8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of ^tthe first and the last, ^uwho died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and ^vyour poverty (^vbut you are rich) and the slander¹ of ^wthose who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, ^wthat you may be tested, and for ^xten days ^yyou will have tribulation. ^zBe faithful ^aunto death, and I will give you ^bthe crown of life. 11 ^cHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^cThe one who conquers will not be hurt by ^dthe second death.’

1 So I exhort the elders among you, ^mas a fellow elder and ⁿa witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 ^oshepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{1 p}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^{2 q}not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not ^rdomineering over those in your charge, but ^sbeing examples to the flock. 4 And when ^tthe chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^uunfading ^vcrown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. ^wClothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ^x“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 ^xHumble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 ^ycasting all your anxieties on him, because ^zhe cares for you. 8 ^aBe sober-minded; ^bbe watchful. Your ^cadversary the devil ^dprowls around ^elike a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 ^fResist him, ^gfirm in your faith, knowing that ^hthe same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And ⁱafter you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, ^jwho has called you to his ^keternal glory in Christ, will himself ^lrestore, ^mconfirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 ⁿTo him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12 By ^oSilvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, ^pI have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is ^qthe true grace of God. ^rStand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does ^sMark, my son. 14 ^tGreet one another with the kiss of love.

^uPeace to all of you who are in Christ.