1‘Here is what I command you to write to the church in Ephesus. Here are the words of Jesus, who holds the seven stars in his right hand. He also walks among the seven golden lampstands. He says,2“I know what you are doing. You work long and hard. I know you can’t put up with evil people. You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not. You have found out that they are liars.3You have been faithful and have put up with a lot of trouble because of me. You have not given up.4“But here is something I hold against you. You have turned away from the love you had at first.5Think about how far you have fallen! Turn away from your sins. Do the things you did at first. If you don’t, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.6But you do have this in your favour. You hate the way the Nicolaitans act. I hate it too.7“Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will let that person eat from the tree of life in God’s paradise.”
The letter to the church in Smyrna
8‘Here is what I command you to write to the church in Smyrna. Here are the words of Jesus, who is the First and the Last. He is the one who died and came to life again. He says,9“I know that you suffer and are poor. But you are rich! Some people say they are Jews but are not. I know that their words are evil. Their worship comes from Satan.10Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you. You will be treated badly for ten days. Be faithful, even if it means you must die. Then I will give you life as your crown of victory.11“Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will not let that person be hurt at all by the second death.”
The letter to the church in Pergamum
12‘Here is what I command you to write to the church in Pergamum. Here are the words of Jesus, who has the sharp sword with two edges. He says,13“I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you remain faithful to me. You did not give up your faith in me. You didn’t give it up even in the days of Antipas. Antipas, my faithful witness, was put to death in your city, where Satan lives.14“But I have a few things against you. Some of your people follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balak to lead the people of Israel into sin. So they ate food that had been offered to statues of gods. And they committed sexual sins.15You also have people who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.16So turn away from your sins! If you don’t, I will come to you soon. I will fight against those people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.17“Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will give that person hidden manna to eat. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it. Only the one who receives this name will know what it is.”
The letter to the church in Thyatira
18‘Here is what I command you to write to the church in Thyatira. Here are the words of the Son of God. He is Jesus, whose eyes are like blazing fire. His feet are like polished bronze. He says,19“I know what you are doing. I know your love and your faith. I know how well you have served. I know you don’t give up easily. In fact, you are doing more now than you did at first.20“But here is what I have against you. You put up with that woman Jezebel. She calls herself a prophet. With her teaching, she has led my servants into sexual sin. She has tricked them into eating food offered to statues of gods.21I’ve given her time to turn away from her sinful ways. But she doesn’t want to.22She lay down to commit her sin so I will make her lie down in suffering. Those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly too. Their only way out is to turn away from what she taught them to do.23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I search hearts and minds. I will pay each of you back for what you have done.24“I won’t ask the rest of you in Thyatira to do anything else. You don’t follow the teaching of Jezebel. You haven’t learned what some people call Satan’s deep secrets.25Just hold on to what you have until I come.26“Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will do it for anyone who carries out my plans to the end. I will give that person authority over the nations.27It is written, ‘They will rule them with an iron sceptre. They will break them to pieces like clay pots.’ Their authority is like the authority I’ve received from my Father. (Ps 2:9)28I will also give the morning star to all who have victory.29Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 2
English Standard Version
To the Church in Ephesus
1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. (Re 1:13; Re 1:16; Re 1:20)2“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. (2Co 11:13; 1Jo 4:1; Re 2:19; Re 3:1; Re 3:8; Re 3:15)3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. (Joh 15:21; Heb 12:3; Heb 12:5)4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. (Jer 2:2)5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (Heb 10:32; Re 2:2; Re 3:3; Re 3:19)6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Re 2:15)7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ (Ge 2:9; Eze 28:13; Eze 31:8; Re 2:11; Re 2:17; Re 2:29; Re 3:5; Re 3:6; Re 3:13; Re 3:22; Re 13:9; Re 21:7)
To the Church in Smyrna
8“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. (Re 1:17; Re 1:18)9“I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander[1] of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (1Ti 6:18; Heb 10:34; Heb 11:26; Jas 2:5; Re 3:9)10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Ge 24:55; Da 1:12; Da 1:14; Mt 10:22; Mt 24:9; Heb 3:6; Jas 1:12; Re 2:9; Re 12:11)11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’ (Re 2:7; Re 20:6; Re 20:14; Re 21:8)
To the Church in Pergamum
12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. (Re 1:16; Re 2:16)13“I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith[2] even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (Ac 22:20; 1Ti 5:8; Re 2:9)14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. (Nu 25:1; Nu 31:16; Ac 15:29; 1Co 8:10; 1Co 10:8; 1Co 10:19; 2Pe 2:15; Re 2:20)15So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (Re 2:6)16Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. (2Th 2:8; Re 2:12; Re 22:7)17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’ (Isa 62:2; Isa 65:15; Joh 6:48; Re 2:11; Re 3:12; Re 14:3; Re 19:12)
To the Church in Thyatira
18“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. (Re 1:14)19“I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. (Re 2:2)20But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. (1Ki 16:31; 1Ki 21:25; 2Ki 9:7; Re 2:14)21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. (Ro 2:4; Re 9:20; Re 16:9; Re 16:11)22Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,23and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. (Ps 7:9; Ps 26:2; Jer 20:12; Mt 16:27; Ro 8:27)24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. (Ac 15:28; 1Co 2:10)25Only hold fast what you have until I come. (Re 3:11)26The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, (Ps 2:8; Heb 3:6; Re 2:7; Re 3:21; Re 20:4)27and he will rule[3] them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. (Ps 2:9; Isa 30:14; Jer 19:11; Re 12:5; Re 19:15)28And I will give him the morning star. (2Pe 1:19; Re 22:16)29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (Re 2:7)