11I was given a reed like a measuring rod^s and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ²But exclude the outer court;^t do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^u They will trample on the holy city^v for 42 months.^w ³And I will appoint my two witnesses,^x and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^y clothed in sackcloth.”^z ⁴They are “the two olive trees”^a and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^a^b ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^c This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^d ⁶They have power to shut up the heavens^e so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^f and they have power to turn the waters into blood^g and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^h that comes up from the Abyssⁱ will attack them,^j and overpower and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^k—which is figuratively called Sodom^l and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^m ⁹For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nationⁿ will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.^o ¹⁰The inhabitants of the earth^p will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,^q because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹But after the three and a half days^r the breath^b of life from God entered them,^s and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹²Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”^t And they went up to heaven in a cloud,^u while their enemies looked on.

¹³At that very hour there was a severe earthquake^v and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory^w to the God of heaven.^x

¹⁴The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.^y

Read in Logos

Footnotes

aSee Zech. 4:3, 11, 14.
bOr Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5, 14)

Cross references

s Eze 40:3; Rev 21:15
t Eze 40:17, 20
u Lk 21:24
vSee Rev 21:2
wver 3; Da 7:25; 12:7; Rev 12:6, 14; 13:5
x Rev 1:5; 2:13
ySee ver 2
z Ge 37:34; 2 Sa 3:31; Ne 9:1; Jnh 3:5
a Ps 52:8; Jer 11:16; Zec 4:3, 11
b Zec 4:14
c 2 Sa 22:9; 2 Ki 1:10; Jer 5:14; Rev 9:17, 18
d Nu 16:29, 35
eSee Lk 4:25
fver 3
g Ex 7:17, 19; Rev 8:8
h Rev 13:1–4
iSee Lk 8:31
j Da 7:21; Rev 13:7
k Rev 16:19
l Isa 1:9; Jer 23:14; Eze 16:46
m Heb 13:12
nSee Rev 13:7
o Ps 79:2, 3
pSee Rev 3:10
q Ne 8:10, 12; Est 9:19, 22
rver 9
s Eze 37:5, 9, 10, 14
t Rev 4:1
u 2 Ki 2:11; Ac 1:9
vSee Rev 6:12
w Rev 14:7; 16:9; 19:7
x Rev 16:11
ySee Rev 8:13