1 I saw the new heaven and the new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 And I, John, saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: “Behold the tabernacle of God with men. And he will dwell with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be their God with them. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death shall be no more. And neither mourning, nor crying out, nor grief shall be anymore. For the first things have passed away.” 5 And the One who was sitting upon the throne, said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And he said to me, “Write, for these words are entirely faithful and true.” 6 And he said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To those who thirst, I will give freely from the fountain of the water of life. 7 Whoever prevails shall possess these things. And I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and drug users, and idolaters, and all liars, these shall be a part of the pool burning with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” 9 And one of the seven Angels, those holding the bowls filled with the seven last afflictions, approached and spoke with me, saying: “Come, and I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he took me up in spirit to a great and high mountain. And he showed me the Holy City Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. And its light was like that of a precious stone, even like that of the jasper stone or like crystal. 12 And it had a wall, great and high, having twelve gates. And at the gates were twelve Angels. And names were written upon them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13 On the East were three gates, and on the North were three gates, and on the South were three gates, and on the West were three gates. 14 And the wall of the City had twelve foundations. And upon them were the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who was speaking with me was holding a golden measuring reed, in order to measure the City, and its gates and wall. 16 And the city is laid out as a square, and so its length is as great as the width. And he measured the city with the golden reed for twelve thousand stadia, and its length and height and breadth were equal. 17 And he measured its wall as one hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is of an Angel. 18 And the structure of its wall was of jasper stone. Yet truly, the city itself was of pure gold, similar to pure glass. 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was of jasper, the second was of sapphire, the third was of chalcedony, the fourth was of emerald, 20 the fifth was of sardonyx, the sixth was of sardius, the seventh was of chrysolite, the eighth was of beryl, the ninth was of topaz, the tenth was of chrysoprasus, the eleventh was of jacinth, the twelfth was of amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, one for each, so that each gate was made from a single pearl. And the main street of the city was of pure gold, similar to transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple in it. For the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine in it. For the glory of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 And the nations shall walk by its light. And the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it. 25 And its gates shall not be closed throughout the day, for there shall be no night in that place. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 27 There shall not enter into it anything defiled, nor anything causing an abomination, nor anything false, but only those who have been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb.
Revelation · Catholic Public Domain Version
Revelation 21 Catholic Public Domain Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
- The translator's footnotes, cross-references, chapter summaries and book introductions in the CrossWire module are not shown.
- No imprimatur; single translator.
Cross references (27)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Isaiah 65:17–19; 2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 66:22; Revelation 21:5; 2 Peter 3:10
- 2 Hebrews 11:10; Revelation 3:12; Revelation 21:10; Isaiah 61:10; Hebrews 13:14
- 3 Ezekiel 37:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; John 14:23; Leviticus 26:11–12; Zechariah 8:8
- 4 Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17; 1 Corinthians 15:26; Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 60:20
- 5 2 Corinthians 5:17; Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 43:19; Revelation 19:9; Revelation 4:2
- 6 John 7:37–38; John 4:10; Revelation 7:17; John 4:14; Psalm 36:9
- 7 2 Corinthians 6:18; Hebrews 8:10; Revelation 21:3; Revelation 2:11; Matthew 25:34
- 8 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Revelation 2:11; Ephesians 5:5–6; Revelation 22:15; Revelation 20:14–15
- 9 Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 17:1; Revelation 16:1–17; Revelation 15:1–7
- 10 Revelation 21:2; Ezekiel 11:24; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4; Ezekiel 40:1–49; Acts 8:39
- 11 Revelation 4:6; Revelation 22:5; Revelation 22:1; Revelation 21:18–19; Isaiah 60:19–20
- 12 Ezekiel 48:31–34; Revelation 21:17–21; Revelation 7:4–8; Isaiah 54:12; Revelation 21:25
- 13 Ezekiel 48:31–34
- 14 Hebrews 11:10; Ephesians 2:20; Isaiah 54:11; Revelation 21:19–21; Matthew 16:18
- 15 Zechariah 2:1; Revelation 11:1–2; Ezekiel 41:1–5; Exodus 40:3–5
- 16 Ezekiel 48:8–20; Ezekiel 48:35
- 17 Deuteronomy 3:11; Revelation 21:9; Revelation 13:18; Revelation 7:4; Revelation 14:3
- 18 Revelation 21:11; Revelation 21:21; Revelation 21:19
- 19 Isaiah 54:11–12; Exodus 28:17–21; Job 28:16–19; Proverbs 3:15
- 20 Revelation 4:3
- 21 Revelation 21:18; Revelation 17:4; Revelation 22:2; Revelation 21:11–12; Revelation 18:16
- 22 John 4:23; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; Isaiah 66:1; John 4:21
- 23 Isaiah 60:19–20; Revelation 22:5; John 1:9; Revelation 21:11; Isaiah 24:23
- 24 Revelation 22:2; Revelation 21:26; Zechariah 8:22–23; Zechariah 2:11; Romans 15:10–12
- 25 Isaiah 60:11; Revelation 22:5; Zechariah 14:7; Isaiah 60:20; Revelation 21:23
- 26 Revelation 21:24
- 27 Isaiah 52:1; Revelation 22:14–15; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 20:15; Isaiah 35:8
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
And in the Apocalypse John saw this new [Jerusalem] descending upon the new earth. For after the times of the kingdom, he says, "I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat upon it, from whose face the earth fled away, and the heavens; and there was no more place for them." And he sets forth, too, the things …
… everlasting punishment," it remains that he explain the connected words, "but the righteous into life eternal." "And I saw," he says, "a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away; and there is no more sea." This will take place in the order which he has by anticipation declared in the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For they will wax old and be wound round as a covering, and will be changed, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)
And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away." Isaiah also declares the very same: "For there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and there shall be no remembrance of the former, …
And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." This city is said to come down out of heaven, because the grace with which God formed it is of heaven.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)