Revelation 2
2
The Letter to Ephesus
1This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Ephesus:
I am the one who holds the seven stars in my right hand, and I walk among the seven gold lampstands. Listen to what I say.
2I know everything you have done, including your hard work and how you have endured. I know you won't put up with anyone who is evil. When some people pretended to be apostles, you tested them and found out they were liars. 3You have endured and gone through hard times because of me, yet you have not given up.
4But I do have something against you! And it is this: You don't have as much love as you used to. 5Think about where you have fallen from, and then turn back and do as you did at first. If you don't turn back, I will come and take away your lampstand. 6But there is one thing you are doing right. You hate what the Nicolaitans#2.6 Nicolaitans: Nothing else is known about these people, though it is possible that they claimed to be followers of Nicolaus from Antioch (see Acts 6.5). are doing, and so do I.
7 #
Gn 2.9; 2 Esd 2.12; Rev 22.2;
Ez 28.13; 31.8 (LXX). If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will let everyone who wins the victory eat from the life-giving tree in God's wonderful garden.
The Letter to Smyrna
8 #
Is 44.6; 48.12; Rev 1.17; 22.13. This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Smyrna:
I am the first and the last. I died, but now I am alive! Listen to what I say.
9I know how much you suffer and how poor you are, but you are rich. I also know the cruel things being said about you by people who claim to be God's people. But they are not really God's people. They are a group that belongs to Satan.
10Don't worry about what you will suffer. The devil will throw some of you into jail, and you will be tested and made to suffer for ten days. But if you are faithful until you die, I will reward you with a glorious life.#2.10 a glorious life: The Greek text has “a crown of life.” In ancient times an athlete who had won a contest was rewarded with a crown of flowers as a sign of victory.
11 #
Rev 20.14; 21.8. If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever wins the victory will not be hurt by the second death.#2.11 second death: The first death is physical death, and the “second death” is eternal death.
The Letter to Pergamum
12This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Pergamum:
I am the one who has the sharp double-edged sword! Listen to what I say.
13I know you live where Satan has his throne.#2.13 where Satan has his throne: The meaning is uncertain, but it may refer to the city as a center of pagan worship or of Emperor worship. But you have kept true to my name. Right there where Satan lives, my faithful witness Antipas#2.13 Antipas: Nothing else is known about this man, who is mentioned only here in the New Testament. was taken from you and put to death. Even then you did not give up your faith in me.
14 #
Nu 22.5,7; 31.16; Dt 23.4;
Nu 25.1-3. I do have a few things against you. Some of you are following the teaching of Balaam.#2.14 Balaam: According to Numbers 22–24, Balaam refused to disobey the Lord. But in other books of the Old Testament, he is spoken of as evil (see Deuteronomy 23.4,5; Joshua 13.22; 24.9,10; Nehemiah 13.2). Long ago he told Balak to teach the people of Israel to eat food that had been offered to idols and to be immoral. 15Now some of you are following the teaching of the Nicolaitans.#2.15 Nicolaitans: See the note at 2.6. 16Turn back! If you don't, I will come quickly and fight against these people. And my words will cut like a sword.
17 #
Ex 16.14,15; 16.33,34; Jn 6.48-50;
Is 62.2; 65.15. If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To everyone who wins the victory, I will give some of the hidden food.#2.17 hidden food: When the people of Israel were going through the desert, the Lord provided a special food for them. Some of this was placed in a jar and stored in the sacred chest (see Exodus 16). According to later Jewish teaching, the prophet Jeremiah rescued the sacred chest when the temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. He hid the chest in a cave, where it would stay until God came to save his people. I will also give each one a white stone#2.17 white stone: The meaning of this is uncertain, though it may be the same as a ticket that lets a person into God's banquet where the “hidden food” is eaten. Or it may be a symbol of victory. with a new name#2.17 a new name: Either the name of Christ or God or the name of the follower who is given the stone. written on it. No one will know that name except the one who is given the stone.
The Letter to Thyatira
18This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Thyatira:
I am the Son of God! My eyes are like flames of fire, and my feet are like bronze. Listen to what I say.
19I know everything about you, including your love, your faith, your service, and how you have endured. I know you are doing more now than you have ever done before. 20#1 K 16.31; 2 K 9.22,30. But I still have something against you because of that woman Jezebel.#2.20 Jezebel: Nothing else is known about her. This may have been her real name or a name that was given to her because she was like Queen Jezebel, who opposed the Lord (see 1 Kings 19.1,2; 21.1-26). She calls herself a prophet, and you let her teach and mislead my servants to do immoral things and to eat food offered to idols. 21I gave her a chance to turn from her sins, but she did not want to stop doing these immoral things.
22I am going to strike down Jezebel. Everyone who does these immoral things with her will also be punished, if they don't stop. 23#Ps 7.9; Jr 17.10; Ps 62.12. I will even kill her followers.#2.23 her followers: Or “her children.” Then all the churches will see that I know everyone's thoughts and feelings. I will treat each of you as you deserve.
24Some of you in Thyatira don't follow Jezebel's teaching. You don't know anything about what her followers call the “deep secrets of Satan.” So I won't burden you down with any other commands. 25But until I come, you must hold firmly to the teaching you have.
26 # Ps 2.8,9 (LXX). I will give power over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and keeps on obeying me until the end. 27-28I will give each of them the same power my Father has given me. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash those nations to pieces like clay pots. I will also give them the morning star.#2.27,28 the morning star: Probably thought of as the star that signals the end of night and the beginning of day. In 22.16 Christ is called the “morning star.”
29If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Revelation 2: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Ḥazon (Revelation) 2
2
1“To the messenger of the assembly of Ephesos write, ‘He who is holding the seven stars in His right hand, who is walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2“I know your works, and your labour, and your endurance, and that you are not able to bear evil ones, and have tried those who say they are emissaries and are not, and have found them false;
3and you have been bearing up and have endurance, and have laboured for My Name’s sake and have not become weary.
4“But I hold this against you, that you have left your first love.
5“So remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works, or else I shall come to you speedily and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
6“Yet this you have, that you hate the works of the Nikolaites, which I also hate.
7“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes#This word (and its noun) is used 17 times in the Book of Revelation. The name Yisra’ĕl means to overcome with Ěl.. I shall give to eat from the tree of life,#Gen. 2:9; Gen. 3:22; Gen. 3:24 which is in the midst of the paradise#Lit. garden. of Elohim.” ’#Gen. 2:9; Gen. 3:22; Gen. 3:24#See Rev. 22:2; Rev. 22:14
8“And to the messenger of the assembly in Smurna write, ‘This says the First and the Last,#Isa. 44:6; Isa. 48:12 who became dead, and came to life:
9“I know your works, and pressure, and poverty – yet you are rich – and the blasphemy of those who say they are Yehuḏim and are not, but are a congregation of Satan.
10“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. See, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, in order to try you, and you shall have pressure ten days. Be trustworthy until death, and I shall give you the crown of life.
11“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes shall by no means be harmed by the second death.” ’#See Rev. 20:6
12“And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write, ‘He who has the sharp two-edged sword, says this:
13“I know your works, and where you dwell, where the throne of Satan is. And you hold fast to My Name, and did not deny the belief in Me, even in the days in which Antipas was My trustworthy witness, who was killed near you, where Satan dwells.
14“But I hold a few matters against you, because you have there those who adhere to the teaching of Bil‛am, who taught Balaq to put a stumbling-block before the children of Yisra’ĕl, to eat food offered to idols, and to commit whoring.
15“So you also have those who adhere to the teaching of the Nikolaites, which teaching I hate.
16“Repent, or else I shall come to you speedily and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
17“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I shall give him a white stone, and on the stone a renewed Name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
18“And to the messenger of the assembly in Thyatira write, ‘This says the Son of Elohim, who has eyes like a flame of fire,#Dan. 10:5, 6 and His feet like burnished brass:#Dan. 10:5, 6
19“I know your works, and love, and service, and belief, and your endurance. And as for your works, the last are more than the first.
20“But I hold against you that you allow that woman Izeḇel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and lead My servants astray to commit whoring and to eat food offered to idols.
21“And I gave her time to repent of her whoring, and she did not repent.
22“See, I am throwing her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their works.
23“And I shall slay her children with death. And all the assemblies shall know that I am the One searching the kidneys and hearts. And I shall give to each one of you according to your works.
24“And to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not possess this teaching, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they call them, I am not putting on you another burden.
25“But hold fast what you have until I come.
26“And he who overcomes, and guards My works until the end, to him I shall give authority over the nations,#Psa. 2:8
27and he shall shepherd them with a rod of iron, as the potter’s vessels shall be broken to pieces,#Psa. 2:9 as I also have received from My Father.
28“And I shall give him the morning star.
29“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.” ’
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