To the Church in Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ^(A)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^(B)of being alive, ^(C)but you are dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^(D)complete in the sight of my God. ^3 (E)Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ^(F)I will come ^(G)like 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 ^(H)soiled their garments, and they will walk with me ^(I)in white, for they are ^(J)worthy. ^5 (K)The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^(L)blot his name out of ^(M)the book of life. ^(N)I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. ^6 (O)He 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 ^(P)the holy one, ^(Q)the true one, ^(R)who has the key of David, ^(S)who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

⁸ “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^(T)an 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 ^(U)the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^(V)I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^(W)I have loved you. ^10 (X)Because 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 ^(Y)those who dwell on the earth. ^11 (Z)I am coming soon. ^(AA)Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ^(AB)your crown. ^12 (AC)The one who conquers, I will make him ^(AD)a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^(AE)the name of my God, and ^(AF)the name of the city of my God, ^(AG)the new Jerusalem, ^(AH)which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^(AI)new name. ^13 (AJ)He 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 ^(AK)Amen, ^(AL)the faithful and true witness, ^(AM)the beginning of God's creation.

¹⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^(AN)Would 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 (AO)For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, ^(AP)blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you ^(AQ)to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and ^(AR)white garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^(AS)the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, ^(AT)so that you may see. ^19 (AU)Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and ^(AV)knock. ^(AW)If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, ^(AX)I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ^21 (AY)The one who conquers, ^(AZ)I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^(BA)I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. ^22 (BB)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me ^(BC)like a trumpet, said, ^(BD)“Come up here, and ^(BE)I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once ^(BF)I was in the Spirit, and behold, ^(BG)a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³ And he who sat there had the appearance of ^(BH)jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was ^(BI)a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were ^(BJ)twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, ^(BK)clothed in white garments, with ^(BL)golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came ^(BM)flashes of lightning, and rumblings^[a] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning ^(BN)seven torches of fire, ^(BO)which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶ and before the throne there was ^(BP)as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are ^(BQ)four living creatures, ^(BR)full of eyes in front and behind: ^7 (BS)the 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, ^(BT)each of them with six wings, are ^(BU)full of eyes all around and within, and ^(BV)day 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, ^(BY)who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders ^(BZ)fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast ^(CA)their crowns before the throne, saying,

Deliver Me from My Enemies

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Do Not Destroy. A ^(B)Miktam^[a] of David, ^(C)when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.