A Voice in the Wilderness^(A)

¹⁹ Now this is ^(B)the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “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? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you ^(D)the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

²³ He said: ^(E)“I am

as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Joseph Dreams of Greatness

37 Now Jacob dwelt in the land ^(A)where his father was a ^[a]stranger, in the land of Canaan. ² This is the history of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought ^(B)a bad report of them to his father.

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was ^(C)the son of his old age. Also he ^(D)made him a tunic of many colors. ⁴ But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they ^(E)hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

⁵ Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. ⁶ So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: ^7 (F)There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

⁸ And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

⁹ Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, ^(G)the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

¹⁰ So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and ^(H)your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” ¹¹ And ^(I)his brothers envied him, but his father ^(J)kept the matter in mind.

The New Jerusalem^(A)

⁹ Then one of ^(B)the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came ^[a]to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you ^(C)the ^[b]bride, the Lamb’s wife.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away ^(D)in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me ^(E)the ^[c]great city, the ^[d]holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ^11 (F)having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ¹² Also she had a great and high wall with ^(G)twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ^13 (H)three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

¹⁴ Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and ^(I)on them were the ^[e]names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And he who talked with me ^(J)had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. ¹⁶ The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand ^[f]furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. ¹⁷ Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. ¹⁸ The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ^19 (K)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 ^(L)pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. ^(M)And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

^22 (N)But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ^23 (O)The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine ^[g]in it, for the ^[h]glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ^24 (P)And the nations ^[i]of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor ^[j]into it. ^25 (Q)Its gates shall not be shut at all by day ^(R)(there shall be no night there). ^26 (S)And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into ^[k]it. ²⁷ But ^(T)there shall by no means enter it anything ^[l]that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s ^(U)Book of Life.