启示录 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
给以弗所教会的信
2 “你要写信告诉以弗所教会的天使，那位右手拿着七颗星、往来于七个金灯台中间的主说，
2 ‘我知道你的行为、劳碌和坚忍，也知道你疾恶如仇，曾查验出那些假冒的使徒，揭穿他们的虚假。 3 你曾坚定不移地为我的名受苦，没有气馁。 4 但有一件事我要责备你，就是你把起初的爱心丢弃了。 5 因此，要回想你在哪里跌倒了，并且悔改，照起初所行的去行。否则，我就要到你那里，将你的灯台从原处拿走。 6 然而你还有一点可取之处，就是你跟我一样痛恨尼哥拉党人的行径。
7 ‘圣灵对各教会所说的话，凡有耳朵的都应当听。我必将上帝乐园中生命树上的果子赐给得胜者吃。’
给士每拿教会的信
8 “你要写信告诉士每拿教会的天使，那位首先的、末后的、死而复活的主说，
9 ‘我知道你遭受的苦难和贫穷，其实你是富足的。我也知道那些人对你的毁谤，他们自称为犹太人，其实不是，而是撒旦的同伙[a]。 10 你不要害怕将要遭受的苦难。魔鬼要将你们当中的一些人下在监里，试炼你们，你们必遭受十天的迫害。但你要至死忠心，我必赐给你生命的冠冕。
11 ‘圣灵对各教会所说的话，凡有耳朵的都应当听。得胜者必不被第二次死亡所害。’
给别迦摩教会的信
12 “你要写信告诉别迦摩教会的天使，那位有两刃利剑的主说，
13 ‘我知道你住在撒旦称王的地方。当我忠心的见证人安提帕在你们这撒旦盘踞之处殉道的时候，你仍然坚守我的名，仍然信靠我。 14 不过有几件事我要责备你，你那里有人随从巴兰的教导。这巴兰从前教巴勒在以色列人面前布下网罗，使他们吃祭过偶像的食物、犯淫乱的罪。 15 同样，你们当中也有人附从尼哥拉党的教导。 16 所以你要悔改，否则我必迅速到你那里，用我口中的剑攻击他们。
17 ‘圣灵对各教会所说的话，凡有耳朵的都应当听。我必将隐藏的吗哪赐给得胜者。我也要赐给他一块白石，石上刻着一个新名字，除了那领受的人以外，没有人认识。’
给推雅推喇教会的信
18 “你要写信告诉推雅推喇教会的天使，那位双目如火焰、双脚像闪亮精铜的上帝的儿子说，
19 ‘我知道你的行为、爱心、信心、事奉、坚忍，也知道你末后所做的善事比起初更多。 20 可是有一件事我要责备你，就是你容许那自称是先知的妇人耶洗别教导我的众奴仆，引诱他们淫乱、吃祭过偶像的食物。 21 我曾给她悔改的机会，她却不肯悔改、离弃自己的淫乱行为， 22 所以我必叫她卧病在床。那些与她有染的人若不悔改，也必遭受极大的苦难。 23 我要击杀她的爪牙[b]，使众教会都知道我洞察人的心思意念，我要照你们各人的行为对待你们。
24 ‘至于你们其余在推雅推喇的人，就是不听那邪说，没有学习所谓的撒旦玄学的人，我告诉你们，我不会将别的重担放在你们身上。 25 但你们要好好持守自己已经得到的，一直到我来。 26 至于那得胜又遵守我命令到底的人，我必赐给他统治列国的权柄， 27 正如我从我父得到的权柄。他必用铁杖管辖列国，将他们如同陶器一般打得粉碎。 28 我也要把晨星赐给他。
29 ‘圣灵对各教会所说的话，凡有耳朵的都应当听。’
Revelation 2
EasyEnglish Bible
Jesus' message to the believers at Ephesus
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]
Jesus' message to the believers at Smyrna
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]
Jesus' message to the believers at Pergamum
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.” ’
Jesus' message to the believers at Thyatira
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!” ’
Footnotes
- 2:1 Many people think that the ‘angel’ here means a human messenger that God has sent. The ‘angel’ could have been the person who read this letter aloud to the church. So ‘angel’ could also mean this in Revelation 2:8,12,18; 3:1,7,14. Everywhere else in Revelation, ‘angel’ means a being from heaven.
- 2:6 The Nicolaitans were teaching the Christians to do wrong things. They were not teaching the same message as Jesus had taught. We do not know much about the wrong things that they taught.
- 2:7 If we turn against Satan, Jesus promises to give us new life. The fruit that he gives us is a picture of everything that we need to live that new life.
- 2:10 ‘ten days’ may mean a short time of trouble, rather than a long time.
- 2:10 At the time John was on earth, a winner of a race received a crown. The crown was the shape of a circle. Somebody had tied leaves together to make it.
- 2:11 The second death is the opposite of when someone lives always with Jesus. It means that a person must go to a place without Jesus. Nobody is happy in that place. The name of that place is hell, or the lake of fire. See Revelation 20:14.
- 2:13 Pergamum was a city where Satan was powerful.
- 2:13 There was a special building in Pergamum for people to worship the king of Rome. This king was against Christians because they would not worship him. Also, there was a very big stone table on a hill. People offered gifts to the false god Zeus on this big table. Also, many people worshipped a snake god. The Devil appears as a snake in the Bible. See Genesis 3.
- 2:14 Balak was the king of Moab. See Numbers 22:1—25:3.
- 2:17 The colour white in the Bible usually means completely good and clean. So the white stone may show that God will make us like that. He will make our spirits completely clean if we continue to believe him.
- 2:20 God's Law says that someone should have sex only with their wife or their husband.
- 2:27 The person who rules the countries will be strong. He will rule with great power and he will punish people who do wrong things.
- 2:28 The morning star appears in the sky just before the sunrise. It is very bright. It shows us that the day is coming. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus says that he is the morning star. He brings light when it has been dark.
Revelation 2
Legacy Standard Bible
To the Church in Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in (A)Ephesus write:
This is what the One who holds (B)the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks [a](C)among the seven golden lampstands, says:
2 ‘(D)I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot bear with those who are evil, and you (E)put to the test those who call themselves (F)apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have [b]endured (G)for My name’s sake, you also have not grown 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 [c]deeds you did at first. But if not, I am coming to you and will remove your (K)lampstand out of its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the (L)Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 (M)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (N)To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of (O)the tree of life which is in the (P)Paradise of God.’
To the Church in Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in (Q)Smyrna write:
(R)This is what the first and the last, who [d](S)was dead, and has come to life, says:
9 ‘I know your (T)tribulation and your (U)poverty (but you are (V)rich), and the blasphemy 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 cast some of you into prison, so that you will be (Y)tested, and you will have tribulation (Z)for ten days. [e]Be (AA)faithful until death, and I will give you (AB)the crown of life. 11 (AC)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AD)He who overcomes will never be hurt by the (AE)second death.’
To the Church in Pergamum
12 “And to the angel of the church in (AF)Pergamum write:
This is what the One who has (AG)the sharp two-edged sword says:
13 ‘I know where you dwell, where (AH)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast 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, that you have there some who hold the (AN)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, (AO)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the (AP)Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore (AQ)repent. But if not, (AR)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with (AS)the sword of My mouth. 17 (AT)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AU)To him who overcomes, to him 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 but he who receives it.’
To the Church in Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in (AY)Thyatira write:
(AZ)This is what the Son of God, the One (BA)who has [f]eyes like a flame of fire and His feet are like burnished bronze, says:
19 ‘(BB)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your last deeds are greater than [g]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 deceives My slaves so that they (BE)commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 (BF)And I gave her time to repent, and she (BG)does not wish to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her [h]on a bed of sickness, and those who (BH)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [i]her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with [j]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who (BI)searches the [k]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 have 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 fast (BO)until I come. 26 (BP)And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds (BQ)until the end, (BR)to him I will give authority over the [l]nations; 27 and he shall [m](BS)rule them with a rod of iron, (BT)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him (BU)the morning star. 29 (BV)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Footnotes
- Revelation 2:1 Lit in the middle of
- Revelation 2:3 Lit bear up, cf. 2:2
- Revelation 2:5 Lit first deeds
- Revelation 2:8 Lit became
- Revelation 2:10 Or Prove yourself faithful
- Revelation 2:18 Lit His eyes
- Revelation 2:19 Lit the first
- Revelation 2:22 Lit into
- Revelation 2:22 One early ms their
- Revelation 2:23 Lit death
- Revelation 2:23 Inner man; lit kidneys
- Revelation 2:26 Or Gentiles
- Revelation 2:27 Lit shepherd
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.