The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People^(A)

⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone, ^(B)rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, ^(A)exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ^(B)“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

² Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, ^(A)onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance.

³³ These things I have spoken to you, that ^(A)in Me you may have peace. ^(B)In the world you ^[a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, ^(C)I have overcome the world.”

¹⁸ The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ^19 (A)The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve ^(B)pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. ^(C)And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Woman Persecuted

¹³ Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted ^(A)the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ^14 (B)But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, ^(C)that she might fly ^(D)into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished ^(E)for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. ¹⁵ So the serpent ^(F)spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus ^[a]Christ.

The Glory Departs from the Temple

10 And I looked, and there in the ^(A)firmament^[a] that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne.