God’s Love for Jacob

1 The ^(A)pronouncement of the word of the Lord to ^(B)Israel through ^[a]Malachi:

² “I have ^(C)loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was Esau not Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I ^(D)have loved Jacob; ³ but I have hated Esau, and I have ^(E)made his mountains a desolation and given his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness.” ⁴ Though Edom says, “We have been ^(F)beaten down, but we will ^[b](G)return and build up the ruins”; this is what the Lord of armies says: “They may ^(H)build, but I will tear down; and people will call them the ^[c]territory of wickedness, and the people ^[d]with whom the Lord is indignant ^(I)forever.” ⁵ And your eyes will see this, and you will say, “^(J)The Lord ^[e]be exalted beyond the ^[f]border of Israel!”

Sin of the Priests

⁶ “‘A son ^(K)honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a ^(L)father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My ^[g]respect?’ says the Lord of armies to you, the ^(M)priests who despise My name! But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ ⁷ You are presenting ^(N)defiled ^[h](O)food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The ^(P)table of the Lord is to be despised.’ ⁸ And when you present a ^(Q)blind animal for sacrifice, is it not evil? Or when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not evil? So offer it to your ^(R)governor! Would he be pleased with you, or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of armies. ⁹ “But now, do indeed ^(S)plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us. ^[i]With such an offering on your part, will He ^(T)receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of armies. ¹⁰ “If only there were one among you who would ^(U)shut the ^[j]gates, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar for nothing! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of armies, “^(V)nor will I accept an offering from your hand. ¹¹ For from the ^(W)rising of the sun even to its setting, ^(X)My name shall be ^(Y)great among the nations, and in every place ^(Z)frankincense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name shall be ^(AA)great among the nations,” says the Lord of armies. ¹² “But you are ^(AB)profaning it by your saying, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ ¹³ You also say, ‘See, ^[k]how ^(AC)tiresome it is!’ And you view it as trivial,” says the Lord of armies, “and you bring what was taken by ^(AD)robbery and what is ^(AE)lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I ^(AF)accept it from your hand?” says the Lord. ¹⁴ “But cursed be the ^(AG)swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a ^(AH)blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great ^(AI)King,” says the Lord of armies, “and My name is ^[l](AJ)feared among the ^[m]nations.”

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.

The Fourfold Hallelujah

19 After these things I heard something like a ^(A)loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

“^(B)Hallelujah! ^(C)Salvation, ^(D)glory, and power belong to our God, ^2 (E)because His ^(F)judgments are ^(G)true and righteous; for He has judged the ^(H)great prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality, and He has ^(I)avenged the blood of His bond-servants ^[a]on her.” ³ And a second time they said, “^(J)Hallelujah! ^(K)Her smoke rises forever and ever.” ⁴ And the ^(L)twenty-four elders and the ^(M)four living creatures ^(N)fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “^(O)Amen. ^(P)Hallelujah!” ⁵ And a voice came from the throne, saying,

“^(Q)Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, ^(R)you who fear Him, the small and the great.” ⁶ Then I heard something like ^(S)the voice of a great multitude and like ^(T)the sound of many waters, and like the ^(U)sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“^(V)Hallelujah! For the ^(W)Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

Marriage of the Lamb

⁷ Let’s rejoice and be glad and ^(X)give the glory to Him, because ^(Y)the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His ^[b](Z)bride has prepared herself.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in ^(AA)fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the ^(AB)righteous acts of the ^[c]saints.

⁹ Then ^(AC)he *said to me, “^(AD)Write: ‘^(AE)Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “^(AF)These are the true words of God.” ¹⁰ Then ^(AG)I fell at his feet to worship him. ^(AH)But he *said to me, “^[d]Do not do that; I am a ^(AI)fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who ^(AJ)hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Coming of Christ

¹¹ And I saw ^(AK)heaven opened, and behold, a ^(AL)white horse, and He who sat on it is called ^(AM)Faithful and True, and in ^(AN)righteousness He judges and wages war. ¹² His ^(AO)eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many ^(AP)crowns; and He has a ^(AQ)name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. ¹³ He is clothed with a ^(AR)robe dipped in blood, and His name is called ^(AS)The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in ^(AT)fine linen, ^(AU)white and clean, were following Him on white horses. ^15 (AV)From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that ^(AW)with it He may strike down the nations, and He will ^[e](AX)rule them with a rod of iron; and ^(AY)He treads the ^[f]wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And on His robe and on His thigh He has ^(AZ)a name written: “^(BA)KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

¹⁷ Then I saw ^[g]an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to ^(BB)all the birds that fly in ^(BC)midheaven, “^(BD)Come, assemble for the great feast of God, ¹⁸ so that you may ^(BE)eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, ^(BF)both free and slaves, and ^(BG)small and great.”

¹⁹ And I saw ^(BH)the beast and ^(BI)the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who ^(BJ)sat on the horse, and against His army.

Doom of the Beast and False Prophet

²⁰ And the beast was seized, and with him the ^(BK)false prophet who ^(BL)performed the signs ^[h](BM)in his presence, by which he ^(BN)deceived those who had received the ^(BO)mark of the beast and those who ^(BP)worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the ^(BQ)lake of ^(BR)fire, which burns with ^[i]brimstone. ²¹ And the rest were killed with the sword which ^(BS)came from the mouth of Him who ^(BT)sat on the horse, and ^(BU)all the birds were filled with their flesh.