The Two Witnesses
1Then I was given a measuring reeda like a rod,b with these words: “Goc and measure God’s sanctuary and the altar, and count those who worship there. 2But exclude the courtyard outside the sanctuary.d Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,ef and they will trample the holy cityg for 42 months.h 3I will empoweri my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,j, dressed in •sackcloth.k”l 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lordm of the earth.n 5If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies;o if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6These men have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy.p They also have power over the waters to turn them into bloodq and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.r
The Witnesses Martyred
7When they finish their testimony, the beasts, t that comes up out of the •abyssu will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them. 8Their dead bodiesv, w will lie in the public squarex of the great city,y which propheticallyz is called Sodomaa and Egypt,ab where also their Lord was crucified. 9And representatives fromac the peoples, tribes, languages, and nationsad will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.ae 10Those who live on the earth will gloataf over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets brought judgment to those who live on the earth.
The Witnesses Resurrected
11But after 3 1/2 days, the breathag of lifeah from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. So great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heardai a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.aj 13At that moment a violent earthquake took place,ak a tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14The second woeal has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming quickly!
The Seventh Trumpet
15The seventh angel blew his trumpet,am and there were loud voices in heaven saying:
The kingdom of the •world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of His •Messiah,
and He will reign forever and ever!an
16The 24 elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, 17saying:
We thank You, Lord God, the Almighty,
who is and who was,ao, ap
because You have taken Your great power
and have begun to reign.aq
18The nations were angry,ar
but Your wrath has come.
The time has come
for the dead to be judged
and to give the reward
to Your servants the prophets,as
to the •saints, and to those who fear Your name,
both small and great,at
and the time has come to destroy
those who destroy the earth.
19God’s sanctuary in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenantau appeared in His sanctuary. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings of thunder,av an earthquake,aw and severe hail.
Footnotes:
a. 11:1 Ezk 40:3,5; 42:15-19; Rv 21:15
b. 11:1 Other mss add and the angel stood up
c. 11:1 Lit Arise
d. 11:2 Ezk 40:17,20; 42:14
e. 11:2 Or Gentiles
f. 11:2 Lk 21:24
g. 11:2 Rv 21:1
h. 11:2 Dn 7:25; 12:7,11; Rv 12:6,14; 13:5
i. 11:3 Lit I will give to
j. 11:3 = 3 1/2 years of 30-day months
k. 11:3 Gn 37:34; 2Sa 3:31; 1Kg 20:31-32; 21:25-29; 2Kg 19:1-2; 1Ch 21:16; Is 3:24; 20:2; Jr 6:26
l. 11:3 Mourning garment of coarse, often black, material
m. 11:4 Other mss read God
n. 11:4 Zch 4:3,11-14
o. 11:5 2Kg 1:10-12; Jr 5:14; Rv 9:17
p. 11:6 Gn 8:2; Dt 11:17; 1Kg 8:35; 17:1; 2Ch 6:26; 7:13; Lk 4:25
q. 11:6 Ex 4:9; 7:17-21; Rv 16:4
r. 11:6 Ex 5:3; 9:15; Jr 21:6; Ezk 28:23; Zch 14:12,15
s. 11:7 Or wild animal
t. 11:7 Dn 7:11; Rv 13:1-18; 17:8
u. 11:7 Ps 140:10; Lk 8:31; Rm 10:7; Rv 9:1,11; 17:8; 20:1-3
v. 11:8 Lit Their corpse
w. 11:8 Is 66:24
x. 11:8 Or lie on the broad street
y. 11:8 Rv 16:19; 17:18; 18:10,16-21,24
z. 11:8 Or spiritually, or symbolically
aa. 11:8 Is 1:9,10; 3:9; Jr 23:14; Ezk 16:46,49
ab. 11:8 Ezk 23:3,8,19,27
ac. 11:9 Lit And from
ad. 11:9 Rv 5:9; 7:9; 10:11
ae. 11:9 Lv 26:30; 2Sm 4:12; Is 66:24
af. 11:10 Ps 25:2; 94:3; Pr 24:17; Ob 12-13
ag. 11:11 Or spirit
ah. 11:11 Gn 2:7; 6:17; 7:15,22; Ezk 37:5
ai. 11:12 Other mss read Then I heard
aj. 11:12 2Kg 2:1; Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51; Ac 1:9-10
ak. 11:13 Is 29:6; Ezk 38:19
al. 11:14 Rv 8:13; 9:12
am. 11:15 Is 27:13
an. 11:15 2Sm 7:16; Is 37:16; Dn 7:14,18; Lk 1:32-33
ao. 11:17 Other mss add and who is to come
ap. 11:17 Rv 1:4,8; 4:8; 16:5
aq. 11:17 Lk 1:33; 1Co 15:25; Rv 19:6
ar. 11:18 Ps 2:1
as. 11:18 Rv 10:7
at. 11:18 2Kg 23:2; Ps 115:13; Rv 19:5
au. 11:19 Other mss read ark of the covenant of the Lord
av. 11:19 Rv 4:5; 8:5
aw. 11:19 Other mss omit an earthquake