Genesis 1:28
4 I will give you showers of rain at their proper time,+ and the land will yield its produce,+ and the trees of the field will give their fruit. 5 Your threshing season will extend until your grape harvest, and the grape harvest will extend until the sowing season; and you will eat your bread to satisfaction and dwell in security in your land.+ 6 I will put peace in the land,+ and you will lie down with no one making you afraid;+ and I will rid the land of vicious wild animals, and a sword of war will not pass through your land.
19 I take the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you today that I have put life and death before you, the blessing and the curse;+ and you must choose life so that you may live,+ you and your descendants,+ 20 by loving Jehovah your God,+ by listening to his voice, and by sticking to him,+ for he is your life and by him you will endure a long time in the land that Jehovah swore to give to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”+
8 Come and witness the activities of Jehovah, How he has done astonishing things on the earth. 9 He is bringing an end to wars throughout the earth.+ He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the military wagons* with fire. 10 “Give in and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations;+ I will be exalted in the earth.”+
3 May the mountains bring peace to the people, And may the hills bring righteousness. 4 Let him defend* the lowly among the people, Let him save the sons of the poor, And let him crush the defrauder.+ 5 They will fear you as long as there is a sun And as long as the moon remains, For generation after generation.+ 6 He will be like the rain that falls on the mown grass, Like showers of rain that water the earth.+ 7 In his days the righteous will flourish,*+ And peace will abound+ until the moon is no more.
10 Declare among the nations: “Jehovah has become King!+The earth* is firmly established, it cannot be moved.*He will judge* the peoples fairly.”+11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be joyful; Let the sea thunder and all that fills it;+12 Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.+ At the same time let all the trees of the forest shout joyfully+13 Before Jehovah, for he is coming,* He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the inhabited earth* with righteousness+ And the peoples with his faithfulness.+
2 Let me* praise Jehovah; May I never forget all that he has done.+ 3 He forgives all your errors+ And heals all your ailments;+ 4 He reclaims your life from the pit*+ And crowns you with his loyal love and mercy.+ 5 He satisfies you with good things+ all your life, So that your youth is renewed like that of an eagle.+
Healing, and reclaiming from the pit and renewing youth all suggest earthly hope.
6 For a child has been born to us,+ A son has been given to us; And the rulership* will rest on his shoulder.+ His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,+ Mighty God,+ Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 To the increase of his rulership* And to peace, there will be no end,+On the throne of David+ and on his kingdom In order to establish it firmly+ and to sustain it Through justice+ and righteousness,+ From now on and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.
David’s rule was an earthly kingdom which will continue. Earth is the place needing peace with no end.
6 The wolf will reside for a while with the lamb,+ And with the young goat the leopard will lie down, And the calf and the lion* and the fattened animal will all be together;*+ And a little boy will lead them. 7 The cow and the bear will feed together, And their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the bull.+ 8 The nursing child will play over the lair of a cobra, And a weaned child will put his hand over the den of a poisonous snake. 9 They will not cause any harm+ Or any ruin in all my holy mountain,+ Because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah As the waters cover the sea.+
6 In this mountain+ Jehovah of armies will make for all the peoples A banquet of rich dishes,+ A banquet of fine wine,* Of rich dishes filled with marrow, Of fine, filtered wine. 7 In this mountain he will do away with* the shroud that is enveloping all the peoples And the covering* that is woven over all the nations. 8 He will swallow up* death forever,+ And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will wipe away the tears from all faces.+ The reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, For Jehovah himself has spoken it. 9 In that day they will say: “Look! This is our God!+ We have hoped in him,+ And he will save us.+ This is Jehovah! We have hoped in him. Let us be joyful and rejoice in the salvation by him.”+
15 Until the spirit is poured out on us from above,+ And the wilderness becomes an orchard, And the orchard is regarded as a forest.+16 Then justice will reside in the wilderness, And righteousness will dwell in the orchard.+17 The result of true righteousness will be peace,+ And the fruitage of true righteousness will be lasting tranquility and security.+18 My people will dwell in a peaceful abiding place, In secure dwellings and in tranquil resting-places.+
35 The wilderness and the parched land will exult,+ And the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron.*+ 2 Without fail it will blossom;+It will rejoice and shout for joy. The glory of Lebʹa·non will be given to it,+ The splendor of Carʹmel+ and of Sharʹon.+They will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the knees that are shaking.+ 4 Say to those who are anxious at heart: “Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look! Your own God will come with vengeance, God will come with retribution.+ He will come and save you.”+ 5 At that time the eyes of the blind will be opened,+ And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.+ 6 At that time the lame will leap like the deer,+ And the tongue of the speechless will shout for joy.+ For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert plain. 7 The heat-parched ground will become a reedy pool, And the thirsty ground springs of water.+ In the lairs where jackals rested,+ There will be green grass and reeds and papyrus. 8 And a highway will be there,+ Yes, a way called the Way of Holiness. The unclean one will not travel on it.+ It is reserved for the one walking on the way; No one foolish will stray onto it. 9 No lion will be there, And no vicious wild beasts will come on it. They will not be found there;+Only the repurchased ones will walk there.+10 Those redeemed by Jehovah will return+ and come to Zion with a joyful cry.+ Unending joy will crown their heads.+ Exultation and rejoicing will be theirs, And grief and sighing will flee away.+
17 “The needy and the poor are seeking water, but there is none. Their tongue is dry from thirst.+ I, Jehovah, will answer them.+ I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.+18 I will make rivers flow on the bare hills+ And springs in the valley plains.+ I will turn the wilderness into a reedy pool of water And the waterless land into springs of water.+19 In the desert I will plant the cedar tree, The acacia and the myrtle and the pine tree.+ In the desert plain I will plant the juniper tree, Together with the ash and the cypress tree,+20 So that all people may see and know And pay attention and understand That the hand of Jehovah has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.”+
8 This is what Jehovah says: “In a time of favor* I answered you,+ And in a day of salvation I helped you;+ I kept safeguarding you to give you as a covenant for the people,+ To rehabilitate the land, To cause them to possess their desolate inheritances,+ 9 To say to the prisoners, ‘Come out!’+And to those in the darkness,+ ‘Show yourselves! ’By the roadways they will feed, Along all the worn paths* will be their pastures.10 They will not go hungry, nor will they thirst,+ Nor will scorching heat or the sun beat down on them.+ For the One who has mercy on them will lead them,+ And he will guide them by the springs of water.+11 I will make all my mountains into a road, And my highways will be raised up.+
10 For just as the rain and the snow pour down from heaven And do not return there until they saturate the earth, making it produce and sprout, Giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11 So my word that goes out of my mouth will be.*+It will not return to me without results,+ But it will certainly accomplish whatever is my delight,*+And it will have sure success in what I send it to do.12 For you will go out with rejoicing,+ And in peace you will be brought back.+ The mountains and the hills will become cheerful before you with a joyful cry,+ And the trees of the field will all clap their hands.+13 Instead of thornbushes the juniper tree will grow,+ And instead of the stinging nettle the myrtle tree will grow. And it will bring fame to* Jehovah,+ An everlasting sign that will never perish.”
17 For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth;+ And the former things will not be called to mind,* Nor will they come up into the heart.+18 So exult and be joyful forever in what I am creating. For look! I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joy And her people a cause for exultation.+19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people;+No more will there be heard in her the sound of weeping or a cry of distress.”+20 “No more will there be an infant from that place who lives but a few days, Nor an old man who fails to live out his days. For anyone who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere boy, And the sinner will be cursed, even though he is a hundred years of age.*21 They will build houses and live in them,+ And they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.+22 They will not build for someone else to inhabit, Nor will they plant for others to eat. For the days of my people will be like the days of a tree,+ And the work of their hands my chosen ones will enjoy to the full.23 They will not toil* for nothing,*+Nor will they bear children for distress, Because they are the offspring* made up of those blessed by Jehovah,+ And their descendants with them.+24 Even before they call out, I will answer; While they are yet speaking, I will hear.25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, The lion will eat straw just like the bull,+ And the serpent’s food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,”+ says Jehovah.
3 “Then I will gather together the remnant of my sheep from all the lands to which I have dispersed them,+ and I will bring them back to their pasture,+ and they will be fruitful and become many.+ 4 And I will raise up over them shepherds who will really shepherd them.+ They will no longer be afraid or be terrified, and none will be missing,” declares Jehovah.5 “Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will raise up to David a righteous sprout.*+ And a king will reign+ and show insight and uphold justice and righteousness in the land.+ 6 In his days Judah will be saved,+ and Israel will reside in security.+ And this is the name by which he will be called: Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.”+7 “However, the days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt!’+ 8 but rather, ‘As surely as Jehovah is alive, who brought out and brought back the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands to which I had dispersed them,’ and they will dwell in their own land.”+
37 ‘Here I will gather them together from all the lands where I dispersed them in my anger and in my wrath and in great indignation,+ and I will bring them back to this place and let them dwell in security.+ 38 And they will be my people, and I will be their God.+ 39 And I will give them one heart+ and one way so that they may always fear me, for their own good and the good of their children after them.+ 40 And I will make with them an everlasting covenant,+ that I will not turn away from doing good to them;+ and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they will not turn away from me.+ 41 I will exult over them to do good to them,+ and I will firmly plant them in this land,+ with all my heart and with all my soul.’”*
6 ‘Here I am bringing recuperation and health to her,+ and I will heal them and reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.+ 7 And I will bring back the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel,+ and I will build them up as I did at the start.+ 8 And I will purify them from all the guilt of their sins against me,+ and I will forgive all the guilt of their sins and their transgressions against me.+ 9 And she will become to me a name of exultation, a praise, and a beauty before all the nations of the earth who will hear of all the goodness that I bestow on them.+ And they will be in dread and will tremble+ because of all the goodness and peace that I will bestow on her.’”+10 “This is what Jehovah says: ‘In this place that you will say is a wasteland, without man or livestock, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or livestock, there will again be heard 11 the sound of exultation and the sound of rejoicing,+ the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those saying: “Give thanks to Jehovah of armies, for Jehovah is good;+ his loyal love endures forever!”’+“‘They will bring thanksgiving offerings into the house of Jehovah,+ for I will bring back the captives of the land, as at the start,’ says Jehovah.”
25 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: “When I regather the house of Israel from among the peoples where they were scattered,+ I will be sanctified among them in the eyes of the nations.+ And they will dwell on their land+ that I gave to my servant Jacob.+ 26 They will dwell on it in security+ and build houses and plant vineyards,+ and they will dwell in security when I execute judgment on all those around them who treat them with scorn;+ and they will have to know that I am Jehovah their God.”’”
These promises, especially security, extend beyond the return from Babylon.
25 “‘“And I will make a covenant of peace with them,+ and I will rid the land of vicious wild beasts,+ so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests.+ 26 I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing,+ and I will cause the rain to fall at the proper time. Blessings will pour down like the rains.+ 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the soil will give its produce,+ and they will dwell securely on the land. And they will have to know that I am Jehovah when I break their yoke bars+ and rescue them from those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer become something for the nations to prey upon, and the wild beasts of the earth will not devour them, and they will dwell in security, with no one to make them afraid.+29 “‘“I will establish for them a plantation of fame,* and they will no longer die from famine in the land,+ and they will no longer be humiliated by the nations.+ 30 ‘Then they will have to know that I, Jehovah their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,’+ declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”’31 “‘As for you, my sheep,+ the sheep that I care for, you are but men, and I am your God,’ declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”
8 But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and bear your fruitage for my people Israel,+ for they will soon return. 9 For I am with you, and I will turn toward you, and you will be cultivated and sown with seed. 10 I will multiply your people—the whole house of Israel, all of it—and the cities will be inhabited+ and the ruins will be rebuilt.+ 11 Yes, I will multiply your people and your livestock;+ they will increase and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly,+ and I will make you prosper more than in the past;+ and you will have to know that I am Jehovah.+
These are future promises as the return from Babylon did not yet deliver these conditions.
33 “This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: ‘In the day that I cleanse you from all your guilt, I will cause the cities to be inhabited+ and the ruins to be rebuilt.+ 34 The desolate land that was lying desolate for everyone passing by to see will be cultivated. 35 And people will say: “The desolate land has become like the garden of Eʹden,+ and the cities that were in ruins and desolate and torn down are now fortified and inhabited.”+ 36 And the nations that are left remaining around you will have to know that I myself, Jehovah, have built what was torn down, and I have planted what was desolate. I myself, Jehovah, have spoken, and I have done it.’+
47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple,+ and there I saw water flowing eastward from under the threshold of the temple,+ for the front of the temple was facing east. The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.2 He then led me out by way of the north gate+ and took me outside and around to the outer gate that is facing east,+ and I saw water trickling from the right side.3 When the man went out toward the east with a measuring line in his hand,+ he measured off 1,000 cubits* and had me pass through the water; the water was ankle deep.4 Then he measured off another 1,000 and had me pass through the water, and it was up to the knees.He measured off another 1,000 and had me pass through, and the water was up to the hips.5 When he measured off another 1,000, it was a torrent that I was unable to walk across, for the water was so deep that one had to swim, a torrent of water that could not be crossed on foot.6 He asked me: “Have you seen this, son of man?”Then he had me walk and return to the bank of the stream. 7 When I returned, I saw that on the bank of the stream were very many trees on both sides.+ 8 Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region and continues down through the Arʹa·bah*+ and enters the sea. When it enters the sea,+ the water there will be healed. 9 Swarms of living creatures* will be able to live wherever the waters* flow. There will be an abundance of fish, because this water will flow there. The seawater will be healed, and everything will live wherever the stream goes.10 “Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedʹi+ clear to En-egʹla·im, where there will be a drying yard for dragnets. There will be an abundance of many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea.*+11 “It will have swampy places and marshy places, and these will not be healed. They will be abandoned to salt.+12 “All sorts of trees for food will grow on both banks of the stream. Their leaves will not wither; nor will their fruitage fail. Each month they will bear new fruit, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary.+ Their fruitage will serve as food and their leaves for healing.”+
Though symbolic this imagery continues to describe a restoration of earth to Eden-like conditions.
14 From the power of the Grave* I will redeem them; From death I will recover them.+ Where are your stings, O Death?+ Where is your destructiveness, O Grave?+ Compassion will be concealed from my eyes.
Israelites had an earthly hope, as promised in Genesis 17:8, so resurrection to them would have been to earth.
13 ‘Look! The days are coming,’ declares Jehovah, ‘When the plowman will overtake the harvester, And the treader of grapes, the one carrying seed;+ And the mountains will drip with sweet wine,+ And all the hills will flow with it.*+14 I will gather back the captives of my people Israel,+ And they will rebuild the desolated cities and inhabit them;+They will plant vineyards and drink their wine,+ And make gardens and eat their fruit.’+15 ‘I will plant them on their land, And they will never again be uprooted From their land that I have given them,’+ says Jehovah your God.”
4 In the final part of the days,*The mountain of the house of Jehovah+ Will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, And it will be raised up above the hills, And to it peoples will stream.+ 2 And many nations will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah And to the house of the God of Jacob.+ He will instruct us about his ways, And we will walk in his paths. ”For law* will go out of Zion, And the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem. 3 He will render judgment among many peoples+ And set matters straight* respecting mighty nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning shears.+ Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore.+ 4 They will sit,* each one under his vine and under his fig tree,+ And no one will make them afraid,+ For the mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken.
9 For then I will change the language of the peoples to a pure language, So that all of them may call on the name of Jehovah, To serve him shoulder to shoulder.’*+10 From the region of the rivers of E·thi·oʹpi·a, Those entreating me, the daughter of my scattered ones, will bring a gift to me.+11 On that day you will not be put to shame Because of all your deeds with which you rebelled against me,+ For then I will remove the haughty boasters from among you; And you will never again be haughty in my holy mountain.+12 I will allow a humble and lowly people to remain in your midst,+ And they will take refuge in the name of Jehovah.13 Those remaining of Israel+ will practice no unrighteousness;+They will not speak a lie, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; They will feed* and lie down, and no one will make them afraid.”+
7 “‘And I will shake all the nations, and the precious* things of all the nations will come in;+ and I will fill this house with glory,’+ says Jehovah of armies.8 “‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ declares Jehovah of armies.9 “‘The future glory of this house will be greater than the former,’+ says Jehovah of armies.“‘And in this place I will grant peace,’+ declares Jehovah of armies.”
3 “This is what Jehovah says, ‘I will return to Zion+ and reside in Jerusalem;+ and Jerusalem will be called the city of truth,*+ and the mountain of Jehovah of armies, the holy mountain.’”+4 “This is what Jehovah of armies says, ‘Old men and women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each with his staff in his hand because of his great age.*+ 5 And the public squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing there.’”+6 “This is what Jehovah of armies says, ‘Although it may seem too difficult to the remaining ones of this people in those days, should it seem too difficult also to me?’ declares Jehovah of armies.”
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
70 just as he has spoken through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,+ 71 of a salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those hating us;+ 72 to show mercy in connection with our forefathers and to call to mind his holy covenant,+ 73 the oath that he swore to Abraham our forefather,+
19 “Repent,+ therefore, and turn around+ so as to get your sins blotted out,+ so that seasons of refreshing may come from Jehovah himself+ 20 and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus. 21 Heaven must hold this one within itself until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old.
19 For the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God.+ 20 For the creation was subjected to futility,+ not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope+ 21 that* the creation itself will also be set free+ from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility,+ not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope+ 21 that* the creation itself will also be set free+ from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.
This refers to Adam and Eve becoming sinful, being set free from that suggests perfect humans.
5 For it is not to angels that he has subjected the inhabited earth to come,+ about which we are speaking. 6 But in one place a certain witness said: “What is man that you keep him in mind, or a son of man that you take care of him?+ 7 You made him a little lower than angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, and appointed him over the works of your hands. 8 All things you subjected under his feet.”+ By subjecting all things to him,+ God left nothing that is not subject to him.+ Now, though, we do not yet see all things in subjection to him.+
9 And they sing a new song,+ saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought people for God+ out of every tribe and tongue* and people and nation,+ 10 and you made them to be a kingdom+ and priests to our God,+ and they are to rule as kings+ over the earth.”
6 Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection;+ over these the second death+ has no authority,+ but they will be priests+ of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years.+7 Now as soon as the 1,000 years have ended, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and he will go out to mislead those nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Maʹgog, to gather them together for the war. The number of these is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they advanced over the whole earth and encircled the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down out of heaven and consumed them.+
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life.+ The dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.+ 13 And the sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the Grave* gave up the dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds.+
3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them.+ 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes,+ and death will be no more,+ neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.+ The former things have passed away.”
22 And he showed me a river of water of life,+ clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb+ 2 down the middle of its main street. On both sides of the river were trees of life producing 12 crops of fruit, yielding their fruit each month. And the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations.+3 And there will no longer be any curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb+ will be in the city, and his slaves will offer him sacred service;