A New Heaven and a New Earth
(Isaiah 65:17–25)

1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth,† for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more. 2And I saw† the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne,† saying:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,

and He will tabernacle with them,

and they will be His peoples,

and God Himself will be with them as their God.†

4‘And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’†

and death will be no more,

nor mourning nor crying nor pain;

they will be no more,

because the first things passed away.”

5And the One sitting on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He says,† “Write, because these words are faithful and true.†” 6And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one thirsting, I will give of the spring of the water of life freely. 7The one overcoming will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.

8But to the cowardly and unbelieving† and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part is in the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

9And one of the seven angels having the seven bowls being full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the holy city† Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone being clear as crystal, 12having a great and high wall, having twelve gates, and on the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13On the east were three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names† of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15And the one speaking with me had a golden measuring reed, so that he might measure the city and its gates and its wall. 16And the city lies foursquare, and its length the same as also the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed at twelve thousand stadia.† The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17And he measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits,† the measure of man, that is, of the angel.

18And the structure of its wall was jasper, and the city pure gold, like clear glass, 19the foundations of the wall of the city adorned with every precious stone:

the first foundation jasper,

the second sapphire,

the third chalcedony,

the fourth emerald,

20the fifth sardonyx,

the sixth sardius,

the seventh chrysolite,

the eighth beryl,

the ninth topaz,

the tenth chrysoprase,

the eleventh jacinth,

the twelfth amethyst.

21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates respectively was of one pearl, and the street of the city pure gold, transparent as glass.

22And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they may shine in it; for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory† into it. 25And its gates shall never be shut by day, for there will be no night there.

26And they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27And anything defiling, and those practicing abomination and a lie, never shall enter into it, only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Footnotes:

1 See Isaiah 65:17 and Isaiah 66:22 (see also LXX).
2 TR I, John, saw
3 BYZ and TR from heaven
3 SBL, NE, WH, and BYZ God Himself will be with them.
4 Isaiah 25:8.
5 BYZ and TR include to me.
5 BYZ and TR true and faithful
8 BYZ includes and sinful.
10 RP and TR the great holy city.
14 TR the names
16 12,000 stadia is approximately 1,380 miles or 2,220 kilometers.
17 144 cubits is approximately 216 feet or 65.8 meters. The measure could indicate either height or thickness.
24 BYZ and TR include and honor.