2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the useal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, v“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God won their foreheads.” 4 And xI heard the number of the sealed, y144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
A Great Multitude from Every Nation
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, zfrom every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the aLamb, clothed in bwhite robes, with cpalm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation dbelongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the efour living creatures, and they ffell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, g“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the hgreat tribulation. They have iwashed their robes and made them jwhite in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him kday and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 lThey shall mhunger no more, nneither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their oshepherd,
and he will guide them to psprings of living water,
and God will qwipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Sing to the Lord a New Song
1 Praise the Lord!
sSing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 tLet Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with udancing,
making melody to him with vtambourine and lyre!
4 For the Lord wtakes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the xhigh praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the Lord!
1 See what kind of hlove the Father has given to us, that we should be called ichildren of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that jit did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that kwhen he appears1 we shall be llike him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
The Sermon on the Mount
1 eSeeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the fpoor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be gcomforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for hthey shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who ihunger and thirst for jrighteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the kmerciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the lpure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the mpeacemakers, for they shall be ncalled sons1 of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are opersecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 pRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
