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
Contemporary English Version
The Letter to Ephesus
2 This 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.
2 I 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. 3 You have endured and gone through hard times because of me, yet you have not given up.
4 But I do have something against you! And it is this: You don't have as much love as you used to. 5 Think 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. 6 But there is one thing you are doing right. You hate what the Nicolaitans[a] are doing, and so do I.
7 (A) 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 (B) 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.
9 I 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.
10 Don'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.[b]
11 (C) 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.[c]
The Letter to Pergamum
12 This 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.
13 I know you live where Satan has his throne.[d] But you have kept true to my name. Right there where Satan lives, my faithful witness Antipas[e] was taken from you and put to death. Even then you did not give up your faith in me.
14 (D) I do have a few things against you. Some of you are following the teaching of Balaam.[f] Long ago he told Balak to teach the people of Israel to eat food that had been offered to idols and to be immoral. 15 Now some of you are following the teaching of the Nicolaitans.[g] 16 Turn back! If you don't, I will come quickly and fight against these people. And my words will cut like a sword.
17 (E) 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.[h] I will also give each one a white stone[i] with a new name[j] written on it. No one will know that name except the one who is given the stone.
The Letter to Thyatira
18 This 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.
19 I 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 (F) But I still have something against you because of that woman Jezebel.[k] 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. 21 I gave her a chance to turn from her sins, but she did not want to stop doing these immoral things.
22 I am going to strike down Jezebel. Everyone who does these immoral things with her will also be punished, if they don't stop. 23 (G) I will even kill her followers.[l] Then all the churches will see that I know everyone's thoughts and feelings. I will treat each of you as you deserve.
24 Some 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. 25 But until I come, you must hold firmly to the teaching you have.
26 (H) I will give power over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and keeps on obeying me until the end. 27-28 I 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.[m]
29 If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Footnotes
- 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).
- 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.
- 2.11 second death: The first death is physical death, and the “second death” is eternal death.
- 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.
- 2.13 Antipas: Nothing else is known about this man, who is mentioned only here in the New Testament.
- 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).
- 2.15 Nicolaitans: See the note at 2.6.
- 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.
- 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.
- 2.17 a new name: Either the name of Christ or God or the name of the follower who is given the stone.
- 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).
- 2.23 her followers: Or “her children.”
- 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.”
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
