The New Jerusalem

Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues,(A) came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 He then carried me away in the Spirit[a](B) to a great, high mountain(C) and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 arrayed with God’s glory.(D) Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 The city had a massive high wall, with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.(E) 14 The city wall had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were on the foundations.

15 The one who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod(F) to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.(G) 16 The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia.[b] Its length, width, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used. 18 The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of jewel:(H) the first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The main street[c] of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

22 I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.(I) 24 The nations will walk by its light,(J) and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.[d](K) 25 Its gates will never close by day because it will never be night there.(L) 26 They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.[e](M) 27 Nothing unclean will ever enter it,(N) nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.(O)

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Footnotes

  1. 21:10 Or in spirit
  2. 21:16 A stadion (sg) = about 600 feet; 12,000 stadia = 1,400 miles.
  3. 21:21 Or The public square
  4. 21:24 Other mss read will bring to him the nations’ glory and honor
  5. 21:26 Other mss add in order that they might go in

A Description of the New Jerusalem

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 that has the glory of God. Its radiance is like a precious stone, something like a jasper stone, shining like crystal. 12 It has[a] a great and high wall that has twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on the gates which are[b] of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel— 13 on the east, three gates, and on the north, three gates, and on the south, three gates, and on the west, three gates. 14 And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And the one who spoke with me was holding a golden measuring rod in order that he could measure the city and its gates and its wall. 16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is the same as its width. And he measured the city with the measuring rod at twelve thousand stadia;[c] the length and the width and the height of it are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits[d] according to human measure[e], which is the angel’s. 18 And the material of its wall is jasper, and the city is pure gold, similar in appearance to pure glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every kind of precious stone: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each one of the gates was from a single pearl. And the street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

22 And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God All-Powerful is its temple, and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon, that they shine on it, for the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 And its gates will never be shut by day (for there will be no night there), 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 And every unclean thing and one who practices[f] detestable things and falsehood will never enter into it, except those who are written in the book of life of the Lamb.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 21:12 Literally “having,” referring back to the city mentioned in v. 11
  2. Revelation 21:12 Some manuscripts have “which are the names”
  3. Revelation 21:16 Or “two thousand two hundred kilometers”; or “fourteen hundred miles” (a stade was a unit of length about 185 meters or 607 feet)
  4. Revelation 21:17 This number in cubits amounts to 12 times 12; it would be about 65 meters (216 feet)
  5. Revelation 21:17 Literally “according to the measure of a man”
  6. Revelation 21:27 Some manuscripts have “and the one who practices”