The New Heaven and the New Earth

21 ^(A) I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and so had the sea. ^2 (B) Then I saw New Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God in heaven. It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband.

^3 (C) I heard a loud voice shout from the throne:

God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. ^4 (D) He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.

⁵ Then the one sitting on the throne said:

I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted. ^6 (E) Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega,^[a] the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty. ^7 (F) All who win the victory will be given these blessings. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

⁸ But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty-minded or who murders or is sexually immoral or uses witchcraft or worships idols or tells lies. They will be thrown into that lake of fire and burning sulfur. This is the second death.^[b]

The New Jerusalem

⁹ I saw one of the seven angels who had the bowls filled with the seven last terrible troubles. The angel came to me and said, “Come on! I will show you the one who will be the bride and wife of the Lamb.” ^10 (G) Then with the help of the Spirit, he took me to the top of a very high mountain. There he showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down from God in heaven.

¹¹ The glory of God made the city bright. It was dazzling and crystal clear like a precious jasper stone. ^12 (H) The city had a high and thick wall with twelve gates, and each one of them was guarded by an angel. On each of the gates was written the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³ Three of these gates were on the east, three were on the north, three more were on the south, and the other three were on the west. ¹⁴ The city was built on twelve foundation stones. On each of the stones was written the name of one of the Lamb's twelve apostles.

^15 (I) The angel who spoke to me had a gold measuring stick to measure the city and its gates and its walls. ¹⁶ The city was shaped like a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel measured the city, it was about 2,400 kilometers high and 2,400 kilometers wide. ¹⁷ Then the angel measured the wall, and by our measurements it was about 60 meters high.

^18 (J)(K) The wall was built of jasper, and the city was made of pure gold, clear as crystal. ¹⁹ Each of the twelve foundations was a precious stone. The first was jasper,^[c] the second was sapphire, the third was agate, the fourth was emerald, ²⁰ the fifth was onyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst. ²¹ Each of the twelve gates was a solid pearl. The streets of the city were made of pure gold, clear as crystal.

²² I did not see a temple there. The Lord God All-Powerful and the Lamb were its temple. ^23 (L) And the city did not need the sun or the moon. The glory of God was shining on it, and the Lamb was its light.

^24 (M) Nations will walk by the light of that city, and kings will bring their riches there. ^25 (N) Its gates are always open during the day, and night never comes. ²⁶ The glorious treasures of nations will be brought into the city. ^27 (O) But nothing unworthy will be allowed to enter. No one who is dirty-minded or who tells lies will be there. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life^[d] will be in the city.

22 ^(P) The angel showed me a river that was crystal clear, and its waters gave life. The river came from the throne where God and the Lamb were seated. ^2 (Q) Then it flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river are trees^[e] that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations.

^3 (R) God's curse will no longer be on the people of that city. He and the Lamb will be seated there on their thrones, and its people will worship God ^4 (S) and will see him face to face. God's name will be written on the foreheads of the people. ^5 (T) Never again will night appear, and no one who lives there will ever need a lamp or the sun. The Lord God will be their light, and they will rule forever.

The Coming of Christ

⁶ Then I was told:

These words are true and can be trusted. The Lord God controls the spirits of his prophets, and he is the one who sent his angel to show his servants what must happen very soon. ⁷ Remember, I am coming soon! God will bless everyone who pays attention to the message of this book.

⁸ My name is John, and I am the one who heard and saw these things. Then after I had heard and seen all this, I knelt down and began to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown it to me.

⁹ But the angel said,

Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you. I am the same as a follower or a prophet or anyone else who obeys what is written in this book. God is the one you should worship.

¹⁰ Don't keep the prophecies in this book a secret. These things will happen soon.

^11 (U) Evil people will keep on being evil, and everyone who is dirty-minded will still be dirty-minded. But good people will keep on doing right, and God's people will always be holy.

^12 (V) Then I was told:

I am coming soon! And when I come, I will reward everyone for what they have done. ^13 (W) I am Alpha and Omega,^[f] the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

^14 (X) God will bless all who have washed their robes. They will each have the right to eat fruit from the tree that gives life, and they can enter the gates of the city. ¹⁵ But outside the city will be dogs, witches, immoral people, murderers, idol worshipers, and everyone who loves to tell lies and do wrong.

^16 (Y) I am Jesus! And I am the one who sent my angel to tell all of you these things for the churches. I am David's Great Descendant,^[g] and I am also the bright morning star.^[h]

^17 (Z) The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”

Everyone who hears this^[i] should say, “Come!”

If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free!

^18 (AA) Here is my warning for everyone who hears the prophecies in this book:

If you add anything to them, God will make you suffer all the terrible troubles written in this book. ¹⁹ If you take anything away from these prophecies, God will not let you have part in the life-giving tree and in the holy city described in this book.

²⁰ The one who has spoken these things says, “I am coming soon!”

So, Lord Jesus, please come soon!

²¹ I pray that the Lord Jesus will be kind to all of you.

9 ^(A) But those who have suffered will no longer be in pain.^[a] The territories of Zebulun and Naphtali in Galilee were once hated. But this land of the Gentiles across the Jordan River and along the Mediterranean Sea will be greatly respected.

War Is Over

A Child Has Been Born

God Will Punish Israel

⁸ The Lord had warned the people of Israel, ⁹ and all of them knew it, including everyone in the capital city of Samaria. But they were proud and stubborn and said,

¹¹ The Lord made their enemies^[d] attack them. ¹² He sent the Arameans from the east and the Philistines from the west, and they swallowed up Israel. But even this did not stop him from being angry, so he kept on punishing them.^{[e] 13} The people of Israel still did not turn back to the Lord All-Powerful and worship him.

¹⁴ In one day he cut off their head and tail, their leaves and branches. ¹⁵ Their rulers and leaders were the head, and the lying prophets were the tail. ¹⁶ They had led the nation down the wrong path, and the people were confused. ¹⁷ The Lord was angry with his people and kept punishing them, because they had turned against him.^[f] They were evil and spoke foolishly. That's why he did not have pity on their young people or on their widows and orphans.

¹⁸ Evil had spread like a raging forest fire sending thornbushes up in smoke. ¹⁹ The Lord All-Powerful was angry and used the people as fuel for a fire that scorched the land. They turned against each other ²⁰ like wild animals attacking and eating everyone around them, even their own relatives.^[g] But still they were not satisfied. ²¹ The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh turned against each other, then joined forces to attack Judah. But the Lord was still angry and ready to punish the nation even more.

10 You people are in for trouble! You have made cruel and unfair laws ² that let you cheat the poor and needy and rob widows and orphans. ³ But what will you do when you are fiercely attacked and punished by foreigners? Where will you run for help? Where will you hide your valuables? ⁴ How will you escape being captured^[h] or killed? The Lord is still angry, and he isn't through with you yet!^[i]

The Lord's Purpose and the King of Assyria

^5 (D) The Lord says:

I am furious! And I will use the king of Assyria^[j] as a club ⁶ to beat down you godless people. I am angry with you, and I will send him to attack you. He will take what he wants and walk on you like mud in the streets. ⁷ He has even bigger plans in mind, because he wants to destroy many nations.

⁸ The king of Assyria says:

My army commanders are kings! ⁹ They have already captured^[k] the cities of Calno, Carchemish, Hamath, Arpad, Samaria, and Damascus. ^10-11 (E) The gods of Jerusalem and Samaria are weaker than the gods of those powerful nations. And I will destroy Jerusalem, together with its gods and idols, just as I did Samaria.

¹² The Lord will do what he has planned against Jerusalem and Mount Zion. Then he will punish the proud and boastful king of Assyria, ¹³ who says:

I did these things by my own power because I am smart and clever. I attacked kings like a wild bull, and I took the land and the treasures of their nations. ¹⁴ I have conquered the whole world! And it was easier than taking eggs from an unguarded nest. No one even flapped a wing or made a peep.

¹⁵ King of Assyria, can an ax or a saw overpower the one who uses it? Can a wooden pole lift whoever holds it? ¹⁶ The mighty Lord All-Powerful will send a terrible disease to strike down your army, and you will burn with fever under your royal robes. ¹⁷ The holy God, who is the light of Israel, will turn into a fire, and in one day you will go up in flames, just like a thornbush. ¹⁸ The Lord will make your beautiful forests and fertile fields slowly rot. ¹⁹ There will be so few trees that even a young child can count them.

Only a Few Will Come Back

²⁰ A time is coming when the survivors from Israel and Judah will completely depend on the holy Lord of Israel, instead of the nation^[l] that defeated them. ^21-22 (F) There were as many people as there are grains of sand along the seashore, but only a few will survive to come back to Israel's mighty God. This is because he has threatened to destroy their nation, just as they deserve. ²³ The Lord All-Powerful has promised that everyone on this earth^[m] will be punished.

²⁴ Now the Lord God All-Powerful says to his people in Jerusalem:

The Assyrians will beat you with sticks and abuse you, just as the Egyptians did. But don't be afraid of them. ²⁵ Soon I will stop being angry with you, and I will punish them for their crimes.^{[n] 26} I will beat the Assyrians with a whip, as I did the people of Midian near the rock at Oreb. And I will show the same mighty power that I used when I made a path through the sea in Egypt. ²⁷ Then they will no longer rule your nation. All will go well for you,^[o] and your burden will be lifted.

²⁸ Enemy troops have reached the town of Aiath.^[p] They have gone through Migron, and they stored their supplies at Michmash, ²⁹ before crossing the valley and spending the night at Geba.^[q] The people of Ramah are terrified; everyone in Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, has run away. ³⁰ Loud crying can be heard in the towns of Gallim, Laishah, and sorrowful Anathoth. ³¹ No one is left in Madmenah or Gebim. ³² Today the enemy will camp at Nob^[r] and shake a threatening fist at Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord for All He Has Done