The Vision of the New Heaven and the New Earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and the sea was gone. 2 I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say,
“See, the tent of God is among humans!
He will make his home with them,
and they will be his people.
God himself will be with them,
and he will be their God.[a]
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There won’t be death anymore.
There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain,
because the first things have disappeared.”
5 The one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!”
He said, “Write this: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”
6 Then he told me, “It has happened! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life to the one who is thirsty. 7 The person who overcomes[b] will inherit these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves[c] in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
The Vision of the New Jerusalem
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came to me and said, “Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.” 10 He carried me away in the Spirit to a large, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. 11 The glory of God was its radiance, and its light was like a valuable gem, like jasper, as clear as crystal. 12 It had a large, high wall with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written 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. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the lamb were written on them.
15 The angel who[d] was talking to me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. 16 The city was cubic in shape: its length was the same as its width. He measured the city with his rod, and it measured at 12,000 stadia:[e]Its length, width, and height were the same. 17 He also measured its wall. According to the human measurement that the angel was using, it was 144 cubits.[f] 18 Its wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.
19 The foundations of the city wall were decorated with all kinds of gems: The first foundation[g] was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian,[h] the seventh chrysolite,[i] the eighth beryl,[j] the ninth topaz,[k] the tenth chrysoprase,[l] the eleventh jacinth[m] and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, and each gate was made of a single pearl. The street of the city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.
22 I saw no temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple. 23 The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light, because the glory of God gave it light, and the lamb was its lamp. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut at the end of the[n] day—because there will be no night there. 26 People[o] will bring the glory and wealth[p] of the nations into it. 27 Nothing unclean, or anyone who does anything detestable, and no one who tells lies will ever enter it. Only those whose names[q] are written in the lamb’s Book of Life will enter it.[r]
Footnotes
- Revelation 21:3 Other mss. lack and he will be their God
- Revelation 21:7 Or conquers
- Revelation 21:8 Lit. will have their part
- Revelation 21:15 Lit. The one who
- Revelation 21:16 I.e. about 1,454 miles long ; one Roman stadion was about 640 feet
- Revelation 21:17 I.e. about 84 yards, if a royal cubit (about 21 inches long) is intended; because height, thickness, or width is not specified, since the city structure is three-dimensional, the wall may be a shell that is 144 cubits thick, enclosing the entire structure
- Revelation 21:19 The Gk. lacks foundation
- Revelation 21:20 Or olivine; i.e. an olive-green mineral commonly found in igneous rocks
- Revelation 21:20 I.e. a bright green variety of chalcedony, a transparent silica quartz
- Revelation 21:20 I.e. an aluminum silicate varying in color from blue, rose, white, and golden, in both opaque and transparent varieties, including emerald and aquamarine
- Revelation 21:20 I.e. a bright yellow (but occasionally blue, green, brown, pink, or colorless) aluminum silicate variety of sapphire or corundum, and serving as the second stone in the first row in the high priest’s breast plate (cf. Exod 28:17)
- Revelation 21:20 I.e. a bright green variety of chalcedony, a transparent silica quartz
- Revelation 21:20 I.e. a red or cinnamon-colored variety of transparent zircon; sometimes also colored deep purple, blue, or violet and serving as the first stone in row three of the high priest’s breast plate (cf. Exod 28:19)
- Revelation 21:25 Lit. shut by
- Revelation 21:26 Lit. They
- Revelation 21:26 Or honor
- Revelation 21:27 Lit. those who
- Revelation 21:27 The Gk. lacks will enter it