Knox Bible

1

To the angel of the church at Ephesus write thus: A message to thee from him who bears the seven stars in his right hand, and walks amidst the seven golden candlesticks:

2

I know of all thy doings, all thy toil and endurance; how little patience thou hast with wickedness, how thou hast made trial of such as usurp the name of apostle, and found them false.

3

Yes, thou endurest, and all thou hast borne for the love of my name has not made thee despair.

4

Yet there is one charge I make against thee; of losing the charity that was thine at first.

5

Remember the height from which thou hast fallen, and repent, and go back to the old ways; or else I will come to visit thee, and, when I find thee still unrepentant, will remove thy candlestick from its place.

6

Yet this is in thy favour, thou dost abhor the ways of the Nicolaitans, as I, too abhor them.✻

7

Listen, you that have ears, to the message the Spirit has for the churches. Who wins the victory? I will give him fruit from the tree of life, which grows in the Paradise of my God.

8

And to the angel of the church at Smyrna write thus: A message to thee from him, who is before all and at the end of all, who underwent death and now is alive:

9

I know how sorely tried thou art, how stricken with poverty (yet, all the while, so rich); how thy name is traduced by men who claim to be Jews (though they are no true Jews; they are rather the chosen people of Satan).

10

Do not be afraid of the suffering thou art to undergo. Before long, the devil will throw some of you into prison, to have your faith tested there, and for ten days you shall be in sore distress. Keep faith with me to the point of death, and I will crown thee with life.

11

Listen, you that have ears, to the message the Spirit has for the churches. Who wins the victory? The second death shall have no power to hurt him.

12

And to the angel of the church at Pergamum write thus: A message to thee from him whose sword is sharpened at both its edges:

13

I know well in what a place thou dwellest, a place where Satan sits enthroned. And yet thou art true to my name, and hast not disowned thy faith in me. Such in former times was Antipas, who bore me faithful witness, and was put to death in Satan’s dwelling-place, your city.

14

Yet here and there I have fault to find with thee; thou hast followers there of the school of Balaam. It was Balaam who taught Balac how to lay a trap for the people of Israel, when they ate what was sacrificed to idols and fell into fornication;✻

15

and thou, too, hast followers of the Nicolaitan school.

16

Do thou, in thy turn, repent; or I will quickly come to visit thee, and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.✻

17

Listen, you that have ears, to the message the Spirit has for the churches. Who wins the victory? I will feed him with the hidden manna, and give him a white stone, on which stone a new name is written, known to him only who receives it.

18

And to the angel of the church at Thyatira write thus: A message to thee from the Son of God, who has eyes like flaming fire, and feet like orichalc:

19

I know of all thy doings, thy faith, thy love, thy generosity, thy endurance, how in these last days thou art more active than at first.

20

Yet here and there I have fault to find with thee; thou allowest the woman Jezabel, who claims the gift of prophecy, to mislead my servants with her teaching, so that they fall into fornication, and eat what is offered to idols.

21

I have given her time for repentance, but she will not mend her harlot’s ways.

22

I have a bed ready to lay her in; and those who commit adultery with her will be in sore straits, if they do not repent of their wrong-doing.

23

And her children I will kill outright, so that all the churches may know me for one who probes the innermost heart, and will repay each of you what his deeds have earned. But I say to you,

24

those others in Thyatira who do not follow this teaching, who have never learned the deep mysteries (as they are called) which Satan offers; I have no fresh burden to lay upon you;

25

keep hold of what is in your grasp already, until I come.

26

Who wins the victory? Who will do my bidding to the last? I will give him authority over the nations;

27

to herd them like sheep with a crook of iron, breaking them in pieces like earthenware;✻

28

the same authority which I myself hold from my Father. And the Star of morning shall be his.✻

29

Listen, you that have ears, to the message the Spirit has for the churches.