2 ‘Now write this to the angel of the church at Ephesus: [ a ]
“This is the message to you from the one who holds the seven stars. He holds them carefully in his right hand. He walks among the seven gold lampstands.
2 I know everything that you do. You have worked much for me. You have continued to work patiently. I know that you do not accept bad people as your friends. Some of these bad people say that they are apostles of Jesus. You have thought carefully about what they teach people. And you have discovered that it is not true. 3 You have been patient and strong in times of trouble. You have continued to serve me because you believe in me. You have not stopped when you become tired.
4 But I have something to say against you. You loved me very much when you first believed in me. You do not love me as much now. 5 Think carefully about this! You do not now live in the way you did at the beginning. So you must change the way you live. Do again the good things that you did at the beginning. If you do not change the way you live, I will come to punish you. I will take away your lampstand from its place. 6 But this is something that you do well: you hate the bad things that the Nicolaitans are doing. I also hate what they do. [ b ]
7 God's Spirit is now speaking to people in the churches. You should recognize that the Spirit is speaking. Everyone who knows that should listen to what he says. I will let everyone who wins against Satan eat my fruit. This fruit is from the tree that makes us alive. And this tree grows in God's garden.” ’ [ c ]
8 ‘Write this to the angel of the church at Smyrna:
“This is the message to you from the one who is the first and the last. He was dead, but he became alive again.
9 I know that bad people are making you suffer. I also know that you are poor. But really, you are rich. Some people say that they are Jews, but they tell lies about you. So they cannot be my true people. Instead, they belong to a group of Satan's people. 10 I know that trouble will soon come to you. But do not be afraid. Listen! The Devil will cause some of you to go to prison. He wants to see whether you will continue to believe in me. As a result, you will suffer for ten days. [ d ] But continue to trust me, even if you die. Then you will win against the Devil. I will give you a gift, as they give a crown to the winner of a race. [ e ] You will have life with me for ever.
11 God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully! The second death will not hurt anyone who wins against Satan.” ’ [ f ]
12 ‘Write this to the angel of the church at Pergamum:
“This is the message to you from the one who has the sharp sword with two edges.
13 I know where you live. It is the place where Satan sits as king. [ g ] But you still continue to trust me. You remember Antipas who spoke a clear message about me. Because of that, some people in your city killed him. You saw what happened to him, but you continued to believe in me. You still serve me, even there where Satan lives. [ h ]
14 But I have a few things to say against you. Some people among you agree with what Balaam taught long ago. He taught Balak to do a bad thing against God's people. [ i ] Balak caused the Israelite people to do wrong things. As a result, they ate food that people had given to idols. They also had sex with people who were not their husbands or wives. 15 Also, some people among you do the bad things that the Nicolaitans teach. 16 So you must stop doing these bad things. If you do not change how you live, I will quickly come to punish you. I will fight against those bad people with my sharp sword that comes out of my mouth.
17 God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully! To everyone who wins against Satan I will give some of my special food called manna. I will also give each of them a white stone. [ j ] I will write a new name on that stone. Nobody will know that name except the person who receives it.” ’
18 ‘Write this to the angel of the church at Thyatira:
“This is the message to you from the Son of God. He has eyes that burn brightly like flames of fire. His feet shine like bright metal.
19 I know everything that you do. I know that you have great love. I know that you believe in me. I know that you continue to serve me well. You are patient and strong. You do these good things now more than you did at the beginning.
20 But I have something to say against you. You let that woman Jezebel teach you. She says that she is a prophet from God. But she leads my servants into bad ways. She teaches them to have sex with many people. [ k ] And she teaches them to eat food that people have given to idols. 21 I have given her time to stop doing these bad things. But she refuses to change how she lives. She does not stop having sex with other men. 22 Listen to this! I will cause her to suffer on her bed, so that she cannot get up. Those who join her in her sins will also suffer very much, unless they change the way they live. 23 I will send a terrible illness to kill those who obey her. Then all the people in the churches will know that I look deep inside them. I know what you really want. I know what you really think. I will give each of you what is right for you, as a result of what you have done.
24 But I say this to you other people in Thyatira. You have not agreed with what Jezebel taught. You have not learned what they call ‘Satan's deep secrets’. So I say this to you: I will not tell you to obey any other difficult rules. 25 But continue to obey my message that you have already received. Believe in me until I come.
26 Continue to obey me until the end and win the fight against Satan. If anyone does that, I will give him authority to rule over the nations of the world. 27 That person will rule the nations with strong authority. He will destroy them, like someone who breaks clay pots into many pieces. [ l ] 28 He will have the same authority that I received from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. [ m ] 29 God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully!” ’
2 “Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus:
“Here is a message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “I know what you do, how hard you work and never give up. I know that you don’t accept evil people. You have tested those who say they are apostles but are not. You found that they are liars. 3 You never stop trying. You have endured troubles for my name and have not given up.
4 “But I have this against you: You have left the love you had in the beginning. 5 So remember where you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first. If you don’t change, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But there is something you do that is right—you hate the things that the Nicolaitans [ a ] do. I also hate what they do.
7 “Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who win the victory I will give the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.
8 “Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna:
“Here is a message from the one who is the First and the Last, the one who died and came to life again.
9 “I know your troubles, and I know that you are poor, but really you are rich! I know the insults you have suffered from people who say they are Jews. But they are not true Jews. They are a group [ b ] that belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what will happen to you. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison. He will do this to test you. You will suffer for ten days, but be faithful, even if you have to die. If you continue to be faithful, I will give you the reward [ c ] of life.
11 “Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Those who win the victory will not be hurt by the second death.
12 “Write this to the angel of the church in Pergamum:
“Here is a message from the one who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “I know where you live. You live where Satan has his throne, but you are true to me. You did not refuse to tell about your faith in me even during the time of Antipas. Antipas was my faithful witness [ d ] who was killed in your city, the city where Satan lives.
14 “But I have a few things against you. You have people there who follow the teaching of Balaam. Balaam taught Balak how to make the people of Israel sin. They sinned by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sins. 15 It is the same in your group. You have people who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 So change your hearts! If you don’t change, I will come to you quickly and fight against these people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.
17 “Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
“I will give the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. I will also give each one a white stone that has a new name written on it. And no one will know this name except the one who gets the stone.
18 “Write this to the angel of the church in Thyatira:
“Here is a message from the Son of God, the one who has eyes that blaze like fire and feet like shining brass.
19 “I know what you do. I know about your love, your faith, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first. 20 But I have this against you: You let that woman Jezebel do what she wants. She says that she is a prophet, [ e ] but she is leading my people away with her teaching. Jezebel leads my people to commit sexual sins and to eat food that is offered to idols. 21 I have given her time to change her heart and turn away from her sin, but she does not want to change.
22 “So I will throw her on a bed of suffering. And all those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly. I will do this now if they don’t turn away from the things she does. 23 I will also kill her followers. Then all the churches will see that I am the one who knows what people feel and think. And I will repay each of you for what you have done.
24 “But others of you in Thyatira have not followed her teaching. You have not learned the things they call ‘Satan’s deep secrets.’ This is what I say to you: I will not put any other burden on you. 25 Only hold on to the truth you have until I come.
26 “I will give power over the nations to all those who win the victory and continue until the end to do what I want. 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod. They will break them to pieces like clay pots. [ f ] 28 They will have the same power I received from my Father, and I will give them the morning star. 29 Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
2 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
2 “To the angel of the church in ( A ) Ephesus write:
The One who holds ( B ) the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks [ a ] ( C ) among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2 ‘ ( D ) I know your deeds and your labor and [ b ] perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have ( E ) put those who call themselves ( F ) apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have [ c ] perseverance and have endured ( G ) on account of My name, and have not become weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have ( H ) left your first love. 5 Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and ( I ) repent, and ( J ) do the [ d ] deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your ( K ) lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the ( L ) Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 ( M ) The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ( N ) To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from ( O ) the tree of life, which is in the ( P ) Paradise of God.’
8 “And to the angel of the church in ( Q ) Smyrna write:
( R ) The first and the last, who [ e ] ( S ) was dead, and has come to life, says this:
9 ‘I know your ( T ) tribulation and your ( U ) poverty (but you are ( V ) rich), and the [ f ] slander by those who ( W ) say they are Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of ( X ) Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be ( Y ) tested, and you will have tribulation ( Z ) for ten days. [ g ] Be ( AA ) faithful until death, and I will give you ( AB ) the crown of life. 11 ( AC ) The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ( AD ) The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the ( AE ) second death.’
12 “And to the angel of the church in ( AF ) Pergamum write:
The One who has ( AG ) the sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 ‘I know where you dwell, where ( AH ) Satan’s throne is; and you hold firmly to My name, and did not deny ( AI ) My faith even in the days of Antipas, My ( AJ ) witness, My ( AK ) faithful one, who was killed among you, ( AL ) where Satan dwells. 14 But ( AM ) I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the ( AN ) teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a [ h ] stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ( AO ) to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 So you too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the ( AP ) Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore ( AQ ) repent; or else ( AR ) I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with ( AS ) the sword of My mouth. 17 ( AT ) The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ( AU ) To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden ( AV ) manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ( AW ) new name written on the stone ( AX ) which no one knows except the one who receives it.’
18 “And to the angel of the church in ( AY ) Thyatira write:
( AZ ) The Son of God, ( BA ) who has [ i ] eyes like a flame of fire, and [ j ] feet like burnished bronze, says this:
19 ‘ ( BB ) I know your deeds, and your love and faith, and service and [ k ] perseverance, and that your [ l ] deeds of late are greater than [ m ] at first. 20 But ( BC ) I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ( BD ) Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ( BE ) commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 ( BF ) I gave her time to repent, and she ( BG ) does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness , and those who ( BH ) commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [ n ] her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with [ o ] plague, and all the churches will know that I am He who ( BI ) searches the [ p ] minds and hearts; and ( BJ ) I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in ( BK ) Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the ( BL ) deep things of Satan, as they call them—I ( BM ) place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless ( BN ) what you have, hold firmly ( BO ) until I come. 26 ( BP ) The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds ( BQ ) until the end, ( BR ) I will give him authority over the [ q ] nations; 27 and he shall [ r ] ( BS ) rule them with a rod of iron , ( BT ) as the vessels of the potter are shattered , as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him ( BU ) the morning star. 29 ( BV ) The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
2 “To the angel [ a ] of the church in Ephesus ( A ) write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand ( B ) and walks among the seven golden lampstands. ( C ) 2 I know your deeds, ( D ) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested ( E ) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ( F ) 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, ( G ) and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ( H ) 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent ( I ) and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand ( J ) from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, ( K ) which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear ( L ) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, ( M ) I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, ( N ) which is in the paradise ( O ) of God.
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna ( P ) write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, ( Q ) who died and came to life again. ( R ) 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! ( S ) I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, ( T ) but are a synagogue of Satan. ( U ) 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, ( V ) and you will suffer persecution for ten days. ( W ) Be faithful, ( X ) even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. ( Y )
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear ( Z ) what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. ( AA )
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum ( AB ) write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. ( AC ) 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, ( AD ) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, ( AE ) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. ( AF )
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: ( AG ) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, ( AH ) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols ( AI ) and committed sexual immorality. ( AJ ) 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ( AK ) 16 Repent ( AL ) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. ( AM )
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear ( AN ) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, ( AO ) I will give some of the hidden manna. ( AP ) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name ( AQ ) written on it, known only to the one who receives it. ( AR )
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira ( AS ) write:
These are the words of the Son of God, ( AT ) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. ( AU ) 19 I know your deeds, ( AV ) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, ( AW ) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. ( AX ) 21 I have given her time ( AY ) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. ( AZ ) 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery ( BA ) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, ( BB ) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. ( BC )
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, ( BD ) 25 except to hold on to what you have ( BE ) until I come.’ ( BF )
26 To the one who is victorious ( BG ) and does my will to the end, ( BH ) I will give authority over the nations ( BI ) — 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter ( BJ ) and will dash them to pieces like pottery’ [ b ] ( BK ) —just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. ( BL ) 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear ( BM ) what the Spirit says to the churches.
