3 “To the angel* of the church in Sardisa write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits*b of God and the seven stars.c I know your deeds;d you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.e 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.f But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,g and you will not know at what timeh I will come to you.
4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.i They will walk with me, dressed in white,j for they are worthy. 5Those who are victoriousk will, like them, be dressed in white.l I will never blot out their names from the book of life,m but will acknowledge their names before my Fathern and his angels. 6Whoever has ears, let them hearo what the Spirit says to the churches.
7“To the angel of the church in Philadelphiaa write:
These are the words of him who is holyb and true,c who holds the key of David.d What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds.e See, I have placed before you an open doorf that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.g 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan,h who claim to be Jews though they are not,i but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feetj and acknowledge that I have loved you.k 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep youl from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole worldm to testn those who live on the earth.o
11I am coming soon.p Hold on to what you have,q so that no one will take your crown.r 12Those who are victoriouss I will make pillarst in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my Godu and the name of the city of my God,v the new Jerusalem,w which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13Whoever has ears, let them hearx what the Spirit says to the churches.
14“To the angel of the church in Laodiceaa write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,b the ruler of God’s creation.c 15I know your deeds,d that you are neither cold nor hot.e I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’f But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.g 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,h so you can become rich; and white clothesi to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;j and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.k So be earnest, and repent.l 20Here I am! I stand at the doorm and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,n I will come ino and eat with them, and they with me.
21To those who are victorious,p I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,q just as I was victoriousr and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22Whoever has ears, let them hears what the Spirit says to the churches.”