Book of Common Prayer

⁸ `Write this to the angel of the church people in Smyrna: Here are the words of the one who is the First and the Last. He is the one who died but lived again.

⁹ `He says, "I know the things you do and the trouble you have. I know you are poor. But you are rich in some ways. I know some people do not respect God. They call themselves Jews. But they are not real Jews. They belong to Satan's people.

¹⁰ Do not be afraid of the troubles you will have. Yes, the devil will put some of you into prison where you will be tested. You will have trouble for ten days. But keep on believing, even if you have to die for it. I will give you life for ever."

¹¹ `He who can hear should listen to the message of the Spirit to the churches. He says, "The person who wins will not be hurt by the second death." '

¹² `Write this to the angel of the church people in Pergamum: Here are the words of the one who has the long knife which is sharp on both sides.

¹³ `He says, "I know where you live. You live where Satan rules. But you keep my name and you have never said that you do not believe in me. You kept on believing in me even in the time of Antipas. He said he believed in me and was true to me. He was killed among you where Satan lives.

¹⁴ But I have a few things to say against you. You have some people there who believe the teaching of Balaam. He showed Balak how to trick the people of Israel and make them do wrong. They ate food that was given to idols, and they used sex wrongly.

¹⁵ Also, you have people among you who believe the teaching of the Nicolaitans. I hate the things they do.

¹⁶ Stop! If you do not, I will come soon and I will fight against them with the long knife that comes from my mouth."

¹⁷ `He who can hear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. He says, "I will give some of the secret food to the person who wins. And I will give him a white stone. A new name will be written on the stone. No one will know the name but the one who gets the stone." '

⁴⁶ He heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, and he went to Jesus and said, `I beg you, come and heal my son. He is dying.'

⁴⁷ Jesus said to him, `If you do not see some signs and big works, then you will not believe.'

⁴⁸ The officer said, `Sir, I beg you. Come right away before my son dies.'

⁴⁹ Jesus said, `Go home. Your son will not die.' The man believed what Jesus said and went home.

⁵⁰ On the way, his servants met him. They said, `Your son is living.'

⁵¹ He asked, `What time did he begin to get well?' They said, `Yesterday at one hour after midday the fever left him.'

⁵² The father knew that was the time when Jesus said to him `Your son will not die.' So he and all his family believed in Jesus.

⁵³ This was the second big work that Jesus did after he came back from Judea to Galilee.