Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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The Two Witnesses
1 I was then given a stick that
looked like a measuring-rod,
and was told, “Go and measure the
temple of God and the altar, and
count those who are worshiping in
the temple. note
2 But do not measure the
outer courts, because they have
been given to the heathen, who will
trample on the Holy City for forty-two
months. note
3 I will send my two
witnesses dressed in sackcloth, and
they will proclaim God's message
during those 1,260 days.”
4 The two witnesses are the two
olive trees and the two lamps that
stand before the Lord of the earth. note
5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire
comes out of their mouths and destroys
their enemies; and in this way
whoever tries to harm them will be
killed.
6 They have authority to shut
up the sky so that there will be no
rain during the time they proclaim
God's message. They have authority
also over the springs of water, to
turn them into blood; they have authority
also to strike the earth with
every kind of plague as often as they
wish. note
7 When they finish proclaiming
their message, the beast that comes
up out of the abyss will fight against
them. He will defeat them and kill
them, note
8 and their bodies will lie in the
street of the great city, where their
Lord was crucified. The symbolic
name of that city is Sodom, or
Egypt. note
9 People from all nations,
tribes, languages, and races will look
at their bodies for three and a half
days and will not allow them to be
buried.
10 The people of the earth will
be happy because of the death of
these two. They will celebrate and
send presents to each other, because
those two prophets brought much
suffering upon mankind.
11 After
three and a half days a life-giving
breath came from God and entered
them, and they stood up; and all who
saw them were terrified. note
12 Then the
two prophets heard a loud voice say
to them from heaven, “Come up
here!” As their enemies watched,
they went up into heaven in a cloud. note
13 At that very moment there was a
violent earthquake; a tenth of the
city was destroyed, and seven thousand
people were killed. The rest of
the people were terrified and praised
the greatness of the God of heaven. note
14 The second horror is over, but
the third horror will come soon!
The Seventh Trumpet
15 Then the seventh angel blew his
trumpet, and there were loud voices
in heaven, saying, “The power to
rule over the world belongs now to
our Lord and his Messiah, and he
will rule forever and ever!” note
16 Then
the twenty-four elders who sit on
their thrones in front of God threw
themselves face downward and worshiped
God,
17 saying:
“Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was!
We thank you that you have taken your great power
and have begun to rule!
18
The heathen were filled with rage,
because the time for your anger has come,
the time for the dead to be judged.
The time has come to reward your servants, the prophets,
and all your people, all who have reverence for you,
great and small alike.
The time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth!” note
19 God's temple in heaven was
opened, and the Covenant Box was
seen there. Then there were flashes
-- --
of lightning, rumblings and peals of
thunder, an earthquake, and heavy
hail. note
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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