A New Heaven and a New Earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.[a]
2 I also saw the holy city—the New Jerusalem—coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [b] 3 I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,
“Behold, the dwelling of God is among men,
and He shall tabernacle among them.
They shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be among them
and be their God.[c]
4 He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes,[d]
and death shall be no more.
Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer,
for the former things have passed away.”
5 And the One seated upon the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” Then He said, “Write, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 Then He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will freely give from the spring of the water of life. [e] 7 The one who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. [f] 8 But for the cowardly and faithless and detestable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars—their lot is in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem
9 Then came one of the seven angels holding the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 Then he carried me away in the Ruach to a great and high mountain,[g] and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God—her radiance like a most precious stone, like a jasper, sparkling like crystal. 12 She had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and above the gates twelve angels. On the gates were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Bnei-Yisrael— 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. [h] 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve emissaries of the Lamb.
15 The angel speaking with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. [i] 16 The city is laid out as a square—its length the same as its width. He measured the city with the rod—12,000 stadia.[j] Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall—144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The material of the city’s wall was jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. 19 The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every kind of precious stone—the first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, carnelian; the seventh, yellow topaz; the eighth; beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls—each of the gates was from a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.
22 I saw no temple in her, for its Temple is Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. [k] 24 The nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. [l] 25 Its gates shall never be shut by day,[m] for there shall be no night there! 26 And they shall bring into it the glory and honor of the nations. 27 And nothing unholy[n] shall ever enter it, nor anyone doing what is detestable or false,[o] but only those written in the Book of Life.
Footnotes
- Revelation 21:1 cf., Is. 65:17; 66:22.
- Revelation 21:3 cf. Is. 61:10.
- Revelation 21:3 cf. Lev. 26:11; Ezek. 37:27; Jer. 31:33(38:33 LXX); Zech. 8:8; some mss. omit and be their God.
- Revelation 21:4 cf. Isa. 25:8.
- Revelation 21:7 cf. Isa. 55:1; Jn. 7:37-38.
- Revelation 21:8 cf. 2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 89:26-27.
- Revelation 21:10 cf. Ezek. 40:2.
- Revelation 21:14 cf. Ezek. 48:31-34.
- Revelation 21:16 cf. Ezek. 40:3.
- Revelation 21:16 About 1400 miles; 1 stadia = 607 feet.
- Revelation 21:24 cf. Isa. 24:23; 30:26; 60:19-20; Zech. 14:6-7;
- Revelation 21:25 cf. Isa. 60:3, 5.
- Revelation 21:25 cf. Isa. 60:11.
- Revelation 21:27 Lit. common (Heb. chol); cf. Lev. 10:10.
- Revelation 21:27 cf. Isa. 52:1; Ezek. 44:9.