Book of Common Prayer

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell down in front of him as if I had died. He put his right hand on me and said, `Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

¹⁸ I am he who lives. I died. But look, I am alive for ever. I have the keys to death and to the world of the dead.

¹⁹ So write what you have seen. Write the things that are now and the things that will happen after them.

²⁰ You saw seven stars in my right hand. I will tell you the secret meaning of them and of the seven gold lamps. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. The seven lamps are the seven churches.

2 Write this to the angel of the church people in Ephesus: Here are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamps.

² `He says, "I know the things you do. I know that you work hard and are patient. I know that you have nothing to do with bad men. You tested those who say they are messengers from God but are not. You proved that they are not true apostles.

³ I know that you are patient and are strong for my name's sake. And you have not given up.

⁴ But here is what I say against you. You do not love as you loved at first.

⁵ So remember what you were like at first. Stop! Live the way you did at first. If you do not, I will come and move your lamp from its place. I will do it if you do not stop.

⁶ But this is good: you hate the things which the people called Nicolaitans do. I hate the things they do also."

⁷ He who can hear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. He says, "I will let the person who wins eat fruit from the tree of life. It grows in God's garden." '

23 Then Jesus talked to the people and to his disciples.

² He said, `The scribes and Pharisees have taken Moses' place.

³ So obey and do everything they tell you to do. But do not do what they do. They say what should be done, but they do it not.

⁴ They make heavy loads and put them on people's backs. But they themselves will not put up even one finger to help carry the loads.

⁵ They do all their work to be seen by people. They wear bigger and bigger boxes with God's word in. And they make wider and wider borders on their gowns.

⁶ They want to sit in the best places at the feasts. They want to have the front seats in the meeting houses.

⁷ They want people to greet them in the market, and to call them "Teacher".

⁸ But people should not call you "Teacher". You have one Teacher. And you are all brothers.

⁹ `Do not call anyone on earth your "Father". You have one Father. He is in heaven.

¹⁰ People should not call you "Master". You have one Master. He is the Christ.

¹¹ The person who is greatest among you will help the others.

¹² Anyone who puts himself up will be brought down. And anyone who puts himself down will be brought up.