² but do not measure ^(A)the court outside the temple; leave that out, for ^(B)it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for ^(C)forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(D)1,260 days, ^(E)clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are ^(F)the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone would harm them, ^(G)fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, ^(H)this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶ They have the power ^(I)to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and ^(J)to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷ And when they have finished their testimony, ^(K)the beast that rises from ^(L)the bottomless pit^{[a] (M)}will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸ and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^[b] is called ^(N)Sodom and ^(O)Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and ^(P)refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and ^(Q)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and ^(R)exchange presents, because these two prophets ^(S)had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days ^(T)a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ^(U)“Come up here!” And ^(V)they went up to heaven ^(W)in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And at that hour there was ^(X)a great earthquake, and ^(Y)a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(Z)gave glory to ^(AA)the God of heaven.

^14 (AB)The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then ^(AC)the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and ^(AD)there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ^(AE)“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(AF)his Christ, and ^(AG)he shall reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders ^(AH)who sit on their thrones before God ^(AI)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

¹⁹ Then ^(AP)God's temple in heaven was opened, and ^(AQ)the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^[c] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and ^(AR)heavy hail.

Godlessness in the Last Days

3 But understand this, that ^(A)in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be ^(B)lovers of self, ^(C)lovers of money, ^(D)proud, ^(E)arrogant, abusive, ^(F)disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ^3 (G)heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, ^(H)not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, ^(I)swollen with conceit, ^(J)lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but ^(K)denying its power. ^(L)Avoid such people. ⁶ For among them are ^(M)those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷ always learning and never able to ^(N)arrive at a knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Just as ^(O)Jannes and Jambres ^(P)opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, ^(Q)men corrupted in mind and ^(R)disqualified regarding the faith. ⁹ But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, ^(S)as was that of those two men.

All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God

^10 (T)You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, ¹¹ my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me ^(U)at Antioch, ^(V)at Iconium, and ^(W)at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet ^(X)from them all ^(Y)the Lord rescued me. ¹² Indeed, all who desire to ^(Z)live a godly life in Christ Jesus ^(AA)will be persecuted, ¹³ while ^(AB)evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and ^(AC)being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, ^(AD)continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom^[a] you learned it ¹⁵ and how ^(AE)from childhood you have been acquainted with ^(AF)the sacred writings, ^(AG)which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ^16 (AH)All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that ^(AI)the man of God^[b] may be complete, ^(AJ)equipped ^(AK)for every good work.

Some Will Depart from the Faith

4 Now ^(A)the Spirit expressly says that ^(B)in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to ^(C)deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of ^(D)liars whose consciences are seared, ^3 (E)who forbid marriage and ^(F)require abstinence from foods ^(G)that God created ^(H)to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

^3 (A)Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, ^(B)unless the rebellion comes first, and ^(C)the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed, ^(D)the son of destruction,^{[b] 4} who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^(E)proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷ For ^(F)the mystery of lawlessness ^(G)is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ⁸ And then ^(H)the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus ^(I)will kill with ^(J)the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by ^(K)the appearance of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan ^(L)with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰ and with all wicked deception for ^(M)those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ Therefore ^(N)God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe ^(O)what is false, ¹² in order that all may be condemned ^(P)who did not believe the truth but ^(Q)had pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³ And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued ^(A)the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given the two ^(B)wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent ^(C)into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished ^(D)for a time, and times, and half a time. ¹⁵ The serpent poured water ^(E)like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶ But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off ^(F)to make war on the rest of ^(G)her offspring, ^(H)on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to ^(I)the testimony of Jesus. And he stood^[a] on the sand of the sea.