One of the seven angels came to me. This was one of the angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues. The angel said, “Come with me. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
I am jealous for you with a jealousy that comes from God. I promised to give you to Christ. He must be your only husband. I want to give you to Christ to be his pure bride.
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Great blessings belong to those who are invited to the wedding meal of the Lamb!” Then the angel said, “These are the true words of God.”
The bride always belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who helps the bridegroom just waits and listens. He is happy just to hear the bridegroom talk. That’s how I feel now. I am so happy that he is here.
As a young man takes a bride and she belongs to him, so your land will belong to your children. As a man is happy with his new wife, so your God will be happy with you.
Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. The master comes and knocks, and the servants immediately open the door for him.
People of Zion, rejoice! People of Jerusalem, shout with joy! Look, your king is coming to you! He is the good king who won the victory, but he is humble. He is riding on a donkey, on a young donkey born from a work animal.
Wake up! Wake up! Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Holy city of Jerusalem, stand up and put on your beautiful clothes! Those filthy foreigners will not enter you again.
But we are the ones who have the true circumcision—we who worship God through his Spirit. We don’t trust in ourselves or anything we can do. We take pride only in Christ Jesus.
“The whole world should be happy for God’s people! God punishes people who kill his servants. He gives his enemies the punishment they deserve. And he makes his land and people pure.”
When you see these things, you will be happy. You will be free and grow like grass. The Lord’s servants will see his power, but his enemies will see his anger.
But after Joseph thought about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to accept Mary to be your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit.
At that same time there was a great earthquake. A tenth of the city was destroyed. And 7000 people were killed in the earthquake. Those who did not die were very afraid. They gave glory to the God of heaven.