9 Then one of the seven messengers holding the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I’ll show you the bride—the lamb’s wife.” 10 Then in the spirit, he carried me away to a very large, high mountain and he showed me the HOLY city, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,[ref] 11 shining like God’s splendour—its brilliance being like a very precious stone—like a jasper stone shining like crystal. 12 The city had wall that was both wide and high, with twelve gates and twelve messengers at the gates. The gates had the names of the twelve tribes (from Israel’s twelve sons) written on them.[ref] 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. 14 The city wall had twelve foundation stones, and they had the names of the lamb’s twelve missionaries written on them.

15 The messenger speaking to me had a golden measuring rod so that he could measure the city and its gates and wall.[ref] 16 The city was laid out square with the length equalling the width. Using the rod, the messenger measured the city at 2.2km on each edge, with the length, width, and height all being equal. 17 He also measured the wall to be 70m using normal measurements.[fn] 18 The wall was made of green jasper stone and the city itself was pure gold but as clear as glass.[ref] 19 The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with many different 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. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls—each one of the gates individually was from one pearl—and the city street was pure gold—transparent like glass.

22 I didn’t see any temple in the city because the master, the all-powerful God, and the lamb are its temple. 23 The city doesn’t need the sun or moon to illuminate it because God’s radiance illuminates it, and its lamp is the lamb.[ref] 24 The nations will be able to walk around from its light, and the kings on the earth will bring their best into the city.[ref] 25 It’ll never get dark there, so the city gates will never need to be closed[ref] 26 and they will bring the prestige and the honour of the nations into it. 27 However, nothing that’s ‘unclean’ will ever enter the city, and nor will those with shameful or dishonest behaviour—only those whose names have been written in the lamb’s book of life.[ref]

22 [ref]Then he showed me the river of the water of life that sparkled like crystal. It flowed out of the throne of God and the lamb. 2 [ref]In the middle of its path and in the middle of the river reaching from one side to the other was the tree of life that produces twelve fruits—a different one each month—and the leaves of the tree are for healing the nations 3 [ref]and there won’t be a curse any more.

The throne for God and the lamb will be in the city, and his slaves will be serving him. 4 They will see his face, and his name on their foreheads. 5 [ref]Nights won’t exist any more and they won’t need the light from a lamp or from the sun because the master God will illuminate them, and they will reign through the ages.