are still speaking(V) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(W) will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(X)
    and dust will be the serpent’s(Y) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”(Z)
says the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches

Final Instructions and Benediction

12 We ask you, brothers, (A)to respect those who labor among you and (B)are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. (C)Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish (D)the idle,[a] (E)encourage the fainthearted, (F)help the weak, (G)be patient with them all. 15 See that (H)no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always (I)seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 (J)Rejoice always, 17 (K)pray without ceasing, 18 (L)give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 (M)Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise (N)prophecies, 21 but (O)test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may (P)the God of peace himself (Q)sanctify you completely, and may your (R)whole (S)spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at (T)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (U)He who calls you is faithful; (V)he will surely do it.

25 (W)Brothers, pray for us.

26 (X)Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have (Y)this letter read to all the brothers.

28 (Z)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 Or disorderly, or undisciplined

Final Instructions

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard(A) among you, who care for you in the Lord(B) and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.(C) 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle(D) and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,(E) be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,(F) but always strive to do what is good for each other(G) and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always,(H) 17 pray continually,(I) 18 give thanks in all circumstances;(J) for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.(K) 20 Do not treat prophecies(L) with contempt 21 but test them all;(M) hold on to what is good,(N) 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace,(O) sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul(P) and body be kept blameless(Q) at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.(R) 24 The one who calls(S) you is faithful,(T) and he will do it.(U)

25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.(V) 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.(W) 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.(X)

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.(Y)

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The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the (A)testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, (B)“Who are you?” 20 (C)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? (D)Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you (E)the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am (F)the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[a] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, (G)“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, (H)“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even (I)he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:23 Or crying out, ‘In the wilderness make straight

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

19 Now this was John’s(A) testimony when the Jewish leaders[a](B) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”(C)

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”(D)

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”(E)

He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,(F) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[b](G)

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with[c] water,”(H) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me,(I) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”(J)

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,(K) where John was baptizing.

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:19 The Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John’s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19.
  2. John 1:23 Isaiah 40:3
  3. John 1:26 Or in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice)