Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire[a]
    and the peoples plot(A) in vain?
The kings(B) of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed,(C) saying,
“Let us break their chains(D)
    and throw off their shackles.”(E)

The One enthroned(F) in heaven laughs;(G)
    the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger(H)
    and terrifies them in his wrath,(I) saying,
“I have installed my king(J)
    on Zion,(K) my holy mountain.(L)

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;(M)
    today I have become your father.(N)
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations(O) your inheritance,(P)
    the ends of the earth(Q) your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron[b];(R)
    you will dash them to pieces(S) like pottery.(T)

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;(U)
    be warned, you rulers(V) of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear(W)
    and celebrate his rule(X) with trembling.(Y)
12 Kiss his son,(Z) or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath(AA) can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed(AB) are all who take refuge(AC) in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 2:1 Hebrew; Septuagint rage
  2. Psalm 2:9 Or will rule them with an iron scepter (see Septuagint and Syriac)

Psalm 96(A)

Sing to the Lord(B) a new song;(C)
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;(D)
    proclaim his salvation(E) day after day.
Declare his glory(F) among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds(G) among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(H)
    he is to be feared(I) above all gods.(J)
For all the gods of the nations are idols,(K)
    but the Lord made the heavens.(L)
Splendor and majesty(M) are before him;
    strength and glory(N) are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord,(O) all you families of nations,(P)
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering(Q) and come into his courts.(R)
Worship the Lord(S) in the splendor of his[a] holiness;(T)
    tremble(U) before him, all the earth.(V)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.(W)
    The world is firmly established,(X) it cannot be moved;(Y)
    he will judge(Z) the peoples with equity.(AA)

11 Let the heavens rejoice,(AB) let the earth be glad;(AC)
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest(AD) sing for joy.(AE)
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge(AF) the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness(AG)
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.(AH)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 96:9 Or Lord with the splendor of

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.(B) 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.(D) 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.(F) 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,(G) 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,(H) I was sick and you looked after me,(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’(J)

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(K)

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,(L) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire(M) prepared for the devil and his angels.(N) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’(O)

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.(P)(Q)

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The Thousand Years

20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven,(A) having the key(B) to the Abyss(C) and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,(D) and bound him for a thousand years.(E) He threw him into the Abyss,(F) and locked and sealed(G) it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations(H) anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

I saw thrones(I) on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.(J) And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded(K) because of their testimony about Jesus(L) and because of the word of God.(M) They[a] had not worshiped the beast(N) or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.(O) They came to life and reigned(P) with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.(Q) Blessed(R) and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death(S) has no power over them, but they will be priests(T) of God and of Christ and will reign with him(U) for a thousand years.

The Judgment of Satan

When the thousand years are over,(V) Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations(W) in the four corners of the earth(X)—Gog and Magog(Y)—and to gather them for battle.(Z) In number they are like the sand on the seashore.(AA) They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded(AB) the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.(AC) But fire came down from heaven(AD) and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them,(AE) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,(AF) where the beast(AG) and the false prophet(AH) had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.(AI)

The Judgment of the Dead

11 Then I saw a great white throne(AJ) and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,(AK) and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small,(AL) standing before the throne, and books were opened.(AM) Another book was opened, which is the book of life.(AN) The dead were judged(AO) according to what they had done(AP) as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades(AQ) gave up the dead(AR) that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.(AS) 14 Then death(AT) and Hades(AU) were thrown into the lake of fire.(AV) The lake of fire is the second death.(AW) 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life(AX) was thrown into the lake of fire.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[b](AY) for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,(AZ) and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City,(BA) the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,(BB) prepared as a bride(BC) beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.(BD) They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.(BE) ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.(BF) There will be no more death’[c](BG) or mourning or crying or pain,(BH) for the old order of things has passed away.”(BI)

He who was seated on the throne(BJ) said, “I am making everything new!”(BK) Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”(BL)

He said to me: “It is done.(BM) I am the Alpha and the Omega,(BN) the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost(BO) from the spring of the water of life.(BP) Those who are victorious(BQ) will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.(BR) But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars(BS)—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.(BT) This is the second death.”(BU)

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues(BV) came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride,(BW) the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away(BX) in the Spirit(BY) to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.(BZ) 11 It shone with the glory of God,(CA) and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper,(CB) clear as crystal.(CC) 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates,(CD) and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.(CE) 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations,(CF) and on them were the names of the twelve apostles(CG) of the Lamb.

15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod(CH) of gold to measure the city, its gates(CI) and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[d] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human(CJ) measurement, and it was 144 cubits[e] thick.[f] 18 The wall was made of jasper,(CK) and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.(CL) 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.(CM) The first foundation was jasper,(CN) the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby,(CO) the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[g] 21 The twelve gates(CP) were twelve pearls,(CQ) each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.(CR)

22 I did not see a temple(CS) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty(CT) and the Lamb(CU) are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God(CV) gives it light,(CW) and the Lamb(CX) is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.(CY) 25 On no day will its gates(CZ) ever be shut,(DA) for there will be no night there.(DB) 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.(DC) 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,(DD) but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.(DE)

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 20:4 Or God; I also saw those who
  2. Revelation 21:1 Isaiah 65:17
  3. Revelation 21:4 Isaiah 25:8
  4. Revelation 21:16 That is, about 1,400 miles or about 2,200 kilometers
  5. Revelation 21:17 That is, about 200 feet or about 65 meters
  6. Revelation 21:17 Or high
  7. Revelation 21:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.

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