1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: " 'He who holds the seven stars in his right hand and goes about among the seven gold lampstands speaks thus:
2 I know what you have done; your hard work and your endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, and that you have tested those who claimed to be apostles when they were not, and have found them to be impostors.
3 You show endurance; you have undergone much for my sake, and you have not grown weary.
4 But I hold it against you that you do not love as you did at first.
5 So remember how far you have fallen, and repent and do as you did at first, or else I will come to you and take your lampstand from its place, if you do not repent.
6 But it is in your favor that you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, as I do.
7 Let everyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will permit him who is victorious to eat the fruit of the tree of life that stands in the Paradise of God.'
8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: " 'The first and the last, who died and came to life again, speaks thus:
9 I know of your distress and poverty??hough you are rich!?? know how you are slandered by those who claim to be Jews when they are not so, but only a synagogue of Satan!
10 Do not be afraid of what you are going to suffer. See! The devil is going to put some of you into prison to be tested there, and for ten days to endure persecution. Prove faithful even unto death and I will give you the crown of life.
11 Let everyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. He who is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.'
12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: " 'He who wields the sharp, double-edged sword speaks thus:
13 I know where you live; where Satan has his throne! Yet you cling to my name and did not renounce your faith in me even in the days when my faithful Antipas, my witness, was put to death among you??here Satan lives.
14 Yet I hold it somewhat against you that you have among you some adherents of the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entrap the children of Israel into eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, and into immoral practices.
15 So you also have among you some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 So repent, or else I will come to you quickly and make war upon them with the sword that is in my mouth.
17 Let everyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give him who is victorious some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white pebble with a new name written on it which no one knows except the man who receives it.'
18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: " 'The Son of God, whose eyes blaze like fire, and whose feet are like bronze, speaks thus:
19 I know the things you do, your love and faithfulness and helpfulness and endurance, and I know that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 But I hold it against you that you tolerate that Jezebel of a woman who claims to be inspired and who is misleading my slaves and teaching them to practice immorality and to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols.
21 I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality.
22 See! I am going to lay her on a sick bed, and to bring great distress upon those who share her immorality, unless they repent of her practices,
23 and I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches men's hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you for what you have done.
24 But to the rest of you at Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching and have not learned the "deep things" of Satan, as they call them??o you I say, I have no fresh burden to lay on you,
25 but keep hold of what you have, until I come.
26 To him who is victorious and continues to the end to do the things that please me, I will give authority over the heathen??27 just such authority as I received from my Father; he will shepherd them with an iron staff and shatter them like earthen jars!??28 and I will give him the morning star.