Revelation · Majority Standard Bible
Revelation 21 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.
2 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them.
3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
4 ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things have passed away.”
5 And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said to me, “Write this down, for these words are true and faithful.”
5 He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.”
6 And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
6 He said to me, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
7 The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
7 He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.
8 But to the cowardly and unbelieving and sinful and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
9 Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls which were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the great holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
10 He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal.
11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.
12 having a great and high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.
13 On the east were three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls.
15 He who spoke with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, its gates, and its walls.
16 The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height.
16 The city is square. Its length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.
17 And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.
17 Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass.
18 The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.
19 The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
19 The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.
21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
23 The city has no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory and the honor of the nations.
24 The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
25 Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
25 Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there),
26 And into the city will be brought the glory and honor of the nations.
26 and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it so that they may enter.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
27 There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
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)