The earnest warning to repent is emphasized by the use of the verb twice. The church in Ephesus runs the danger of being no church at all because of this lack of Christian love.

Remember then from what you have fallen: the present tense of the imperative Remember stresses a continuous state of mind: “Keep on remembering,” “Keep on thinking about,” or “Never forget.” The command is that they keep in mind what they used to be when they became Christians. The literal representation of the figure from what you have fallen may give the wrong impression of an actual place; this is how New Jerusalem Bible can be understood: “Think where you were before you fell.” Revised Standard Version‘s rendering can have a similar meaning. So it is better to render this clause as “Remember how far you have fallen” (An American Translation, Phillips, New American Bible, Revised). The verb “to fall” is also used of moral or spiritual downfall in Rom 11.11; 1 Cor 10.12. In English the verb “to backslide” is used by some Christian groups to designate Christians who have committed serious crimes.

Repent: this can be rendered “change your ways,” “Turn from your sins” (Good News Translation), “turn your back on sinning,” or “stop sinning.” The aorist imperative designates a decisive act: “change your attitude” (Bible en français courant); “turn back to God” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). There are various ways of expressing repentance, and a translator should use one that denotes a thorough, radical change, and not just a temporary feeling of regret or remorse that does not include a determination to abandon the sin. A translator should consult the Handbooks on Matthew 3.2 and Mark 1.4 for further comments on the translation of the word repent. See 1.5b of this Handbook for ways to translate “sin,” or “sinfulness.”

And do the works you did at first: as in verse 2, the works here is a way of speaking of their way of life, their Christian behavior. Barclay has “live again the life you lived, when you first became Christians,” and Bible en français courant “act as you did at the beginning.” Revised English Bible “do as once you did” is too brief and vague.

In the warning, for emphasis, the text has If not at the beginning of the sentence, followed by unless you repent at the end. In many languages it will be stylistically more natural to combine the two, as New Jerusalem Bible does, “or else, if you will not repent, ….” However, in other languages it will be sufficient to say “If you will not do this.”

I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place: this “coming” of Christ is not the final coming in glory, but his immediate coming to punish these unfaithful believers. In certain languages, if Christ is considered the focus of attention, come should be translated as “go”; for example, “I will go to you.” The threat remove your lampstand means the end of this community of believers as a church. The figurative language must not be abandoned in translation. The question as to where the lampstand will be moved to is not addressed by the text. See 1.12 on the translation of lampstand. Its place may also be expressed as “where it was standing.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Never forget (or, Remember) how far you have fallen into sin! You must stop sinning and live your life as you did when you first believed in me. If you continue sinning, I will come (or, go) to you and punish you by taking away your lampstand from where it has been standing (or, situated).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .