Proverbs 31

New International Version

Sayings of King Lemuel

31 The sayings^(A) of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.

²Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!^(B)
³Do not spend your strength^[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.^(C)

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel—
    it is not for kings to drink wine,^(D)
    not for rulers to crave beer,
⁵lest they drink^(E) and forget what has been decreed,^(F)
    and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
⁶Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine^(G) for those who are in anguish!
⁷Let them drink^(H) and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

⁸Speak^(I) up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
⁹Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.^(J)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

¹⁰^[b]A wife of noble character^(K) who can find?^(L)
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹Her husband^(M) has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.^(N)
¹²She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.^(O)
¹⁴She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.^(P)
²¹When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²²She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders^(Q) of the land.
²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.^(R)
²⁷She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹“Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise^(S) at the city gate.

Footnotes

Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Revelation 21-22

New International Version

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”^[a]^(A) for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,^(B) and there was no longer any sea. ²I saw the Holy City,^(C) the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,^(D) prepared as a bride^(E) beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And 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.^(F) They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.^(G) ⁴‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.^(H) There will be no more death’^[b]^(I) or mourning or crying or pain,^(J) for the old order of things has passed away.”^(K)

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

⁶He said to me: “It is done.^(O) I am the Alpha and the Omega,^(P) the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost^(Q) from the spring of the water of life.^(R) ⁷Those who are victorious^(S) will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.^(T) ⁸But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars^(U)—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.^(V) This is the second death.”^(W)

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

⁹One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues^(X) came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride,^(Y) the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰And he carried me away^(Z) in the Spirit^(AA) to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.^(AB) ¹¹It shone with the glory of God,^(AC) and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper,^(AD) clear as crystal.^(AE) ¹²It had a great, high wall with twelve gates,^(AF) and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.^(AG) ¹³There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴The wall of the city had twelve foundations,^(AH) and on them were the names of the twelve apostles^(AI) of the Lamb.

¹⁵The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod^(AJ) of gold to measure the city, its gates^(AK) and its walls. ¹⁶The 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^[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷The angel measured the wall using human^(AL) measurement, and it was 144 cubits^[d] thick.^[e] ¹⁸The wall was made of jasper,^(AM) and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.^(AN) ¹⁹The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.^(AO) The first foundation was jasper,^(AP) the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby,^(AQ) the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.^[f] ²¹The twelve gates^(AR) were twelve pearls,^(AS) each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.^(AT)

²²I did not see a temple^(AU) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty^(AV) and the Lamb^(AW) are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God^(AX) gives it light,^(AY) and the Lamb^(AZ) is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.^(BA) ²⁵On no day will its gates^(BB) ever be shut,^(BC) for there will be no night there.^(BD) ²⁶The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.^(BE) ²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,^(BF) but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.^(BG)

Eden Restored

22 Then the angel showed me the river^(BH) of the water of life,^(BI) as clear as crystal,^(BJ) flowing^(BK) from the throne of God and of the Lamb ²down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,^(BL) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.^(BM) ³No longer will there be any curse.^(BN) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.^(BO) ⁴They will see his face,^(BP) and his name will be on their foreheads.^(BQ) ⁵There will be no more night.^(BR) They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.^(BS) And they will reign for ever and ever.^(BT)

John and the Angel

⁶The angel said to me,^(BU) “These words are trustworthy and true.^(BV) The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets,^(BW) sent his angel^(BX) to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

⁷“Look, I am coming soon!^(BY) Blessed^(BZ) is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”^(CA)

⁸I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.^(CB) And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet^(CC) of the angel who had been showing them to me. ⁹But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll.^(CD) Worship God!”^(CE)

¹⁰Then he told me, “Do not seal up^(CF) the words of the prophecy of this scroll,^(CG) because the time is near.^(CH) ¹¹Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”^(CI)

Epilogue: Invitation and Warning

¹²“Look, I am coming soon!^(CJ) My reward is with me,^(CK) and I will give to each person according to what they have done.^(CL) ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega,^(CM) the First and the Last,^(CN) the Beginning and the End.^(CO)

¹⁴“Blessed are those who wash their robes,^(CP) that they may have the right to the tree of life^(CQ) and may go through the gates^(CR) into the city.^(CS) ¹⁵Outside^(CT) are the dogs,^(CU) those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

¹⁶“I, Jesus,^(CV) have sent my angel^(CW) to give you^[g] this testimony for the churches.^(CX) I am the Root^(CY) and the Offspring of David,^(CZ) and the bright Morning Star.”^(DA)

¹⁷The Spirit^(DB) and the bride^(DC) say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.^(DD)

¹⁸I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll:^(DE) If anyone adds anything to them,^(DF) God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.^(DG) ¹⁹And if anyone takes words away^(DH) from this scroll of prophecy,^(DI) God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life^(DJ) and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

²⁰He who testifies to these things^(DK) says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”^(DL)

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.^(DM)

²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.^(DN) Amen.

Footnotes

Revelation 21:1 Isaiah 65:17
Revelation 21:4 Isaiah 25:8
Revelation 21:16 That is, about 1,400 miles or about 2,200 kilometers
Revelation 21:17 That is, about 200 feet or about 65 meters
Revelation 21:17 Or high
Revelation 21:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
Revelation 22:16 The Greek is plural.