Revelation 21
1 THEN I saw a new sky (heaven) and a new earth, for the former sky and the former earth had passed away (vanished), and there no longer existed any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, all arrayed like a bride beautified and adorned for her husband;3 Then I heard a mighty voice from the throne and I perceived its distinct words, saying, See! The abode of God is with men, and He will live (encamp, tent) among them; and they shall be His people, and God shall personally be with them and be their God. 4 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away. 5 And He Who is seated on the throne said, See! I make all things new. Also He said, Record this, for these sayings are faithful (accurate, incorruptible, and trustworthy) and true (genuine). 6 And He [further] said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I [Myself] will give water without price from the fountain (springs) of the water of Life. 7 He who is victorious shall inherit all these things, and I will be God to him and he shall be My son.8 But as for the cowards and the ignoble and the contemptible and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive, and as for the unbelieving and faithless, and as for the depraved and defiled with abominations, and as for murderers and the lewd and adulterous and the practicers of magic arts and the idolaters (those who give supreme devotion to anyone or anything other than God) and all liars (those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed)--[all of these shall have] their part in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death. 9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven final plagues (afflictions, calamities) came and spoke to me. He said, Come with me! I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.10 Then in the Spirit He conveyed me away to a vast and lofty mountain and exhibited to me the holy (hallowed, consecrated) city of Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, 11 Clothed in God’s glory [in all its splendor and radiance]. The luster of it resembled a rare and most precious jewel, like jasper, shining clear as crystal.12 It had a massive and high wall with twelve [large] gates, and at the gates [there were stationed] twelve angels, and [on the gates] the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were written: 13 On the east side three gates, on the north side three gates, on the south side three gates, and on the west side three gates.14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation [stones], and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.15 And he who spoke to me had a golden measuring reed (rod) to measure the city and its gates and its wall. 16 The city lies in a square, its length being the same as its width. And he measured the city with his reed--12,000 stadia (about 1,500 miles); its length and width and height are the same.17 He measured its wall also--144 cubits (about 72 yards) by a man’s measure [of a cubit from his elbow to his third fingertip], which is [the measure] of the angel.18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city [itself was of] pure gold, clear and transparent like glass.19 The foundation [stones] of the wall of the city were ornamented with all of the precious stones. The first foundation [stone] was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony (or white agate), the fourth emerald, 20 The fifth onyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each separate gate being built of one solid pearl. And the main street (the broadway) of the city was of gold as pure and translucent as glass.22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Omnipotent [Himself] and the Lamb [Himself] are its temple.23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the splendor and radiance (glory) of God illuminate it, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations shall walk by its light and the rulers and leaders of the earth shall bring into it their glory.25 And its gates shall never be closed by day, and there shall be no night there. 26 They shall bring the glory (the splendor and majesty) and the honor of the nations into it.27 But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it, nor anyone who commits abominations (unclean, detestable, morally repugnant things) or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 21
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Thent I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist,t and the sea existed no more.2 And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residencet of God is among human beings.t Het will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them.s
4 Het will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.”t
5 And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Thent he said to me, “Write it down,t because these words are reliablet and true.”6 He also said to me, “It is done!t I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give watert free of charget from the spring of the water of life.7 The one who conquerst will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells,t idol worshipers,t and all those who lie, their placet will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.t Thatt is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem Descends
9 Thent one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me,t saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”10 Sot he took me away in the Spiritt to a huge, majestic mountaint and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.11 The city possessest the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.t12 It hast a massive, high wallt with twelve gates,t with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israelt are written on the gates.t13 There aret three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side.t
14 Thet wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angelt who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall.16 Nowt the city is laid out as a square,t its length and width the same. Het measured the city with the measuring rodt at fourteen hundred milest (its length and width and height are equal).17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubitst according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.t18 The city’st wall is madet of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.t19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decoratedt with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate,s the fourth emerald,20 the fifth onyx,s the sixth carnelian,s the seventh chrysolite,s the eighth beryl,s the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase,s the eleventh jacinth,s and the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! Thet main streett of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 Nowt I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerfult – 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 lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.24 The nationst will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeurt into it.25 Its gates will never be closed during the dayt (andt there will be no night there).t26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealtht of the nationst into it,
27 butt nothing ritually uncleant will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestablet or practices falsehood,t but only those whose namest are written in the Lamb’s book of life.