Rev 3, Rev 18 | ESV | STEP | And to the angel of the church in Sardis write : The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars . I know your works . You have the reputation of being alive , but you are dead .

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ^awho has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^bof being alive, ^cbut you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^dcomplete in the sight of my God. 3 ^eRemember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ^fI will come ^glike a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not ^hsoiled their garments, and they will walk with me ⁱin white, for they are ^jworthy. 5 ^kThe one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^lblot his name out of ^mthe book of life. ⁿI will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 ^oHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of ^pthe holy one, ^qthe true one, ^rwho has the key of David, ^swho opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^tan open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of ^uthe synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^vI will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^wI have loved you. 10 ^xBecause you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^ythose who dwell on the earth. 11 ^zI am coming soon. ^aaHold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ^abyour crown. 12 ^acThe one who conquers, I will make him ^ada pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^aethe name of my God, and ^afthe name of the city of my God, ^agthe new Jerusalem, ^ahwhich comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^ainew name. 13 ^ajHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Laodicea

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the ^akAmen, ^althe faithful and true witness, ^amthe beginning of God’s creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^anWould that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 ^aoFor you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, ^apblind, and naked. 18 I counsel you ^aqto buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and ^arwhite garments so that you may clothe yourself and ^asthe shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, ^atso that you may see. 19 ^auThose whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and ^avknock. ^awIf anyone hears my voice and opens the door, ^axI will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 ^ayThe one who conquers, ^azI will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^baI also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 ^bbHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Revelation of John 18

The Fall of Babylon

1 After this I saw ^bcanother angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and ^bdthe earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,

^be“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become ^bfa dwelling place for demons,
a haunt ^bgfor every unclean spirit,
a haunt ^bhfor every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3 For all nations have drunk ^{▼▼Some manuscripts fallen by}
^bjthe wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and ^bkthe kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and ^blthe merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

^bm“Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for ^bnher sins are heaped high as heaven,
and ^boGod has remembered her iniquities.
6 ^bpPay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her ^bqdouble for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her ^brin the cup she mixed.
7 ^bsAs she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
^bt‘I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.’
8 For this reason her plagues will come ^buin a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and ^bvshe will be burned up with fire;
for ^bwmighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
9 And ^bxthe kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, ^bywill weep and wail over her ^bzwhen they see the smoke of her burning. 10 ^caThey will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas! Alas! ^cbYou great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
For ^ccin a single hour your judgment has come.”
11 And ^cdthe merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. ^{▼▼Or and slaves, and human lives}

14 “The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!”
15 ^cfThe merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, ^cgwill stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

16 “Alas, alas, for the great city
^chthat was clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!
17 For ^ciin a single hour all this wealth ^cjhas been laid waste.”
And ^ckall shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and ^clcried out ^cmas they saw the smoke of her burning,

^cn“What city was like the great city?”
19 And they threw ^codust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city
^cpwhere all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For ^cqin a single hour she has been laid waste.
20 ^crRejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and ^csapostles and prophets,
for ^ctGod has given judgment for you against her!”
21 Then ^cua mighty angel ^cvtook up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“So will Babylon ^cwthe great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22 and ^cxthe sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and ^cythe sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and ^czthe voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for ^dayour merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived ^dbby your sorcery.
24 And ^dcin her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of ^ddall who have been slain on earth.”