Revelation 21
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Revelation chapter 21 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
1 patristic excerpt is attached to this chapter, from Victorinus of Pettau.
Revelation 21
1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And there was no more sea.Καὶ εἶδον οὐρανὸν καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινήν, ὁ γὰρ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη γῆ ἀπῆλθον, καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι.
2Then I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having been prepared like a bride having been adorned for her husband.καὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν, Ἱερουσαλὴμ καινήν, εἶδον καταβαίνουσαν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡτοιμασμένην ὡς νύμφην κεκοσμημένην τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς.
3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them.καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς μεγάλης ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λεγούσης, Ἰδού, ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ σκηνώσει μετ᾽ αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἔσονται, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἔσται.
4And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying out; neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away.”καὶ ἐξαλείψει ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁ θάνατος οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι, οὔτε πένθος οὔτε κραυγὴ οὔτε πόνος οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι, ὅτι τὰ πρῶτα ἀπῆλθε.
5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ, Ἰδού, πάντα καινὰ ποιῶ. καὶ λέγει, Γράψον· ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσι.
6And He said to me, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give from the spring of the water of life freely to him that is thirsty.καὶ εἶπέ μοι, Γέγονα τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος. ἐγὼ τῷ διψῶντι δώσω αὐτῷ ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος τῆς ζωῆς δωρεάν.
7He that overcomes I shall give to him these things, and I shall be God to him, and he shall be to Me a son.ὁ νικῶν, δώσω αὐτῷ ταῦτα, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ Θεός, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι υἱός.
8But the cowardly and unbelieving and sinners and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and drug users and idolaters and all who are false shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”τοῖς δὲ δειλοῖς καὶ ἀπίστοις καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῖς καὶ ἐβδελυγμένοις καὶ φονεῦσι καὶ πόρνοις καὶ φαρμάκοις καὶ εἰδωλολάτραις καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ψευδέσι τὸ μέρος αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ καιομένῃ πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος.
9Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls being full with the seven last plagues and spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the wife, the bride of the Lamb.”Καὶ ἦλθεν εἷς ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων τῶν ἐχόντων τὰς ἑπτὰ φιάλας γεμούσας τῶν ἑπτὰ πληγῶν τῶν ἐσχάτων, καὶ ἐλάλησε μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ λέγων, Δεῦρο, δείξω σοι τὴν γυναῖκα, τὴν νύμφην τοῦ ἀρνίου.
10And he carried me away in the Spirit onto a great and high mountain, and he showed to me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,καὶ ἀπήνεγκέ με ἐν Πνεύματι ἐπ᾽ ὄρος μέγα καὶ ὑψηλόν, καὶ ἔδειξέ μοι τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καταβαίνουσαν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ,
11having the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal,ἔχουσαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. ὁ φωστὴρ αὐτῆς ὅμοιος λίθῳ τιμιωτάτῳ, ὡς λίθῳ ἰάσπιδι κρυσταλλίζοντι,
12having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel:ἔχουσα τεῖχος μέγα καὶ ὑψηλόν, ἔχουσα πυλῶνας δώδεκα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς πυλῶσιν ἀγγέλους δεκαδύο καὶ ὀνόματα ἐπιγεγραμμένα, ἅ ἐστιν ὀνόματα τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ.
13three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν πυλῶνες τρεῖς, καὶ ἀπὸ βορρᾶ πυλῶνες τρεῖς, καὶ ἀπὸ νότου πυλῶνες τρεῖς, καὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν πυλῶνες τρεῖς.
14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.καὶ τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως ἔχον θεμελίους δώδεκα καὶ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν δώδεκα ὀνόματα τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῦ ἀρνίου.
15And he who spoke with me had a measure, a golden reed, so that he might measure the city, and its gates.Καὶ ὁ λαλῶν μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ εἶχε μέτρον κάλαμον χρυσοῦν, ἵνα μετρήσῃ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοὺς πυλῶνας αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ τεῖχος αὐτῆς.
16The city is laid out like a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.καὶ ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται, καὶ τὸ μῆκος αὐτῆς ὅσον τὸ πλάτος. καὶ ἐμέτρησε τὴν πόλιν τῷ καλάμῳ ἐπὶ σταδίους δεκαδύο χιλιάδων δώδεκα· τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὸ πλάτος καὶ τὸ ὕψος αὐτῆς ἴσα ἐστί.
17And its wall is one hundred and forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, which is, of an angel.καὶ τὸ τεῖχος αὐτῆς ρμδʹ πηχῶν, μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου.
18And the construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.καὶ ἦν ἡ ἐνδόμησις τοῦ τείχους αὐτῆς ἴασπις, καὶ ἡ πόλις χρυσίον καθαρόν, ὅμοιον ὑάλῳ καθαρῷ.
19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,οἱ θεμέλιοι τοῦ τείχους τῆς πόλεως παντὶ λίθῳ τιμίῳ κεκοσμημένοι. ὁ θεμέλιος ὁ πρῶτος ἴασπις, ὁ δεύτερος σάπφειρος, ὁ τρίτος χαλκηδών, ὁ τέταρτος σμάραγδος,
20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.ὁ πέμπτος σαρδόνυξ, ὁ ἕκτος σάρδιον, ὁ ἕβδομος χρυσόλιθος, ὁ ὄγδοος βήρυλλος, ὁ ἔνατος τοπάζιον, ὁ δέκατος χρυσόπρασος, ὁ ἑνδέκατος ὑάκινθος, ὁ δωδέκατος ἀμέθυσος.
21The twelve gates are twelve pearls: each one of the gates was made of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.καὶ οἱ δώδεκα πυλῶνες δώδεκα μαργαρῖται· ἀνὰ εἷς ἕκαστος τῶν πυλώνων ἦν ἐξ ἑνὸς μαργαρίτου. καὶ ἡ πλατεῖα τῆς πόλεως χρυσίον καθαρόν, ὡς ὕελος διαυγής.
22But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, also the Lamb.Καὶ ναὸν οὐκ εἶδον ἐν αὐτῇ, ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ναὸς αὐτῆς ἐστι, καὶ τὸ ἀρνίον.
23The city had no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.καὶ ἡ πόλις οὐ χρείαν ἔχει τοῦ ἡλίου οὐδὲ τῆς σελήνης ἵνα φαίνωσιν, αὐτὴ γὰρ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐφώτισεν αὐτήν, καὶ ὁ λύχνος αὐτῆς τὸ ἀρνίον.
24And the nations shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring to it the glory and honor of the nations into it.καὶ περιπατήσουσι τὰ ἔθνη διὰ τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτῆς, καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς φέρουσιν αὐτῷ δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς αὐτήν.
25And its gates shall by no means be closed by day, for night shall not exist there.καὶ οἱ πυλῶνες αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ κλεισθῶσιν ἡμέρας—νὺξ γὰρ οὐκ ἔσται ἐκεῖ—
26And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it, so that they may enter.καὶ οἴσουσι τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς αὐτήν, ἵνα εἰσέλθωσι.
27But there shall by no means enter into it anything unclean, nor shall the abominable or liars enter, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς αὐτὴν πᾶν κοινὸν καὶ ὁ ποιῶν βδέλυγμα καὶ ψεῦδος, εἰ μὴ οἱ γεγραμμένοι ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου.
The Fathers on Revelation 21
Victorinus of Pettau comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Revelation 21:16Open Revelation 21 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Victorinus of Pettau16. “And the city is placed in a square.”] The city which he says is squared, he says also is resplendent with gold and precious stones, and has a sacred street, and a river through the midst of it, and the tree of life on either side, bearing twelve manner of fruits throughout the twelve months; and that the light of...
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