To the Church in Sardis

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ⁱwho has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^jof being alive, ^kbut you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^lcomplete in the sight of my God. 3 ^mRemember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ⁿI will come ^olike a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not ^psoiled their garments, and they will walk with me ^qin white, for they are ^rworthy. 5 ^sThe one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^tblot his name out of ^uthe book of life. ^vI will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of ^wthe holy one, ^xthe true one, ^ywho has the key of David, ^zwho opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^aan open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of ^bthe synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^cI will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^dI have loved you. 10 ^eBecause you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^fthose who dwell on the earth. 11 ^gI am coming soon. ^hHold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ⁱyour crown. 12 ^jThe one who conquers, I will make him ^ka pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^lthe name of my God, and ^mthe name of the city of my God, ^mthe new Jerusalem, ⁿwhich comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^onew name. 13 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Laodicea

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the ^pAmen, ^qthe faithful and true witness, ^rthe beginning of God’s creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^sWould that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 ^tFor you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, ^ublind, and naked. 18 I counsel you ^vto buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and ^wwhite garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^xthe shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, ^uso that you may see. 19 ^yThose whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and ^zknock. ^aIf anyone hears my voice and opens the door, ^bI will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 ^cThe one who conquers, ^dI will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^eI also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The Throne in Heaven

1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me ^flike a trumpet, said, ^g“Come up here, and ^hI will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once ⁱI was in the Spirit, and behold, ^ja throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of ^kjasper and carnelian, and around the throne was ^la rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were ^mtwenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, ⁿclothed in white garments, with ^ogolden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came ^pflashes of lightning, and rumblings¹ and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning ^qseven torches of fire, ^rwhich are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was ^sas it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are ^tfour living creatures, ^ufull of eyes in front and behind: 7 ^vthe first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, ^weach of them with six wings, are ^xfull of eyes all around and within, and ^yday and night they never cease to say,

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, ^bwho lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders ^cfall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast ^dtheir crowns before the throne, saying,