Revelation 3
Christian Standard Bible
The Letter to Sardis
3 “Write to the angel[a] of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God(A) and the seven stars:(B) I know your works; (C) you have a reputation[b] for being alive, but you are dead.(D) 2 Be alert(E) and strengthen[c] what remains, which is about to die,[d] for I have not found your works complete before my God. 3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come[e] like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.(F) 4 But you have a few people[f] in Sardis who have not defiled[g] their clothes,(G) and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.
5 “In the same way, the one who conquers(H) will be dressed in white clothes,(I) and I will never erase his name from the book of life(J) but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.(K)
6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen(L) to what the Spirit says(M) to the churches.
The Letter to Philadelphia
7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one,(N) the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: (O) 8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(P) 9 Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet,(Q) and they will know that I have loved you.(R) 10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing(S) that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.(T) 11 I am coming soon.(U) Hold on to what you have,(V) so that no one takes your crown.(W)
12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar(X) in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem,(Y) which comes down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.(Z)
13 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Letter to Laodicea
14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, (AA) the faithful and true witness, the originator[h](AB) of God’s creation: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit[i] you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’(AC) and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich,(AD) white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed,(AE) and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.(AF) So be zealous and repent. 20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.(AG)
21 “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,(AH) just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 3
Expanded Bible
To the Church in Sardis
3 “Write this to the ·angel [messenger; see 1:20] of the church in ·Sardis [C the capital of the Roman province of Lydia in western Asia Minor]:
“The One [C the resurrected Jesus] who has the ·seven spirits [C referring either to angels or to the “sevenfold Spirit”—the Holy Spirit portrayed in his perfection; 1:4] and the seven stars [1:16] says ·this [L these things]: I know ·what you do [your works]. ·People say [L You have a name/reputation] that you are alive, but really you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what you have left ·before it dies completely [or which is about to die]. I have found that ·what you are doing is less than what my God wants [L your works are incompleted/unfulfilled before my God]. 3 So ·do not forget [L remember] what you have received and heard. Obey it, and ·change your hearts and lives [repent]. ·So you must wake up, or [L But if you do not wake up,] I will come like a thief, and you will not know ·when [L at what hour] I will come ·to [upon; against] you. 4 But you have a ·few [few people; L few names] there in Sardis who have kept their clothes ·unstained [unsoiled; undefiled], so they will walk with me ·and will wear white clothes [L in white], because they are worthy. 5 Those who ·win the victory [overcome; conquer] will be dressed in white clothes like them. And I will ·not [never; C an emphatic negation] erase [wipe out; blot out] their names from the ·book [scroll] of life [Ex. 32:32–33; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1], but I will ·say they belong to me [L confess their names] before my Father and before his angels. 6 Everyone who has ears should ·listen to [hear; obey] what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Philadelphia
7 “Write this to the ·angel [messenger; see 1:20] of the church in ·Philadelphia [a city in the Roman province of Lydia in western Asia Minor]:
“This is what the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David [C the resurrected Jesus; holding the key of David signifies access to the king; Is. 22:22], says. When he opens a door, no one can close it. And when he closes it, no one can open it [C Jesus controls access to God]. 8 I know ·what you do [your works]. I have put an open door before you, which no one can close. I know you have little ·strength [power], but you have ·obeyed my teaching [L kept my word] and ·were not afraid to speak [L have not denied] my name. 9 Those in the synagogue ·that belongs to Satan [L of Satan] say they are Jews, but they are not true Jews; they are liars. I will make them come before you and bow at your feet, and they will ·know [acknowledge; learn] that I have loved you. 10 You have ·obeyed my teaching [L kept my word] about ·not giving up your faith [endurance; perseverance]. So I will keep you from the ·time [hour] of ·trouble [trial; testing] that ·will come [or is about to come] to the whole world to test those who live on earth.
11 “I am coming ·soon [quickly]. ·Continue strong in your faith [L Hold on to what you have] so no one will take away your crown [C wreath indicating honor or victory; 2:10]. 12 I will make those who ·win the victory [overcome; conquer] pillars in the temple of my God [C an image of stability and security close to the glory of God], and they will never have to leave it [C frequent earthquakes often forced Philadelphians to live outdoors]. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, that comes down out of heaven from my God [C the believers’ eternal dwelling place; see chs. 21—22]. I will also write on them my new name. 13 Everyone who has ears should ·listen to [hear; obey] what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Laodicea
14 “Write this to the ·angel [or messenger; see 1:20] of the church in Laodicea [C a city in Phrygia, a mountainous province of western Asia]:
“The Amen [C Hebrew for “so be it”; here referring to Jesus], the faithful and true witness, ·the ruler of all God has made [1:5; Prov. 8:30–31; C the resurrected Jesus], says this [L these things]: 15 I know ·what you do [your works], that you are not hot or cold. I wish that you were hot or cold [C both positive images, alluding to cold refreshing mountain streams and healing hot springs near Laodicea]! 16 But because you are lukewarm—neither hot, nor cold—I am ready to ·spit [vomit] you out of my mouth. 17 [L For] You say, ‘I am rich, and I have become wealthy and do not need anything.’ But you do not know that you are really ·miserable [wretched], pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from me gold ·made pure in [refined by] fire so you can be truly rich. Buy from me white clothes [C indicating purity] so you can be clothed and so you can cover your shameful nakedness. Buy from me ·medicine [salve; ointment] to put on your eyes so you can truly see.
19 “I ·correct [rebuke] and ·punish [discipline] those whom I love. So be ·eager to do right [zealous; earnest], and ·change your hearts and lives [repent]. 20 ·Here I am [L Look; T Behold]! I stand at the door and knock. If ·you [L anyone] hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with me.
21 “Those who ·win the victory [overcome; conquer] will sit with me on my throne in the same way that I ·won the victory [overcame; conquered; C over death, by his resurrection] and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Everyone who has ears should ·listen to [hear; obey] what the Spirit says to the churches.”
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