The Letter to the Church in Ephesus

2 “To the messenger^[a] of the church in Ephesus, write:

‘The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands, says this:

² ‘I know what you’ve been doing, your toil, and your endurance. I also know that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles, but are not, and have found them to be false. ³ You have endured and suffered because of my name, yet you have not grown weary. ⁴ However, I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Therefore, remember how far you have fallen. Repent and go back to what you were doing at first. If you don’t, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place—unless you repent. ⁶ But this is to your credit: You hate the actions of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷ ‘Let everyone^[b] listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the privilege of eating from the tree of life that is in God’s paradise to everyone who overcomes.’”^[c]