Revelation 2

The Message to the Church in Ephesus

1 “Write this letter to the angel # 2:1 Or the messenger; also in 2:8, 12, 18. of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! # 2:4 Greek You have lost your first love. 5Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

The Message to the Church in Smyrna

8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

The Message to the Church in Pergamum

12 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:

13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.

14 “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. 16Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

The Message to the Church in Thyatira

18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:

19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 21I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.

22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, # 2:22 Greek a bed. and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,

To them I will give authority over all the nations.

27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots. # 2:26-27 Ps 2:8-9 (Greek version).

28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

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Revelation 2: NLT

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Revelation 2

To the Church in Ephesus

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of # ch. 1:16, 20 him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, # ch. 1:13 who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 # ver. 19 ; ch. 3:1, 8, 15 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but # See 1 John 4:1 have tested those # See 2 Cor. 11:13 who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up #John 15:21for my name’s sake, and you #[Heb. 12:3, 5]have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned #Jer. 2:2the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do #ver. 2; [Heb. 10:32] the works you did at first. If not, #ch. 3:3, 19I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of #ver. 15the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7#ver. 11, 17, 29; ch. 3:6, 13, 22; 13:9He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. #ch. 3:5; 21:7To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of #See Gen. 2:9the tree of life, which is in #Ezek. 28:13; 31:8 (Gk.)the paradise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of # See ch. 1:17 the first and the last, # ch. 1:18 who died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and # James 2:5; [ 1 Tim. 6:18; Heb. 10:34; 11:26 ] your poverty ( # James 2:5; [ 1 Tim. 6:18; Heb. 10:34; 11:26 ] but you are rich) and the slander # 2:9 Greek blasphemy of #ch. 3:9, 10those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, #[See ver. 9 above] that you may be tested, and for #[Gen. 24:55; Dan. 1:12, 14] ten days #Matt. 24:9you will have tribulation. #See Matt. 10:22; Heb. 3:6Be faithful #ch. 12:11unto death, and I will give you #See James 1:12the crown of life. 11#See ver. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. #See ver. 7The one who conquers will not be hurt by #ch. 20:6, 14; 21:8the second death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has # ver. 16 ; ch. 1:16 the sharp two-edged sword.

13 “‘I know where you dwell, # ver. 9 where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not # See 1 Tim. 5:8 deny my faith # 2:13 Or your faith in me even in the days of Antipas #Acts 22:20my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of #See 2 Pet. 2:15Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might #ver. 20; Acts 15:29; 1 Cor. 8:10; 10:19eat food sacrificed to idols and #Num. 25:1; 31:16; 1 Cor. 10:8practice sexual immorality. 15So also you have some who hold the teaching of #ver. 6the Nicolaitans. 16Therefore repent. If not, #[ch. 22:7] I will come to you soon and #See 2 Thess. 2:8war against them with #[See ver. 12 above]the sword of my mouth. 17#[See ver. 11 above] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. #[See ver. 11 above] To the one who conquers I will give some of #[John 6:48-50] the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with #ch. 3:12; Isa. 62:2; 65:15a new name written on the stone #ch. 19:12; [ch. 14:3]that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, # ch. 1:14, 15 who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 # ver. 2 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman #1 Kgs. 16:31; 21:25; 2 Kgs. 9:7Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants #See ver. 14to practice sexual immorality and #See ver. 14to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21I gave her time to repent, but #[ch. 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11]; See Rom. 2:4she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 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 #Ps. 7:9; 26:2; Jer. 20:12; See Rom. 8:27who searches mind and heart, and #See Matt. 16:27I will give to each of you according to your works. 24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call #[1 Cor. 2:10] the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I #[Acts 15:28]do not lay on you any other burden. 25Only hold fast #ch. 3:11what you have until I come. 26#See ver. 7The one who conquers and who keeps my works #See Heb. 3:6until the end, #Ps. 2:8; [ch. 3:21; 20:4]to him I will give authority over the nations, 27and #Ps. 2:9he will #ch. 12:5; 19:15rule#2:27 Greek shepherd them with a rod of iron, #Isa. 30:14; Jer. 19:11as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28And I will give him #[2 Pet. 1:19]; See ch. 22:16the morning star. 29#[See ver. 7 above]He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

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