Promise of Restoration

33 While Jeremiah was still confined^(A) in the courtyard^(B) of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:^{(C) 2} “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth,^(D) the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:^{(E) 3} ‘Call^(F) to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable^(G) things you do not know.’ ⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege^(H) ramps^(I) and the sword ⁵ in the fight with the Babylonians^[a]: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.^(J) I will hide my face^(K) from this city because of all its wickedness.

⁶ “‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal^(L) my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace^(M) and security. ⁷ I will bring Judah^(N) and Israel back from captivity^[b](O) and will rebuild^(P) them as they were before.^{(Q) 8} I will cleanse^(R) them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive^(S) all their sins of rebellion against me. ⁹ Then this city will bring me renown,^(T) joy, praise^(U) and honor^(V) before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble^(W) at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

¹⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”^(X) Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,^(Y) inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more ¹¹ the sounds of joy and gladness,^(Z) the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings^(AA) to the house of the Lord, saying,

For I will restore the fortunes^(AD) of the land as they were before,^(AE)’ says the Lord.

¹² “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate^(AF) and without people or animals^(AG)—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.^{(AH) 13} In the towns of the hill^(AI) country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,^(AJ) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand^(AK) of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

¹⁴ “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise^(AL) I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail^(AT) to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, ¹⁸ nor will the Levitical^(AU) priests^(AV) ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.^(AW)’”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day^(AX) and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,^{(AY) 21} then my covenant^(AZ) with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites^(BA) who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.^{(BB) 22} I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless^(BC) as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

²³ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴ “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms^[d](BD) he chose’? So they despise^(BE) my people and no longer regard them as a nation.^{(BF) 25} This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night^(BG) and established the laws^(BH) of heaven and earth,^{(BI) 26} then I will reject^(BJ) the descendants of Jacob^(BK) and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes^[e](BL) and have compassion^(BM) on them.’”

The Lord Comes and Reigns

14 A day of the Lord^(A) is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions^(B) will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

² I will gather all the nations^(C) to Jerusalem to fight against it;^(D) the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped.^(E) Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.^{(F) 3} Then the Lord will go out and fight^(G) against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.^{(H) 4} On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,^(I) east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split^(J) in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. ⁵ You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake^[a](K) in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come,^(L) and all the holy ones with him.^(M)

⁶ On that day there will be neither sunlight^(N) nor cold, frosty darkness. ⁷ It will be a unique^(O) day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night.^(P) When evening comes, there will be light.^(Q)

⁸ On that day living water^(R) will flow^(S) out from Jerusalem, half of it east^(T) to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.^(U)

⁹ The Lord will be king^(V) over the whole earth.^(W) On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.^(X)

¹⁰ The whole land, from Geba^(Y) to Rimmon,^(Z) south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up^(AA) high from the Benjamin Gate^(AB) to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate,^(AC) and from the Tower of Hananel^(AD) to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.^{(AE) 11} It will be inhabited;^(AF) never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.^(AG)

¹² This is the plague with which the Lord will strike^(AH) all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.^{(AI) 13} On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic.^(AJ) They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.^{(AK) 14} Judah^(AL) too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected^(AM)—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. ¹⁵ A similar plague^(AN) will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

¹⁶ Then the survivors^(AO) from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship^(AP) the King,^(AQ) the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.^{(AR) 17} If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship^(AS) the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.^{(AT) 18} If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord^[b] will bring on them the plague^(AU) he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.^{(AV) 19} This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.^(AW)

²⁰ On that day holy to the Lord^(AX) will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots^(AY) in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls^(AZ) in front of the altar. ²¹ Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy^(BA) to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day^(BB) there will no longer be a Canaanite^[c](BC) in the house^(BD) of the Lord Almighty.^(BE)

⁴⁰ You also must be ready,^(A) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

³ Don’t let anyone deceive you^(A) in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion^(B) occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed,^(C) the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God^(D) or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.^(E)

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?^{(F) 6} And now you know what is holding him back,^(G) so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back^(H) will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(I) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(J) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^(K)

3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.^{(A) 2} People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,^(B) boastful, proud,^(C) abusive,^(D) disobedient to their parents,^(E) ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous,^(F) rash, conceited,^(G) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness^(H) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.^(I)

¹¹ They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households^(A) by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² One of Crete’s own prophets^(B) has said it: “Cretans^(C) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”^{[a] 13} This saying is true. Therefore rebuke^(D) them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith^{(E) 14} and will pay no attention to Jewish myths^(F) or to the merely human commands^(G) of those who reject the truth.^{(H) 15} To the pure, all things are pure,^(I) but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.^(J) In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.^(K)

¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing^(A) of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,^(B)

Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall

19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude^(A) in heaven shouting:

³ And again they shouted:

⁴ The twenty-four elders^(J) and the four living creatures^(K) fell down^(L) and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,^(P) like the roar of rushing waters^(Q) and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts^(Y) of God’s holy people.)

⁹ Then the angel said to me,^(Z) “Write this:^(AA) Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”^(AB) And he added, “These are the true words of God.”^(AC)

¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him.^(AD) But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!^(AE) For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”^(AF)

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open^(AG) and there before me was a white horse, whose rider^(AH) is called Faithful and True.^(AI) With justice he judges and wages war.^{(AJ) 12} His eyes are like blazing fire,^(AK) and on his head are many crowns.^(AL) He has a name written on him^(AM) that no one knows but he himself.^{(AN) 13} He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,^(AO) and his name is the Word of God.^{(AP) 14} The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen,^(AQ) white^(AR) and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword^(AS) with which to strike down^(AT) the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a](AU) He treads the winepress^(AV) of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:^(AW)

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds^(AY) flying in midair,^(AZ) “Come,^(BA) gather together for the great supper of God,^{(BB) 18} so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people,^(BC) free and slave,^(BD) great and small.”^(BE)

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast^(BF) and the kings of the earth^(BG) and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse^(BH) and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet^(BI) who had performed the signs^(BJ) on its behalf.^(BK) With these signs he had deluded^(BL) those who had received the mark of the beast^(BM) and worshiped its image.^(BN) The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake^(BO) of burning sulfur.^{(BP) 21} The rest were killed with the sword^(BQ) coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse,^(BR) and all the birds^(BS) gorged themselves on their flesh.

The Thousand Years

20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven,^(BT) having the key^(BU) to the Abyss^(BV) and holding in his hand a great chain. ² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,^(BW) and bound him for a thousand years.^{(BX) 3} He threw him into the Abyss,^(BY) and locked and sealed^(BZ) it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations^(CA) anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

⁴ I saw thrones^(CB) on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.^(CC) And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded^(CD) because of their testimony about Jesus^(CE) and because of the word of God.^(CF) They^[b] had not worshiped the beast^(CG) or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.^(CH) They came to life and reigned^(CI) with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.^{(CJ) 6} Blessed^(CK) and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death^(CL) has no power over them, but they will be priests^(CM) of God and of Christ and will reign with him^(CN) for a thousand years.

The Judgment of Satan

⁷ When the thousand years are over,^(CO) Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive the nations^(CP) in the four corners of the earth^(CQ)—Gog and Magog^(CR)—and to gather them for battle.^(CS) In number they are like the sand on the seashore.^{(CT) 9} They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded^(CU) the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.^(CV) But fire came down from heaven^(CW) and devoured them. ¹⁰ And the devil, who deceived them,^(CX) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,^(CY) where the beast^(CZ) and the false prophet^(DA) had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.^(DB)

The Judgment of the Dead

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne^(DC) and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,^(DD) and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small,^(DE) standing before the throne, and books were opened.^(DF) Another book was opened, which is the book of life.^(DG) The dead were judged^(DH) according to what they had done^(DI) as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades^(DJ) gave up the dead^(DK) that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.^{(DL) 14} Then death^(DM) and Hades^(DN) were thrown into the lake of fire.^(DO) The lake of fire is the second death.^{(DP) 15} Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life^(DQ) was thrown into the lake of fire.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”^[c](DR) for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,^(DS) and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City,^(DT) the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,^(DU) prepared as a bride^(DV) beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.^(DW) They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.^{(DX) 4} ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.^(DY) There will be no more death’^[d](DZ) or mourning or crying or pain,^(EA) for the old order of things has passed away.”^(EB)

⁵ He who was seated on the throne^(EC) said, “I am making everything new!”^(ED) Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”^(EE)

⁶ He said to me: “It is done.^(EF) I am the Alpha and the Omega,^(EG) the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost^(EH) from the spring of the water of life.^{(EI) 7} Those who are victorious^(EJ) will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.^{(EK) 8} But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars^(EL)—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.^(EM) This is the second death.”^(EN)

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

⁹ One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues^(EO) came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride,^(EP) the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away^(EQ) in the Spirit^(ER) to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.^{(ES) 11} It shone with the glory of God,^(ET) and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper,^(EU) clear as crystal.^{(EV) 12} It had a great, high wall with twelve gates,^(EW) and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.^{(EX) 13} There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations,^(EY) and on them were the names of the twelve apostles^(EZ) of the Lamb.

¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod^(FA) of gold to measure the city, its gates^(FB) and its walls. ¹⁶ The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia^[e] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷ The angel measured the wall using human^(FC) measurement, and it was 144 cubits^[f] thick.^{[g] 18} The wall was made of jasper,^(FD) and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.^{(FE) 19} The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.^(FF) The first foundation was jasper,^(FG) the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby,^(FH) the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.^{[h] 21} The twelve gates^(FI) were twelve pearls,^(FJ) each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.^(FK)

²² I did not see a temple^(FL) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty^(FM) and the Lamb^(FN) are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God^(FO) gives it light,^(FP) and the Lamb^(FQ) is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.^{(FR) 25} On no day will its gates^(FS) ever be shut,^(FT) for there will be no night there.^{(FU) 26} The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.^{(FV) 27} Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,^(FW) but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.^(FX)

Eden Restored

22 Then the angel showed me the river^(FY) of the water of life,^(FZ) as clear as crystal,^(GA) flowing^(GB) from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,^(GC) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.^{(GD) 3} No longer will there be any curse.^(GE) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.^{(GF) 4} They will see his face,^(GG) and his name will be on their foreheads.^{(GH) 5} There will be no more night.^(GI) They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.^(GJ) And they will reign for ever and ever.^(GK)

John and the Angel