Revelation 2
2
The Letters to the Seven Churches
The Letter to Ephesus
1 “Write to the angel # 2:1 Or messenger, also in vv. 8,12,18 of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands: # 2:1 Ac 21:11; Rv 1:16,20 2I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, # 2:2 Rv 2:19; 3:1,8,15 and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, # 2:2 2Co 11:13 and you have found them to be liars. # 2:2 1Jn 4:1 3I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, # 2:3 Mt 24:9 and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. # 2:4 Jr 2:2 5Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. # 2:5 Heb 10:32 Otherwise, I will come to you # 2:5 Other mss add quickly and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give # 2:7 1Jn 5:4–5 the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in # 2:7 Other mss read in the midst of the paradise of God. # 2:7 Gn 2:8–9; Lk 23:43; 2Co 12:4; Rv 22:2,14,19
The Letter to Smyrna
8 “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, # 2:8 Rv 1:17 the one who was dead and came to life: 9I know your # 2:9 Other mss add works and affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. # 2:9 Rv 3:9–10 10Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil # 2:10 Mt 4:1; Eph 4:27; 6:11; 1Tm 3:6; Jms 4:7; 1Pt 5:8; Rv 12:9,12; 20:2 is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. # 2:10 Dn 1:12,14 Be faithful to the point of death, # 2:10 Mt 10:22; 24:13; Rv 12:11 and I will give you the crown # 2:10 Or wreath of life. # 2:10 1Co 9:25; Jms 1:12; Rv 3:11
11 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death. # 2:11 Rv 20:6,14; 21:8
The Letter to Pergamum
12 “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword: # 2:12 Is 49:2; Heb 4:12; Rv 1:16; 2:16; 19:15 13I know # 2:13 Other mss add your works and where you live #— #where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me, # 2:13 Or deny my faith,# 2:13 1Tm 5:8 even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness # 2:13 Ac 22:20 who was put to death among you, where Satan lives. 14But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, # 2:14 2Pt 2:15 who taught Balak to place a stumbling block # 2:14 Or to place a trap in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols # 2:14 Ac 15:29; 1Co 8:10; 10:19 and to commit sexual immorality. # 2:14 Nm 25:1; 31:16; 1Co 10:8 15In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. # 2:15 Other mss add which I hate 16So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly # 2:16 Rv 22:7 and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. # 2:16 2Th 2:8
17 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna. # 2:17 Other mss add to eat,# 2:17 Ex 16:32–34 I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name # 2:17 Is 55:13; 56:5; 62:2 is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Letter to Thyatira
18 “Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God, # 2:18 Ps 2:7–9 the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze: # 2:18 Rv 1:14–15 19I know your works #— #your love, faithfulness, # 2:19 Or faith service, and endurance. # 2:19 1Th 1:3; Rv 2:2 I know that your last works are greater than the first. 20But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, # 2:20 1Kg 16:30–33; 21:25; 2Kg 9:7,30–37 who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. # 2:20 2Kg 9:22; Ac 15:29; 1Co 10:20 21I gave her time to repent, # 2:21 Rm 2:4; 2Pt 3:9 but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. # 2:21 Rv 9:20–21; 16:9,11 22Look, I will throw her into a sickbed # 2:22 2Kg 9:22 and those who commit adultery with her # 2:22 Rv 17:2; 18:9 into great affliction. # 2:22 Mt 24:21; Ac 7:11 Unless they repent of her # 2:22 Other mss read their works, 23I will strike her children dead. # 2:23 Or with a plague,# 2:23 Ezk 33:27 Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, # 2:23 Ps 7:9; 26:2; 139:1; Jr 11:20; 17:10; Mt 16:27; Lk 16:15; Ac 1:24; Rm 8:27 and I will give to each of you according to your works. # 2:23 Rm 2:6; 2Co 11:15; 2Tm 4:14; Rv 18:6; 20:12–13 24I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets # 2:24 Or the secret things,# 2:24 2Co 2:10 of Satan” # 2:24 Rv 2:9 #— #as they say #— #I am not putting any other burden on you. # 2:24 Mt 11:30; Ac 15:28; 24:4; 1Jn 5:3 25Only hold on to what you have until I come. # 2:25 Rv 3:11 26The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations —
27 and he will rule # 2:27 Or shepherd,# 2:27 Rv 19:15 them with an iron scepter;
he will shatter them like pottery # 2:27 Ps 2:9,# 2:27 Ps 2:9 —
28 just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. # 2:28 Is 14:12; 2Pt 1:19; Rv 22:1
29 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Revelation 2: CSB
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